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“I call on all leaders worldwide to declare a State of Climate Emergency in their own countries until carbon neutrality is reached.” So said United Nations Secretary General António Guterres in his speech to the Climate Ambition Summit on December 12, the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement. Guterres’s appeal seemed aimed at leaders of national governments; the Secretary General noted that “thirty-eight countries have already” made such declarations [among them, such big emitters as the United Kingdom, Japan and Canada]. But it’s time for media leaders to declare a state of climate emergency as well.
Journalists and news executives in charge of newspapers, TV and radio programs, and social media platforms seen and heard by billions of people around the world exercise a profound influence over how the public thinks and feels about the defining problem of our time — and what, if anything, governments, businesses, and other powerful actors end up doing about it. Shouldn’t news organizations be telling the unvarnished truth about the climate problem and, not least, its solutions?
Read Mark Hertsgaard’s full column, looking back on climate coverage in 2020 and calling for the media in 2021 to also declare a climate emergency…
New From CCNow
Wishing happy holidays to all. CCNow will be offline through the New Year, so expect the next Climate Beat on January 6. It has been a challenging year, but we are so grateful to our partners and journalists everywhere who pushed through to tell the stories our audiences needed — of an all-encompassing pandemic, a rancorous US election, and of course climate change, which remains the story of our time. The coming year will be pivotal to the climate crisis, and journalists will be critical to holding power to account and informing the public. But for now, we at CCNow wish everyone a happy and restful holiday season.
Hearing from Georgia’s young people. Throughout this election season, young voters and activists forced climate change to center stage, and the upcoming Senate runoff elections are no exception. We spoke with five young people in Georgia to get their take on the issues that matter most to them and how those are covered (or not) in the media. Here’s what they had to say…
Save the date. Our next Talking Shop webinar is set for January 13 at 12pm US Eastern time. We’ll discuss how journalists on the climate beat and beyond can deal with emotional fatigue and burnout during these extraordinary times. Further details will be announced closer to the date, but for now you can mark your calendars and RSVP. Sign up here…
Essential Climate News
Stay on top of major developments in the climate story.
- In addition to UN Secretary General António Guterres urging nations to declare a “climate emergency” during last week’s Climate Ambition Summit, there were other signs of progress as world leaders recommitted to the Paris Agreement. The United Kingdom pledged to end government support to fossil fuel projects overseas. Other commitments were more incremental, or even negligible, but on the whole negotiators said progress was more promising than just short months ago, especially given new commitments from China earlier this year and Joe Biden’s victory in the US presidential contest. From Reuters…
- In a new study from CCNow partner Nature, scientists have concluded that 2020 is the “crossover point,” at which the total weight of human-made materials on Earth outweighs the planet’s biomass. In other words, the combined weight of all the concrete, bricks, metals, plastics, glass, and more that we’ve made is greater than that of humans, animals, and plants. The negative effects of this trend, both for our health and the planet’s, are self-evident. Coverage of the Nature study, from EcoWatch…
- Canada’s Conservative Party has long ignored climate change, but that may change soon, as Conservative lawmakers fear continuing to do so will mean electoral defeat. One Conservative source called a credible environmental plan an “entrance exam to respectability” with Canadian voters. From The Toronto Star…
- In a convincing op-ed, María Fernanda Espinosa, former president of the UN general assembly, argues Covid-economic recovery spending must be green and that now is the time for ambitious climate policy proposals. “Such measures aren’t just necessary – they’re popular,” she writes. “If governments are spending incredible resources … it’s only fair that those resources go towards building societies that are greener, sustainable and more resilient, rather than redoubling on the fragile models of the past.” From The Guardian…
- The oil and gas industry is apparently going to great, even bizarre, lengths to court women’s sympathies. The groups Texans for Natural Gas have employed jokey memes, stereotypically feminine imagery, and women-centric testimonials to sway the public — the only problem being that the women in those testimonials don’t exist. From Mother Jones…
Standout Stories
In our Sharing Library, we’ve highlighted strong stories that remain relevant and are available for republication by partners. If republishing, remember that time and date phrases in such stories — i.e. “last week,” “this month” — may be altered in the copy to ensure stories still make sense. Here are just a few recent standouts:
- Why Democrats lose on social media while Republicans lie and win big | Columbia Journalism Review
- Women Are Still Not Being Heard in the Climate Policy Conversation | AGU’s Eos Magazine
- China’s struggle to hold back the desert | Footprint Magazine
- Deadly bacteria lurk in coastal waters. Climate change increases the risks. | The Center for Public Integrity, with Columbia Journalism Investigations
- Climate Disasters Are Leaving Families With Nowhere to Go | The Nation
Visit the complete Sharing Library…
Work Opportunities
Capital & Main, freelance editor: CCNow partner and award-winning investigative news outlet Capital & Main is seeking a freelance editor for its new climate reporting project, “The Slick.” Experience editing investigative reporting required; knowledge of California climate issues and politics preferred. Contact publisher Danny Feingold.
Vox, climate writer & biodiversity writer: CCNow partner Vox is hiring both a Climate Writer and a Biodiversity Writer to join their science team. Job postings here and here.
WhoWhatWhy, freelance reporters and apprenticeships: CCNow partner WhoWhatWhy, a nonprofit news organization, is seeking pitches from freelancers on regional, national, and global environmental issues. They’re also offering apprenticeships for new journalists who will collaborate with news veterans, gaining valuable experience and obtaining published clips. For pitches, write Pitches.Editors@whowhatwhy.org. For the Apprentice Program, contact hr@whowhatwhy.org.
Resources and More
MIT science and climate editing handbook. The Knight Science Journalism program at MIT is out with a new Science Editing Handbook, complete with a full chapter on climate and the environment. Drawing on expertise from scientists and editors alike, the handbook, in the words of its introduction, “is designed to empower editors to ask the right questions, enable them to spot faulty reporting or flawed science, and to provide information on best practices in reporting on science and the many subjects, now more critical than ever.” Check out the guide’s Climate and Environment chapter here…
Women’s Media Center’s new climate channel. This week, the Women’s Media Center has launched a channel for monitoring the special and disproportionate impacts of climate change on women, people of color, and LGBTQ communities around the world. In addition to storytelling on this front, the channel will host resources, such as the WMC Climate Map, to help lift up the unique experiences of those whose needs often come last in the climate discussion. Visit the new climate channel…