A crucial part of living Earth-friendly is understanding why it’s important, which requires actively seeking out accountable, ethical climate journalism. While climate issues are emerging in mainstream media, we’ve identified five media outlets focusing especially on the topic.
Whether you’re looking for a daily kick in the climate-butt, a new podcast, or a weekly overview; it’s worth checking out the following platforms. Or, join us every Wednesday for Hopeful Headlines, where we battle the gloom and doom with positive climate news.
Don’t see your favorite climate news outlet? Let us know in the comments section below.
HEATED
HEATED is Emily Atkin’s newsletter “for people who are pissed off about the climate crisis.” Atkin (@emorwee on Twitter), a widely published climate journalist, left her position as a climate/environment writer and editor at the The New Republic in 2019 to launch HEATED. Still in its infancy, HEATED has thousands of subscribers and is climbing the ranks on Substack.
For $8 a month, HEATED subscribers receive four to five emailed newsletters per week. At least one newsletter each week is also available to non-paying subscribers. The newsletters feature quality, independent climate journalism with a “let’s be pissed off about this together” twang; focusing largely on the fossil fuel industry’s role in climate change and it’s ongoing campaign to dodge accountability.
The climate crisis is a heavy topic with some really dark ins-and-outs, but Atkin makes it approachable by channeling that climate anger into content that’s simultaneously funny, easy to read and powerful.
Grist
The self-described “Beacon in the Smog” has been at it since 1999 and has been called “the Colbert Report of climate change … except with real reporting and analytical journalism” by TIME magazine. Grist is right in that sweet-spot of big enough to do great reporting and small enough to retain its journalistic independence, and operates much like a community newspaper. Like HEATED, Grist packages the hard-to-swallow climate crisis into digestible articles often lined with humor. The weekly Ask Umbra newsletter responds to questions about adjusting to climate change.
The nonprofit relies on donations to keep its staff fed and content free. Subscribe to its newsletters to receive daily or weekly content.
Drilled
An investigative podcast unpacking climate denial campaigns, Drilled is “The best, most important podcast out there right now,” according to The Guardian.
In season one, host Amy Westervelt (@amywestervelt on Twitter) uses primary source documents and first-hand interviews to lay out the history of the fossil fuel industry’s decades-long climate denial campaign. Season two features West Coast crab fisherman and their unlikely decision to take on Big Oil. Season three, “The Mad Men of Climate Denial,” delves into the history of fossil fuel propaganda. Drilled is available wherever you get your podcasts.
While HEATED and Grist use humor to make the climate crisis digestible, Drilled just lays it all on the table in the most podcasty way ever. Expect ominous music, an expressionless narrator, and dramatic pauses. Have a stress ball ready.
The Guardian
Known for its reporting on “the NSA revelations, Panama Papers and The Counted,” The Guardian was an early adopter of climate journalism. It recently announced it would no longer accept fossil fuel advertising and pledged to be carbon neutral by 2030.
Based in the UK, The Guardian covers a wide range of international topics, including a constant stream of environmental coverage. Because it insists on keeping its content free, the Guardian relies on voluntary donations and subscriptions.
The New York Times Climate Fwd:
This weekly climate-focused newsletter from The New York Times has a little bit of everything including advice columns, short editorials and previews of the week’s top climate stories. It’s free to subscribe to, although access to some stories may require a NYT subscription or account.
This service caters to those looking for a weekly recap of national climate events and topic in their email inbox.
What’s your favorite source of climate journalism? Share it with us in the comment section below or on social media @emeraldology!
Feature photo by Matthew Guay on Unsplash.
