A potentially game-changing climate story has been hiding in plain sight — until now. Starting next Monday, April 21, Covering Climate Now’s 89 Percent Project will highlight a pivotal but little-known fact: The overwhelming majority of people in the world — between 80 and 89%, according to a growing body of scientific studies — want their governments to take stronger climate action.
They are the silent climate majority. According to these studies, this overwhelming majority doesn’t realize that it is the majority, perhaps because that fact is not reflected in most news coverage or on social media.
The 89 Percent Project aims to change that. From April 21 to 28, news outlets including The Guardian, Agence France-Presse, TIME, NBC News, Telemundo, The Nation, Crooked Media, The National Observer, The Asahi Shimbun, Deutsche Welle, Corriere della Sera, and Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism will run stories exploring such questions as: Who are the 89%? How does that number differ across countries (for example, the figure is 95% in Brazil, 89% in Nigeria, 80% in India, and 74% in the US)? How does it differ by gender, age, or economic status? What kinds of action do the 89% want their governments to take? Are they aware that scientists say humanity has all the tools needed to tackle the problem?
Journalists are notoriously tight-lipped about stories they have in the works, and CCNow won’t spoil that here. But we will give a hint of the approaches some of these news outlets are taking, if only to encourage other outlets to dig into a story that’s been too long overlooked.
To be clear, there’s still time to get involved: Next week is only the beginning of a year-long effort that will include CCNow Newsmaker Interviews and newsroom trainings on countering disinformation, all culminating in a second Joint Coverage Week before the UN COP30 climate summit in November. All news outlets are welcome to take part. Participation costs nothing, and each outlet decides for itself how many and what kinds of stories to run. See the project’s home online for further information, including links to the scientific studies behind the 89% number.
If you are a CCNow partner, you can republish, free of charge and with credit to the originating outlet, first-rate 89 Percent stories from partners that share them. Here is a sampling of stories being made available (more are coming — partners can access CCNow’s Sharing Library for the latest offerings):
- The Guardian will offer two pieces by the newspaper’s environment editor, Damian Carrington, exploring the peer-reviewed science documenting the existence of the climate majority.
- Deutsche Welle will share a story examining one of the possible reasons why so many people want stronger climate action: Extreme weather is making affordable housing harder to find.
- Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism will offer at least four stories, including examinations of how climate change is affecting daily life in Gaza, Lebanon, and other parts of the Middle East, a region that climate reporting has, oddly, long overlooked.
- AFP will provide (for AFP’s thousands of newsroom clients) four stories — one each from Brazil, Greece, Vietnam, and the Philippines — scrutinizing another possible reason for the emergence of the climate majority: Governments sometimes don’t prioritize climate action even after extreme weather has battered their country.
As journalists, we rightly pay lots of attention to what political leaders say and do. The 89 Percent Project is a prompt to shift the focus, to pay attention to what ordinary citizens think and want from their leaders as well. The world’s climate majority deserves to know that they are not alone, and that they’re being heard.
From Us
Arab-language 89 Percent webinar. Tomorrow, April 18, at 6pm Arabia Standard Time (11am US Eastern Time), Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) and CCNow will host a webinar for Arabic speakers and journalists throughout the Middle East, about getting involved in The 89 Percent Project and more. Panelists will include ARIJ climate correspondent Ahmed Ashour, CCNow’s executive director Mark Hertsgaard, and former Al Jazeera English managing director Giles Trendle. Learn more and register.
Webinar: ‘Future of Climate Activism.’ CCNow will host “The Future of Climate Activism” during the 89 Percent Project kickoff week, on Tuesday, April 22, at 12pm US Eastern Time. Join this conversation with American University sociologist Dr. Dana Fisher, Sunrise Movement national spokesperson John Paul Mejia, and Drilled executive editor Amy Westervelt. Theresa Riley, Covering Climate Now’s audience editor, will moderate. Learn more and register.
Webinar: Climate Opinion Maps. 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 (always relevant but especially so in light of The 89 Percent Project!). Panelists included NBC News’s Chase Cain, CCNow’s Mark Hertsgaard, Yale’s Jennifer Marlon, and CBS News’s Tracy Wholf. Anthony Leiserowitz, founder and director of YPCCC, moderated. Watch a recording.
Locally Sourced newsletter. The latest edition of our biweekly newsletter for local journalists looks into commercial aviation — how flying contributes to global warming, how climate change is impacting our experience of the skies, and the challenges and opportunities of decarbonizing the aviation sector. Check out the Locally Sourced archive and sign up to get it every other Tuesday.
Noteworthy Stories
Promises made? President Donald Trump campaigned on an unqualified return to fossil fuels, and indeed in office he’s moved swiftly to gut climate and clean energy programs, all while championing himself as the champion of “American energy.” The market chaos and uncertainty that have followed his administration’s new tariff regime, though, have immediately jeopardized several liquified natural gas projects — especially by raising the prices of specialty materials critical to getting those projects off the ground — which have been struggling anyway, in recent years, amid post-pandemic inflation and the world’s shifting energy landscape. By Amanda Drane for the Houston Chronicle…
Not so under-the-radar, after all. The Trump administration has issued an order to halt construction on the first off-shore wind project to break ground since the inauguration — which, upon its completion, was expected to power some 500,000 New York homes. By Jennifer McDermott for the Associated Press…
- The Empire Wind project, helmed by the Norwegian company Equinor, commenced construction earlier this year with no press releases, no ribbon-cutting, and not even so much as a post on the company’s social media accounts — a sign of the times, experts said, as the company seemed to want to avoid falling into the administration’s crosshairs, with wind power being a longstanding target of President Trump’s. By Clare Fieseler for Canary Media…
Growing gender gap. A new poll finds that, of the roughly 7% of US voters who consider climate and the environment their top voting priority, 62% are women — a larger gap than in any of the same poll’s previous iterations. An expert cautions that this doesn’t mean necessarily that men have grown to care less about climate change — instead, other issues may have simply risen on their priorities lists — but there is evidence that women, especially women of color, face disproportionate consequences from climate impacts. By Jessica Kutz for The 19th News…
“Unaffordable future.” Western North Carolina was long thought to be a “climate haven,” but last fall’s Hurricane Helene and subsequent flooding showed virtually nowhere is safe from extreme weather disasters. In fact, 72% of the state’s counties may face “climate abandonment,” migration driven by a combination of rising property risk, heightened insurance premiums, and falling home values. Consistent with climate migration patterns elsewhere, experts predict many rural residents will escape to urban centers, which can strain public infrastructure and services. By Liz McLaughlin at WRAL News in Raleigh, North Carolina…
Local problems, local solutions. Climate anxiety and hardships brought on or worsened by climate disasters are taking a toll on the mental health of teens in sub-Saharan Africa. And while this is true for teens in many places, the most effective solutions at helping young people stave off despair will be ones tailored to their own social and economic context; now, in Madagascar, policymakers are piloting programs to teach climate resilient farming and boost school attendance. By Paula Dupraz-Dobias for Climate Home News…
They fought the law. At a time of mounting government pressure on activist groups in the UK, the climate outfit Just Stop Oil, which achieved notoriety for its controversial, high-visibility tactics, is ceasing operations. In the group’s three-year tenure, JSO activists blocked highways, thwarted concerts and sports matches, and defaced public property, earning no shortage of trouble with the law. Yet JSO also “proved there was a group of people in the UK prepared to endure public opprobrium — and often prison — to raise the alarm about a crisis that experts warn threatens the future of humanity.” By Matthew Taylor and Damien Gayle for The Guardian…
Quote of the Week
“This is, quite simply, the greatest scientific experiment ever undertaken by humans. Our continually rising emissions of greenhouse gases are altering Earth — with our own species destined to be the prime test subject.”
– Robin McKie, reflecting on 40 years of covering science for The Observer
Resources, Events, Etc.
US local climate vulnerability. From the Environmental Defense Fund, Texas A&M University, and Darkhorse Analytics, the US Climate Vulnerability Index combines likely climate effects with other factors, including issues of equity, to assess how different local areas will fare in the face of mounting climate risks. In-depth reports are available for every county and tract; the goal is to show “what is driving the challenges, so policymakers and communities themselves can take action to build climate resilience where it is needed most.”
The Inside Scoop. On Earth Day, April 22, Inside Climate News will host a webinar called “The Inside Scoop: Covering Politics and Energy in 2025,” featuring ICN reporters Marianne Lavelle and Dan Gearino and hosted by ICN executive editor Vernon Loeb, on “what it’s like to cover their beats during this time of rapid-fire breaking news and the dismantling of environmental protections.” Register.
Heatmap’s Energy Entrepreneurship 2025. On May 1, during the inaugural DC Climate Week, Heatmap News is convening an in-person event to examine the questions: “Which solutions are truly delivering results? Where is capital flowing, and why? How can entrepreneurs and policymakers align to drive progress?” Government and industry leaders will be in attendance “to explore strategies that leverage policy, finance, and technology to meet business and consumer needs while addressing climate challenges.” Learn more and register.
FT Climate & Impact Summit. On May 21 and 22, the Financial Times, with Moral Money and Climate Capital, is hosting a combined in-person (London) and digital event, “[bringing] together senior leaders from business, finance, and policy to confront how climate change is already disrupting sustainability efforts, and to identify what can still be done.” Learn more and register.
GIJN’s ‘Guide to Investigating Fossil Fuels.’ The Global Investigative Journalism Network has a new guide to “provide [journalists] context and practical advice to enable better investigations of the fossil fuel industry.” The guide, authored by leading climate and investigative journalists, comprises six subject-specific chapters, including on government regulations and policies, uncovering lobbying efforts, and greenwashing and disinformation.
Jobs, Opportunities, Etc.
National & large outlets. Capital & Main is hiring an executive editor (Los Angeles). Audubon Magazine is hiring an editorial intern. The Nation is hiring an editorial intern (New York preferred; apply by May 7).
Local & smaller outlets. The Boulder Reporting Lab is hiring a managing editor (Boulder, Colo.). The Bangor Daily News is hiring an outdoors editor (Bangor, Maine). Earth Island Journal is hiring an associate editor (San Francisco Bay Area preferred). The Albuquerque Journal is hiring a business reporter (Albuquerque, N.M.). Montclair Local Nonprofit News is hiring an accountability reporter (Montclair, N.J.).
Support Covering Climate Now
We’re working to help journalists worldwide improve and expand their climate coverage. Meet our staff and learn more about CCNow.