Introducing The 89 Percent Project
At this critical moment in the climate story, we believe that news organizations can flip the script — and grow our audiences — by reporting some little known but encouraging news about how ordinary people can tackle the crisis. We’re calling this The 89 Percent Project because that’s the percentage of the world’s people who agree that their governments should be solving the climate problem, according to a study published in the scientific journal, Nature Climate Change.
CCNow invites journalists and news organizations everywhere to participate in The 89 Percent Project — by publishing stories, joining and organizing events, and amplifying the project on social media. We envision this as a year-long effort in which news coverage explores why the 89% isn’t treated as a majority; how that number breaks down by geography and demographics; what the 89% want their governments to do about climate change; what’s stopping so many governments from implementing solutions; and what kinds of solutions ordinary people themselves can pursue. The 89 Percent Project will launch on April 20 to coincide with Earth Week.
The 89 Percent Project marks CCNow’s fifth anniversary and aims to replicate the global impact of our first joint coverage week, in September 2019, when our then-323 partners produced thousands of news stories that helped break the climate silence that prevailed in the media. Today, CCNow has grown to more than 500 partners, making an even greater impact possible.
Get Involved
If you’re a journalist or newsroom leader who wants to learn more about The 89 Percent Project, please get in touch with us via editors[at]coveringclimatenow[dot]org. We welcome ideas, questions, and suggestions about how to make this project better.