Finally, some good news on the climate front. On Tuesday, Covering Climate Now reached a global audience with an article* by Mark Hertsgaard and Kyle Pope explaining how a new economic superpower could spark a global retreat from fossil fuels. The article highlighted the First Conference on Transitioning Away From Fossil Fuels taking place on April 24 to 29 in Santa Marta, Colombia. Journalists and news outlets around the world should cover this conference, if only remotely, because it has the potential to be a game-changer.
Scientists have long said that rapidly phasing out fossil fuels is imperative to limiting global temperature rise to an amount our civilization can survive. Nevertheless, a handful of petrostates blocked the COP30 UN climate summit last November from endorsing a global roadmap to phase out fossil fuels. But the 85 countries that supported such a roadmap, Hertsgaard and Pope wrote, might turn the tables in Santa Marta.
It’s easy to take a cynical view of climate conferences as long on talk and short on action, but this one could be different, Hertsgaard and Pope argued, for two reasons. First, this conference, which is co-hosted by the governments of Colombia and The Netherlands, “will not be governed by UN rules, which require consensus, but [rather] by majority rule, thus preventing a handful of countries from sabotaging progress as petrostates did at COP30.” What’s more, “the underlying terrain of this conference will no longer be principally politics, but economics: not the words that canny negotiators can keep in or out of a diplomatic text, but the implacable market forces that shape the world economy, including the potential emergence of a de facto economic superpower.”
Combine the gross national products of the 85 countries that backed a fossil fuel phase out roadmap at COP30, and they amount to the biggest economic superpower on Earth — bigger than the US. And if California, the fourth biggest economy on Earth, were to join, the total economic heft of this “coalition of the willing” would be roughly as big as the US and China put together. That gives this effort enormous potential leverage. If the Santa Marta conference can devise a credible roadmap to withdraw that immense buying power from fossil fuels over the coming years, it could send shockwaves through the global economy, leading other countries and private investors to follow suit, much as the 2015 Paris Agreement did.
Hertsgaard and Pope’s article ran in The Nation, The Guardian, and leading outlets in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. At The Guardian, it was, for a time, the “Most Viewed” in all five editions (US, UK, Europe, International, and Australia) — a reminder that there is popular hunger for positive but plausible climate news. The article remains timely and available for CCNow partner outlets to publish; interested editors can republish the text from The Guardian.
To help journalists understand the Santa Marta conference and how they might go about covering it, CCNow is hosting a webinar next Wednesday, April 15, at 12pm US Eastern Time. Panelists will include key Colombian and Dutch diplomats who are organizing the conference. RSVP here. CCNow’s Hertsgaard and Elena González will also be in Santa Marta to support journalists with their coverage; please contact them via editors@coveringclimatenow.org.
Hertsgaard and Pope’s article concluded by referencing The 89 Percent Project, observing that the Santa Marta conference “underscores a point often missed in the usual narrative on climate change: The overwhelming majority of the world’s people — 80–89% of them — want their governments to take stronger climate action. … This conference is an opportunity to flip the narrative and begin that urgent task.” Journalists should be there.
*The article was published in The Guardian, The Nation (US), El País (Spain), Público (Portugal), Asahi Shimbun (Japan), InfoAmazonia (Brazil), and The Rappler (Philippines).
From Us
RSVP: 2026’s “Super El Niño” and Its Potential Global Impacts. CCNow and Climate Central are co-hosting a webinar TODAY, Thursday, April 9, at 1pm US Eastern Time (17:00h UTC), about the science behind this year’s potential “super El Niño” and how climate change plays a role. Learn more and RSVP.
RSVP: Live from SEJ: The State of Climate Journalism. Join CCNow next Thursday, April 16, at 12pm US Eastern Time (11am US Central Time & 16:00h UTC), for a live broadcast from the Society of Environmental Journalists’ annual conference in Chicago. We’ll dig into CCNow’s new white paper about the state of climate journalism. Learn more and RSVP.
SEJ bound? Join CCNow and Solutions Journalism Network for a workshop on Wednesday, April 15. For more details, look on the schedule for “Workshop 3 — Mapping The Future of Climate Journalism,” from 1–4pm US Central Time. CCNow and Sentient will also co-host a happy hour on Friday, April 17, from 5:45–8pm, at Vintage Bar, one block from the conference venue. Join us!
Locally Sourced. The latest edition of our biweekly newsletter for local journalists explores tourism, including how some tourist destinations are adapting to local climate impacts and how tourism can worsen climate change; plus, sample stories to inspire your work and expert tips from The Guardian’s Ajit Niranjan. Check out the Locally Sourced archive and sign up to get the newsletter every other Tuesday.
Radar Clima: cubrir los impactos de El Niño en tu región. La última edición de Radar Clima, nuestro boletín en español para periodistas de todas las áreas, te trae datos clave, recursos, contactos de voces expertas y ángulos de cobertura para reportear una crisis que está transformando territorios de América Latina y España. Échale un vistazo a las ediciones anteriores y suscríbete para recibir el boletín los miércoles.
1,200+ entries. We put out the call, and you delivered. Thank you for the 1,200+ entries submitted for consideration in the 2026 CCNow Journalism Awards! Entries arrived from all over the world, and, like every year, we’re amazed at the breadth and quality of work you sent our way. We can’t wait to dig in with judges in the coming months to select this year’s winners!
Noteworthy Stories
“Economic civil war.” Eleven states with Republican-led legislatures have passed or are currently considering legislation that would protect oil and gas companies from legal accountability for climate damages. Many of these bills have been drafted and lobbied for by groups with ties to right-wing activist Leonard Leo. By Abrahm Lustgarten for ProPublica…
War profiteers. In the first quarter of 2026, oil executives sold more than $1.4 billion in personal stock, profiting off of US-Israeli attacks on Iran and the resulting energy crisis. Chevron’s CEO, Mike Wirth, personally made $104 million from January to March, and ConocoPhillips’s CEO, Ryan Lance, made about $54.3 million in March. By Emily Atkin for Heated…
Losing forest fast. Deforestation rates in Indonesia increased 66% in 2025, up from 261,000 hectares in 2024 to more than 433,000 hectares in 2025, according to the non-governmental organization Auriga Nusantara. In 2021, the country reached historic low deforestation rates, when just under 230,000 hectares were cleared. By Hans Nicholas Jong for Mongabay…
Fire threat. Coming off a historically dry winter, nearly all of the American West will face increased risk this upcoming fire season, according to the National Interagency Coordination Center, a government-run outfit that provides monthly fire risk assessments. By Tik Root for Grist…
EVs vs. gas-powered cars. Amid the growing energy crisis and erratic gasoline and diesel prices, EVs have been a more financially stable choice than gas-powered vehicles. Dig into the state-by-state breakdown of what it costs to run an EV versus a gas-powered car. By Karin Kirk for Yale Climate Connections…
On the Beat
And then there were none. CBS News has laid off its last dedicated climate journalist, David Schechter, and correspondent Dave Malkoff, whose reporting also often focused on climate change. By Evlondo Cooper for Media Matters…
Events
RSVP: Future Geographies: Art in the Century of Climate Change. On Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22, at 10am Pacific Time (17:00h UTC), Canada’s National Observer and the Vancouver Art Gallery are partnering to host a live online event about ways that artists are responding to climate change. Learn more and RSVP.
RSVP: News Reimagined: The Creator Journalism Summit. A one-day event at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on Monday, May 4, journalists, creators, and newsroom leaders will come together for discussions on how to grow audiences and build trust. Learn more and RSVP.
Jobs, Etc.
Jobs. Climate Central is hiring a number of positions, including Vice President for Business Development and Writer and Associate Producer (mostly remote). CNN is hiring several weather-related positions, including Senior Photo Editor, Senior Editor (Features), a Digital Meteorologist, Weekends, and a Weekend Editor (hybrid; multiple locations). Nexstar Media Group is hiring a Morning Meteorologist (Colorado Springs, Colo.). MPR News is hiring a Chief Meteorologist (Saint Paul, Minn.). The Freedom of the Press Foundation is hiring an Audience Editor (remote). The Committee to Protect Journalists in hiring an Assistant Editor, Middle East and North Africa Region (remote in MENA, fixed term, contract).
Fellowships. Solutions Journalism Network is accepting applications for the second cohort of its Solutions Visuals fellowship; apply by April 24. The Chips Quinn Reporter Fellowship is accepting applications; apply between April 13 and May 13.
Grants. The USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism is accepting applications for its 2026 National Fellowship and accompanying grants; apply by April 16. Earth Journalism Network is accepting grant proposals from journalists in Ghana, Mexico, the Philippines, and other coastal countries to report on marine conservation targets; apply by April 21.