From April 19 to 26, Covering Climate Now is putting on a week of climate solutions coverage to mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. During the week, our partners are publishing and broadcasting hundreds of news stories, features, commentaries, interviews, and more to a combined audience approaching 2 billion people. Our partners include some of the biggest names in media around the world, including The Guardian, Reuters, CBS News, HuffPost, The Asahi Shimbun of Japan, Teen Vogue, The Nation, Columbia Journalism Review, and many more.
The message of all this coverage is simple: Solutions exist to the climate crisis, and the world can act NOW to mitigate its worst effects. By solutions, we don’t mean just technological fixes like solar panels and sea walls, important as they are. We also mean efforts to put a price on carbon or to halt fossil fuel subsidies, as well as civic actions to advance such policies, including registering people to vote and marching in the streets. And what are local communities doing to cut emissions and boost resilience? How about the companies that have announced big plans to cut carbon emissions–are they following through (and are the plans working)? What are the most interesting climate solutions being tried in your backyard?
Meanwhile, more and better journalism is an indispensable climate solution in its own right. As climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe says, the most important thing to do about climate change is to talk about it!
We are so grateful to our partners for the journalistic leadership they are demonstrating this week, providing first-class climate solutions reporting, even as their staffs are working overtime to cover the coronavirus. We also believe the virus offers valuable climate solutions lessons: respect science, intervene early to flatten the curve, and prepare for the impacts that can’t be avoided.
Finally, stay tuned for a special announcement on Earth Day, when a number of the world’s biggest news organizations will join Covering Climate Now.