Climate Week NYC has made plenty of news the past few days. Former US climate envoy John Kerry revealed that China’s president Xi Jinping is “personally” shepherding China’s climate policy. IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva urged the world’s governments to end their $800 billion a year in subsidies to fossil fuels. And Climate Central announced that the overheated sea water amping Florida-bound Hurricane Helene into a Category 4 storm was made 300 to 500 times more likely by global warming.
It was also an eventful week for Covering Climate Now and its partners. First, CBS News, the Guardian, Rolling Stone, and other CCNow partners ran stories from our newsmaker interview with Jane Fonda. Also on Monday, the “Climate Changes Everything” blueprint for media transformation, stewarded by our colleagues at the Solutions Journalism Network, the Associated Press, and Syli, launched. And we hosted a press briefing on potentially game-changing new science delivered by Paris Agreement architect Christiana Figueres and Professor Tim Lenton of the University of Exeter.
The Fonda interview stories focused on the actor and climate activist’s call for Americans to vote with climate in mind on Election Day. “Jane Fonda rallies disaffected young US voters: ‘Do not sit this election out,’ was the Guardian’s headline. The Rolling Stone and Guardian stories are available for CCNow partners to re-publish, free of charge. Or, partners can view the original 75-minute interview and craft their own stories; for access, please email editors@coveringclimatenow.org.
As for our briefing, “How Positive Tipping Points Change the Climate Story,” many journalists already know about the kind of climate tipping points that are scientists’ nightmare. Melting ice sheets in Greenland, for example, are bad news. White ice reflects the sun’s rays, but melted ice becomes dark water, which absorbs the sun’s heat. That increases global warming, which in turn melts more ice, which further increases global warming, a process that can tip to become irreversible.
The new study that Lenton, who is a co-author, and Figueres discussed identified positive climate tipping points: changes in government policy and private sector behavior that can exponentially accelerate decarbonization. Business journalists have already reported on one example: the way government subsidies and economies of scale have sent solar and wind power costs plummeting in recent years. As a result, coal-fired electricity has become ever less competitive, and solar and wind accounted for more than 80% of new capacity globally in 2023.
Interrogating how this study’s findings correspond to real-world conditions is an opportunity for journalists to provide the solutions reporting audiences say they want. One key finding is bound to be contentious: Positive climate tipping points are best achieved not through a price on carbon or “letting the market decide” but through government mandates — for example, ordering that new cars powered by fossil fuel can no longer be purchased after the year 2035.
All this offers plenty of coverage opportunities. We’re also confident that the practices and principles found in the “Climate Changes Everything” blueprint will be of great practical use to journalists everywhere — whether you’re a newcomer hoping to jump-start your climate coverage or an experienced journalist eager to take your coverage to the next level.
From Us
Attribution webinar. Join CCNow, Climate Central, and World Weather Attribution for a one-hour press briefing, “How Do We Know Climate Change Fueled That Storm?” on October 1, at 11am US Eastern Time. We’ll dig into how scientists know a particular weather event is climate connected, and how you can explain the connection to your audiences.
Positive tipping points explained. Watch a recording of CCNow’s recent webinar, “How Positive Tipping Points Change the Climate Story.” Christiana Figueres, former executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and Professor Tim Lenton, chair in Climate Change and Earth System Science at the University of Exeter, talked about the best mechanisms governments can use to accelerate positive tipping points and give humanity a fighting chance against climate change.
Noteworthy Stories
The public v. Congress. In this deep dive, CBS News asks, why doesn’t Congress deliver climate solutions that two-thirds of Americans say they want? No Republicans in Congress voted for the IRA, and yet support for “regulating carbon emissions” is notable in conservative districts. By David Schechter, Grace Manthey, Sarah Metz, Tracy Wholf, Chance Horner, and Samantha Wender for CBS News…
Flooding in West and Central Africa. At least 1,000 people have been killed and more than 4 million people have been affected by recent flooding in Nigeria, Mali, Senegal, and Chad. These countries are among the most climate vulnerable in the world, with the least resources to cope with the impacts of global warming. “This disaster reminded me of the Boko Haram terrorist attack, which I reported on in 2014 and 2015,” said Inside Climate News intern Nana Mohammed. “The country was turned upside down and more than two million people were displaced across Nigeria’s northeastern states.” Interview by Steve Curwood of “Living on Earth,” transcribed for Inside Climate News…
Central European floods. Recent devastating flooding in Central Europe was made more likely by climate change, according to new World Weather Attribution analysis. Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent. If global temperatures rise 2 degrees Celsius above pre-Industrial levels, similar storms will become “5% more intense and 50% more frequent,” according to WWA. By Mark Poynting and Greg Brosnan for the BBC…
Gen Z wants accountability. In the US, the majority of Gen Z — those born between 1997 and 2012 — hold politicians responsible for climate change, according to a new poll from Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation. One-third of Gen Z worries they’ll be forced to move in their lifetimes because of climate change, and 73% of those believe that water — polluted water, rising water, lack of drinking water — will be the reason why. By Kelly Livingston for ABC News…
Swing states reap IRA benefits. Nearly half of the $150 billion allocated through the Inflation Reduction Act for manufacturing EVs, batteries, and other renewable energy components has gone to the seven swing states that will likely decide the US presidential election in November. The states are Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. By Oliver Milman, Dharna Noor, with graphics by Andrew Witherspoon for the Guardian…
From the Sharing Library
CCNow partners are welcome to republish these stories:
- “Abolish Fossil Fuels” – Sierra Magazine
- “Tropical Storm Helene forms in the Western Caribbean” – Yale Climate Connections
- “California sues Exxon Mobil over ‘sham’ of plastics recycling” – Grist
Resources & Events
The UCLA Emmett Institute is hosting a webinar, “Climate Policy After the 2024 Election,” on September 30, at 12pm US Pacific Time.
The Global Investigative Journalism Network is hosting a webinar, “Investigating the US Election: Digging Into Anti-Democratic Efforts to Sideline Voters,” on October 1, at 9am US Eastern Time.
Earth Journalism Network is hosting a webinar, “We Know What It Takes to ‘Cover the Planet’. Where Do We Go from Here?,” on October 3, at 1pm Greenwich Mean Time. They’ll discuss EJN’s latest report, “Covering the Planet: Assessing the State of Climate and Environmental Journalism Globally.”
CLEW Press Club is hosting a webinar, “The 2024 US election’s impact on European climate and energy policy,” on October 8, at 16:00 Central European Summer Time.
Jobs, Etc.
Jobs. The New York Times is hiring a Reporter/Meteorologist, Weather Data Team (San Francisco or Los Angeles, Calif.). Southern California Public Radio is recruiting a Senior Editor for its new Watchdog team and Transportation and Accountability Correspondents (Pasadena, Calif.). The Texas Tribune is seeking an Afternoon/Evening Reporter (Austin, Texas). The Sacramento Bee is hiring a Legislative Reporter (Sacramento, Calif.).
Grants. The International Center for Journalists is accepting grant applications for reporting focused on climate change in the Global South; apply by November 1.