When legendary investor Warren Buffett recently named Greg Abel his designated successor as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, journalists swarmed the story. Most of them reiterated Buffett’s reputation as a Wall Street “sage,” and highlighted his confidence in Abel, who leads Berkshire’s energy division. Reporters noted Buffett’s criticism of US president Donald Trump’s tariffs, which he called “a big mistake,” and chronicled the devoted investors who flock, cult-like, to Berkshire’s annual meeting in Omaha.
But little of that coverage mentioned that the beloved Buffett ranks as one of the world’s biggest financiers of climate change.
But Sammy Roth’s column in the Los Angeles Times confronted the matter head on. His lede didn’t mince words: “Warren Buffett has invested tens of billions of dollars in fossil fuels, propping up some of the nation’s dirtiest coal plants as well as major oil and gas suppliers even as the climate crisis threatens human civilization.”
Drawing on his decade of covering energy news for the Times and, previously, The Desert Sun, Roth reported that Abel began his career as a supporter of renewable energy. But as Abel rose through the ranks at Berkshire, he shifted to backing coal, the dirtiest, most carbon-intensive conventional fossil fuel.
“Once I saw the announcement that Buffett was retiring and Abel would replace him,” Roth told Covering Climate Now, he remembered, “‘Hmmm, Abel used to work on renewables. I think I know something here that no one else outside [Berkshire Hathaway] does.”
It’s that kind of deeply informed reporting, combined with elegant, plain-spoken prose, that have made Roth’s Boiling Point column required reading for anyone serious about US climate news.
Roth learned journalism as a reporter and editor at his high school and college newspapers. “It’s a lot cheaper than grad school,” he joked. He isn’t surprised that business reporters in other newsrooms missed the climate angle of the Buffett story. “Whether it’s a business, or a politics, or some other kind of story where climate is involved, the climate angle often gets left out,” he said. “It’s a huge oversight.”
To rectify it, Roth has two pieces of advice for fellow journalists: First, read more climate journalism. “You don’t have to read dense scientific reports to know enough about climate change to include a decent paragraph or two in whatever story you’re doing. Just read your colleagues.”
Second, don’t be scared of making the climate connection. “I get the sense from some colleagues [on other beats] that they’re afraid of being called an activist or getting cut off by their sources if they include climate in their stories. But I write these kinds of stories all the time, and it doesn’t cut me off from the companies. Making these kinds of connections is just part of your job as a reporter.”
From Us
Social media training. CCNow is launching a free training program to help journalists report and produce social-first climate change journalism. The workshop series, which will explore how to engage and grow an audience on social platforms, will span three sessions this summer. Learn more and apply.
Exploring faith communities’ climate action. CCNow co-hosted a conversation with partner outlet the National Catholic Reporter digging into climate action being taken by faith-based communities around the world. Watch the recording.
Prep Your Climate Coverage: Summer. CCNow and Climate Central co-hosted a webinar — and published an accompanying resource guide — to help reporters prepare to cover extreme weather in the late spring and summer, including extreme heat and hurricanes. Watch the recording.
Noteworthy Stories
Gutting the IRA. House Republicans who previously pledged to preserve the Biden-era energy tax credits have all fallen in line and, on Thursday morning, supported a budget reconciliation bill that will repeal or phase out most of the climate change–related substance of the US Inflation Reduction Act. By Dan Gearino for Inside Climate Nows…
- Story idea: Explore how the repeal could impact state-level regulation, area businesses, and the speed of the green transition locally.
Foreclosed future. Foreclosures due to climate change–driven extreme weather events could soar 380% over the next decade, according to new research by First Street. By Mary Cunningham for CBS News…
Relaxing regulation. The Brazilian senate has voted to adjust the country’s permitting process, in a move that environmentalists caution may threaten environmental protections. This November, Brazil will host COP30, the UN’s annual climate summit, putting the country’s climate and environment policies in the spotlight. By Daniel Carvalho for Bloomberg…
Low-tech solutions. Summer is well underway in India where climate change–fueled extreme heat is jeopardizing human health and safety, especially for women who are part of the country’s “informal economy.” Researchers are monitoring the health impacts of heat and hoping to encourage cities to adopt low-tech solutions, like planting trees and providing drinking water, to lessen health consequences. By Sushmita Pathak for The World…
“Climate superfund.” Amid more frequent and costly climate disasters, 11 US states are considering legislation that place fossil fuel companies on the hook for damages. Two states, Vermont and New York, have helped lead the way, passing similar bills in the last two years. By Akielly Hu for Grist…
Quote of the Week
“The destruction of the world’s forests reached the highest level ever recorded in 2024, driven by a surge in fires caused by global heating.”
– Patrick Greenfield, reporting for The Guardian on a new study from the University of Maryland
Resources, Events, Etc.
5-day livestream. “The Weather & Climate Livestream,” beginning May 28 and running through June 1, will feature work being done by climate scientists and meteorologists and the the impacts that the Trump administration’s climate cuts are having on their research. Learn more.
Help with disinformation. The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication is hosting a webinar on May 29 “Understanding & Countering Climate Change Misinformation and Disinformation.” Learn more and register.
Hurricane season. On May 30, the Nature Conservancy will present its 2025 Hurricane Season Outlook, also highlighting the twentieth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, with an on-the-record conversation with climate expert Dr. Katharine Hayhoe. Learn more and register.
Jobs, Opportunities, Etc.
National & large outlets. Fortune is hiring an energy reporter (New York). Sinclair is hiring a national investigative journalist (Arlington, Va.). Mother Jones is hiring three editorial positions: assistant editor, assistant producer, and digital producer (San Francisco, Calif.). Sierra Magazine is hiring an editorial fellow (Oakland, Calif., or remote). Inside Climate News is hiring part-time fellows for their fall 2025 program (New York).
Local & smaller outlets. CalMatters in California is hiring an environment and health editor. The Sacramento Bee in California is hiring a climate and environment reporter and a service journalism reporter. The Provincetown Independent in Cape Cod, Mass., is hiring a science and environment reporter.
Support Covering Climate Now
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