And we’re off! Covering Climate Now is proud to announce the launch, TODAY, of a new Joint Coverage Week, focused on the overwhelming majority of people globally who want governments to do more to fight climate change.
The Joint Coverage Week — part of a broader, yearlong effort we’re calling The 89 Percent Project — runs through next Monday, April 28, with many of the biggest names in news globally on board. Read on to learn more about upcoming coverage, and how you and your newsroom can get involved!
That number, 89%, comes from scientific studies (listed under ‘Resources’ on The 89 Percent Project website) showing that between 80% and 89% of the world’s population favors strong government action on climate. Of course, that number differs from country to country — in Brazil it’s 95%, in India its 80%, and in the US it’s 74% — but regardless of location, this huge yet silent climate majority flips the script on narratives of climate change as a niche concern and shows that most governments are profoundly out of step with the public on this issue. What’s more, according to the same studies, many in this silent climate majority don’t realize that they’re in the majority — that many of their neighbors and fellow citizens feel the same as they do — perhaps because they seldom see their views reflected in news coverage or on social media.
For journalists, this disconnect serves up a wellspring of storytelling opportunities. For example: Who are the 89%, and how does this majority differ from country to country and state to state? What specific action do the people in this majority want their governments to take? And are they aware that humanity has all the necessary tools to halt climate change right away? Stories published during this Joint Coverage Week will tackle these questions and more.
Throughout the week, in daily dispatches, we’ll share coverage highlights — from outlets including The Guardian, Agence France-Presse, Deutsche Welle, TIME, NBC News, Telemundo, The Nation, Crooked Media, Canada’s National Observer, Japan’s Asahi Shimbun, Italy’s Corriere della Sera, and Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism.
How To Participate
We invite journalists and newsrooms everywhere to publish stories related to the 89%. If your newsroom is a CCNow partner, you may also republish others’ stories that have been produced in support of this Joint Coverage Week; keep an eye on the CCNow Sharing Library for the latest.
When you’re publishing 89 Percent stories, both during the Joint Coverage Week and after — again, this is an ongoing initiative! — we ask that you:
- Include the logo, which you can find here.
- Include this tagline, at the top or bottom of your story:
This story is part of The 89 Percent Project, an initiative of the global journalism collaboration Covering Climate Now. - Send the link to editors@coveringclimatenow.org. We’d love to amplify your work!
A primary goal of the Joint Coverage Week is for participating journalists and outlets to collectively generate enough coverage that news of the 89% breaks through. Throughout the week, please also do everything you can to promote not just your 89 Percent Project stories but those from other journalists and outlets. On social media, we’ll be using the hashtag #The89Percent.
You can start by helping to amplify these posts introducing the week:
A potentially game-changing climate story has been hiding in plain sight — until now.
Today marks the launch of #The89Percent Project, a yearlong global journalistic effort to highlight the vast majority of people who care about climate change and want their governments to do something about it.
— Covering Climate Now (@coveringclimatenow.org) April 21, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Events Reminder
- Tuesday, April 22: The Future of Climate Activism. With all manner of crises straining the public’s attention and amid official efforts to limit protesters’ power and activities, what’s a climate activist to do, and how should journalists cover the shifting activism landscape? Join this conversation with Drilled’s Amy Westervelt, American University sociologist Dr. Dana Fisher, and Sunrise Movement activist John Paul Mejia. Theresa Riley, CCNow’s audience editor, will moderate. The event is scheduled for TOMORROW — Earth Day, April 22 — at 12pm US Eastern Time (4pm GMT). Learn more and register.
- RECENT: Yale Climate Opinion Maps for Journalists. Earlier this month, the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and CCNow hosted a webinar on how journalists can use the Yale Climate Opinion Maps to tell stories — including in stories related to The 89 Percent Project. Panelists included NBC News’s Chase Cain, CCNow’s Mark Hertsgaard, Yale’s Dr. Jennifer Marlon, and CBS News’s Tracy Wholf. Anthony Leiserowitz, founder and director of YPCCC, moderated. Watch a recording.
That’s all for today. As always, thank you for your interest in CCNow’s work, as well as your commitment to the climate story. At CCNow, we view these Joint Coverage Weeks as an opportunity to penetrate the noise of frenetic daily news cycles to deliver critical climate stories and perspectives to our collective audience — and this story, that even despite setbacks the global public wants action, could not be more urgent. So, this week and beyond, help us make some noise!
Onward,
The CCNow Team