“It is a death sentence for us if larger nations continue to open new fossil fuel projects,” Feleti Teo, the prime minister of Tuvalu, said in 2024. Located roughly halfway between Australia and Hawaii, Tuvalu is a nation of extremely low-lying reef islands and atolls. Sea-level rise — driven primarily by burning fossil fuels, which boosts global temperatures and melts polar ice sheets — threatens to put those islands and atolls underwater within the lifetimes of Tuvalu’s current inhabitants. No wonder Tuvalu, along with other Pacific island nations, will co-host a follow-up meeting to the landmark First Conference on Transitioning Away From Fossil Fuels held six weeks ago in Santa Marta, Colombia.
So it comes as a shock to learn that Tuvalu’s government is heavily invested in fossil fuels, as revealed by an investigation published on May 28 by the global news agency Agence France-Presse. The Tuvalu Trust Fund, the nation’s largest financial asset, according to AFP, “has invested in coal mining, gas exploration and the world’s largest crude oil refinery,” the Jamnagar petrochemical complex in India, reported correspondent Steven Trask.
Income from the fund helps pay for government programs in Tuvalu, but it’s unclear how aware government officials were about the investments. Since 2022, the Tuvalu Trust Fund, which was first established in 1987, has been operated by Mercer, a consulting firm based in New York, which told AFP it did not comment on its clients’ portfolios. Presented with AFP’s findings, a spokesperson for the trust said it would review the fund’s holdings and continue “to seek to minimize its exposure to fossil fuel reserves and carbon emissions.”
AFP’s exposé points to a jaw-dropping conflict in an investment portfolio for a nation that is quite literally disappearing as a result of climate change. It is also public-minded journalism at its best. It holds power to account. It reveals surprising information about two vital, often overlooked issues: sea-level rise and fossil fuel production. It notes the implications not only for Tuvalu but the broader world. And it accomplishes all of this at a time when some news outlets, especially in the US, are retreating from the climate story, as CCNow’s recent white paper shows. AFP is demonstrating the value of staying the course.
In the US, National Public Radio also offered fine climate reporting recently, airing a 19-minute podcast on May 24 that challenged the notion that the Trump administration’s hostility to climate action makes progress impossible. Julia Simon, NPR’s climate solutions correspondent, shared audio from the Santa Marta conference to illustrate what’s happening outside the US. Then it was off to Denver to hear about a city program to heat and cool buildings more sustainably. Then to Massachusetts, where volunteers plant carbon-absorbing “pocket forests” on abandoned land. Citing one of the studies behind CCNow’s 89 Percent Project, Simon concluded by reporting that “80 percent of people worldwide … want stronger climate action from their governments.”
That widespread public sentiment makes what happened next all the more head-scratching: Four days later, NPR fired its climate editor and disbanded its climate desk. “Today, I was laid off by NPR,” Neela Banerjee, the head of NPR’s climate desk, posted on LinkedIn. She added, “The climate desk no longer exists separately but has been folded into the National Desk.” In other words, NPR still plans to cover climate change, but without the focus and expertise provided by a dedicated team. Simon remains on staff.
NPR’s climate desk was shut as part of broader budget cuts management said were necessary after the US Congress voted last year to eliminate federal subsidies for public media. But NPR’s “commitment to climate journalism has not changed,” NPR spokesperson Juliet Barbara said in a statement to the Climate-Colored Goggles newsletter. NPR “has not eliminated our Climate team,” she added, “we have reorganized our newsroom.” Nevertheless, it’s hard not to conclude that NPR saw dedicated climate expertise as nonessential.
At a time much of the planet is broiling in unseasonable heat, with worse to come this summer, that is a grievous misreading not only of the climate crisis but of the public’s interest in tackling it. CCNow’s white paper identified a number of news outlets — AFP, along with The Guardian, The New York Times, CNN, AP, and more — that are bucking the trend of de-prioritizing the climate story. Most of them employ a climate team, because it makes for more informed, engaging coverage. But more important, the white paper found, “is that top management conveys to the respective newsrooms that climate coverage matters.” NPR’s management has conveyed precisely the opposite message, a loss for its newsroom and for millions of listeners and readers who deserve better.
From Us
Radar Clima: Cómo cubrir el Mundial de fútbol bajo el calor extremo. Acompaña a Covering Climate Now y Climate Tracker en un seminario web especial el miércoles, 10 de junio, a las 12 pm hora del Este de Estados Unidos, sobre cómo el cambio climático afecta al Mundial. Te daremos ideas para reportajes y consejos de expertos para ayudarte a hacer la conexión climática y captar la atención de tu audiencia. Puedes encontrar más información y confirmar asistencia aquí.
RSVP: Santa Marta and the Future of Climate Journalism. Join CCNow and UNESCO for a special 90-minute webinar on Tuesday, June 9, at 9:30am US Eastern Time (13:30h UTC), examining the results from the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels in Santa Marta, Colombia, and how journalists can meet the moment in the face of disinformation and environmental challenges. Learn more + RSVP.
Locally Sourced. The latest edition of our biweekly newsletter for local journalists explores food waste, which accounts for nearly 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. We have sample stories, experts, and resources to help you start reporting a story that directly impacts your audiences every day. Check out the Locally Sourced archive and sign up to get the newsletter every other Tuesday.
Radar Clima: cómo cubrir investigación y artículos científicos sobre clima. La última edición de Radar Clima, nuestro boletín en español para periodistas, te trae claves, recursos y ejemplos para convertir la ciencia del clima en historias que importan a tu audiencia. Mira aquí las ediciones anteriores y suscríbete para recibir el boletín los miércoles.
Watch: CCNow Basics. New to covering climate? Looking to strengthen the foundation of your climate knowledge? Check ou CCNow Basics is a multi-episode series, covering topics from climate science 101 to disinformation to reporting on solutions, to help you get up to speed.
Noteworthy Stories
Wasted energy. China’s carbon emissions increased 2% in the first quarter of 2026 due to “inflexible” management of the country’s grid, which resulted in clean energy being wasted and the burning of more oil and gas, according to analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) for Carbon Brief. By Matteo Civillini for Climate Home News…
Natural alternatives. The Iran war is driving up the cost of chemical fertilizers, which farmers around the world depend on. But switching to natural fertilizers, like organic compost, where possible, could ease the financial strain on farmers, decrease dependence on fossil fuels needed to make and ship chemical fertilizers, and even help sequester carbon in the soil. By Jack Thompson, Sibi Arasu, and Fabiola Sanchez for the Associated Press…
Ocean sensored. The Trump administration has ordered the dismantling of a network of ocean sensors and instruments, known as the Ocean Observatories Initiative, that helped scientists better understand ocean currents, coastal flooding, and marine ecosystems. The system began operating in 2016 and was intended to continuously provide data for at least 25 years. By Leslie Kaufman and Eric Roston for Bloomberg…
“Marble-sized.” Rising temperatures are making hailstones larger, and the damage they cause even more costly — to the tune of $80 billion a year globally. In particular, Europe, Canada, and Argentina are predicted to see the biggest increase in hailstone size in their future, thanks to climate change. By Liam Gilliver for Euronews…
Preserving tradition. In Japan, a samurai horse festival that’s taken place at the height of summer for more than a thousand years was moved to late May in 2024 in response to climate change–fueled extreme heat that caused riders and spectators to collapse and horses to die from heatstroke. By France 24 with Agence France-Press…
Resources & Events
RSVP: Future of climate action. Join Project Drawdown’s Jonathan Foley for a special conversation with Katharine Hayhoe, “Where does climate action go from here?” on Tuesday, June 16, at 2pm US Eastern Time.
World Cup. Climate Central has launched an information hub for journalists, “Off Your Game: How Climate Change Could Slow Down the 2026 World Cup,” to browse data and story ideas for each stadium, match, and team.
Before Bonn. As governments prepare for the Bonn climate talks, which run from June 8–18, the International Institute for Sustainable Development explores whether momentum built in Santa Marta, Colombia, at the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels could impact the June conference.
Threatening duty. Longer hot seasons, driven by climate change, are making the Hajj pilgrimage increasingly dangerous, according to a super-rapid study published last week by World Weather Attribution. In 2024, when Hajj began in mid-June, temperatures reached 51 degrees Celsius (123 degrees Fahrenheit) and more than 1,300 people died.
Jobs, Etc.
Jobs. The New York Times is hiring a Climate Policy Correspondent (Washington, D.C.). Meliore is hiring an Editor, Energy Transition (remote, +/- 2 hours CET). Inside Climate News is hiring a Grants Officer (remote). The Boston Globe is hiring a Reporter to cover the environment, climate change, and clean energy (Boston, Mass.). Nexstar Media Group is looking for an Evening Meteorologist (Colorado Springs, Colo.).
Internship. CarbonBrief is offering a three-week journalism internship this summer (London).
Fellowships. Ocean Nexus, in collaboration with The Uproot Project, is accepting applications for the Ocean Nexus International Fellowship; apply by June 14. The Climate Change Media Partnership (CCMP), led by Internews’s Earth Journalism Network and the Stanley Center for Peace and Security, is accepting applications from journalists — and, for the first time, creator journalists! — from low- and middle-income countries for the COP31 CCMP Reporting Fellowship Program, which offers travel, accommodations, and other support for two full weeks in Antalya, Turkey; apply by June 17, 2026. ProPublica is accepting applications from local newsrooms to host a Local Reporting Network Fellow (consult map for eligible states) to assist with yearlong accountability journalism projects; apply by July 27. Inside Climate News is accepting applications for its fall 2026 fellowship; apply by August 15.
Workshops. Internews’s Earth Journalism Network is holding a workshop on renewable energy for communicators and content creators in Bhubaneswar, India, from July 30 to August 1; apply by June 5. Internews’s Earth Journalism Network is accepting applications from Brazil-based journalists for a workshop about covering ocean science and deep-sea exploration; apply by June 18.