Introducing The 89 Percent Project
The 89 Percent Project is a year-long global journalistic effort to explore a pivotal but little-known fact about climate change: The overwhelming majority of the world’s people want their governments to take stronger action. The project launches on April 21, 2025, with a week of focused coverage by journalists and newsrooms around the world coinciding with Earth Day. A second week of focused coverage will come in October, before the COP30 UN climate summit in Brazil.
Journalists and newsrooms everywhere are invited to participate; there is no economic cost or editorial line to follow.
The idea of The 89 Percent Project arose from a slew of recent scientific studies finding that the overwhelming majority of the world’s people — between 80 and 89% — want stronger climate action. This overwhelming global majority of people, however, does not realize that they are a majority; most think their fellow citizens don’t agree.
CCNow invites journalists and news organizations everywhere to participate in The 89 Percent Project — by running stories, collaborating with other newsrooms, joining and organizing public events, amplifying the project’s journalism on social media, and more.
The 89 Percent Project aims to replicate the global impact of CCNow’s first dedicated coverage week, in September 2019, when our then-323 partner news outlets produced thousands of stories that helped break the climate silence that had long prevailed throughout the world’s media. We look forward to making even more of an impact this time. To hear more, email us at editors@coveringclimatenow.org.
How to Participate in The 89 Percent Project
Here’s the bottom line, need-to-know information. See below for a note from Covering Climate Now co-founders Mark and Kyle with background information, plus FAQ and possible story ideas.
Publish stories around the theme of the 89 percent climate majority — The fact that the vast majority of people in the world care about climate change and want their governments to do something about it.
If you can, plan to publish those stories during the week of April 21, 2025 and around COP30 in November.
When you’re publishing 89 Percent stories, we ask that you:
- Use the logo we’ve created (which you can find here)
- Use this tagline: This story is part of The 89 Percent Project, an initiative of the global journalism collaboration Covering Climate Now.
- Send us the link at editors@coveringclimatenow.org
A note from Covering Climate Now’s founders
Dear colleagues,
Thank you for your interest in The 89 Percent Project, a global journalism collaboration from Covering Climate Now kicking off on April 21. This memo lays out the rationale for the project, some story ideas, and how to get involved. Please share with any colleagues who might be interested in taking part. And keep an eye out for additional webinars in the coming weeks about how to participate.
All journalists — staff or freelance, from outlets big or small, CCNow partners or not — are welcome to take part in The 89 Percent Project. There is no entry fee or minimum number of stories to produce; all news outlets decide for themselves what stories they run. To participate, simply email us at editors@coveringclimatenow.org and let us know you want to be part of this effort. You’ll be in good company: Here is a list of the news outlets that have already signed on as partners, headed by the project’s lead partners, the Guardian and Agence France-Presse.
All we ask is that you identify your work as part of the broader 89 Percent effort. We’ve included logos and a tagline to help you do that, in your publications and on social media. If you’re a CCNow partner, you’ll also have the opportunity to share your work with other partners. See the FAQ for more details.
The 89 Percent Project aims to generate a year-long surge of news coverage highlighting the pivotal but little-known fact that the overwhelming majority of the world’s people — 80 to 89%, according to scientific studies — want their governments to take stronger climate action. The project is organized around two joint coverage weeks: one that begins on April 21, to coincide with Earth Day, and a second in November, prior to the COP30 UN climate summit. The project will continue during the intervening months as well, with activities ranging from CCNow Newsmaker Interviews, public events, social media campaigns, and additional collaborations among news outlets.
What follows is a FAQ about the project and some story ideas.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with any further questions; email us at editors@coveringclimatenow.org. And please do spread the word: The more journalists and newsrooms taking part, the bigger the noise we can make together.
Onward,
Mark Hertsgaard and Kyle Pope
Co-founders
Covering Climate Now
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The 89 Percent Project?
The 89 Percent Project is a global media collaboration aimed at highlighting the fact that the vast majority of people in the world care about climate change and want their governments to do something about it. Story ideas for the project can be found below.
How do I take part?
Any newsroom or journalist can get involved, simply by publishing stories the week of April 21, and again in October, on the theme of the 89%. You’ll be joined by hundreds of other journalists around the world doing the same thing. The hope is that all of the coverage will help focus the world’s attention on climate change’s silent majority.
How much does it cost?
Nothing.
Are there any obligations as part of my participation?
Not really. We want as many newsrooms as possible to take part. We’ve designed a logo (download the vertical and horizontal version) that we’ll ask you to use as part of your coverage, so the impact of the collaboration will be felt around the world. It would be great if you’d also make noise about it on social media.
What kinds of stories are required?
There are no requirements. You know what and how many stories are best for your audience. We’ve suggested some story ideas to get you inspired, and we’ll be holding additional webinars so you can hear how your colleagues around the world are approaching the project.
What tagline should we use on 89 Percent stories?
This story is part of The 89 Percent Project, an initiative of the global journalism collaboration Covering Climate Now.
Can we share our stories or republish other outlets’ work?
You can. If you’re already a partner of CCNow, you have access to our Sharing Library, which you can use to offer up or use pieces from other partners. It’s not too late to join as a partner of CCNow to take part. If you don’t want to be a formal partner, that’s fine. Drop us a line when you publish a piece as part of the 89 Percent effort and we’ll spread the word.
How will the impact of this project be measured?
We’ll keep track of who is doing what, but we’ll need your help. Let us know at editors@coveringclimatenow.org what you’re working on, and send us a link when it’s published. We’ll combine that with what we hear from everybody else on a site devoted to the project.
What if I’m not a journalist or newsroom?
We still welcome you to amplify and support the 89 Percent effort. Post about it on social media. Share it with your network. Talk it up to friends and colleagues.
Anything else?
You tell us. Reach out with questions or any other way we can help. Email at editors@coveringclimatenow.org.
Possible Story Ideas For The 89 Percent Project
- Who Are the 89%?
As can be seen from the scientific studies behind the 89 Percent project, the 80 to 89% figures are global averages. The support for strong climate action varies by country—for example, the figure is 87% in Japan, 74% in the US, 80% in India — suggesting that support also varies by age, gender, political affiliation, economic status, and so forth. Journalists can explore how these differences manifest in their own communities by conducting person-on-the-street interviews and consulting local public opinion experts. Are those experts surprised by the findings of these studies? Larger news organizations might consider doing their own targeted opinion polls. And another intriguing angle: who are the 11% who do NOT want their government to “do more” about climate change?
- Why Don’t the 89% Know They Exist?
The fact that most people don’t realize that the vast majority of the public supports strong climate action gives new meaning to the term “the silent majority.” Journalists can explore the reasons why this is so. Is it because we in the media have not told the public that this is the case? Or is this 89 percent level of support perhaps a recent development? Or has there been strong support for a long time but social scientists simply haven’t measured it until now? Or are there other reasons for this deficit of information?
- The Climate Democracy Deficit
The fact that most governments aren’t delivering strong climate action, even though 89% of people want it, reflects a second deficit: a deficit of democracy. Journalists can do stories that, first, name this deficit as a political reality that crosses national and partisan boundaries. Second, stories can explore the reasons and remedies for this deficit via interviews with citizens, experts, activists, and government officials. For example, are government officials simply unaware of how widespread public support for climate action is? Stories can also investigate what it will take to get governments to take the kind of action citizens want. For example, what is the role of climate activism in compelling governments to act?
- We Have the Solutions
Just as most of the 89% have no idea that they are the overwhelming global majority, neither do they realize that defusing the climate crisis is by no means impossible: Scientists have long said that humanity already possesses all the tools and know-how necessary. Here, stories can explore what those tools and know-how are, including not only the technological solutions, such as solar and wind power, but also the political ones, including voting, protests, and other forms of activism. How do these tools and know-how work in practice, and who are the people, government agencies, businesses, and others putting them into practice, both in a given news organization’s home community and around the world? A foundational point to get across here is that the fundamental solution to the climate crisis is a rapid global phase-out of fossil fuels (and other climate-destructive activities, starting with deforestation). Also, stories can emphasize the centrality of climate fairness, both in terms of rich countries and individuals paying for the damage they are causing and the need for “just transitions” away from fossil fuels for workers and communities that historically relied on them.
- What’s Stopping Us?
If humanity has the solutions, and the overwhelming majority of people want governments to implement those solutions, why isn’t it happening? Here, accountability journalism can identify the obstacles that have kept governments from doing what’s needed. Stories can highlight how fossil fuel interests have for decades deceived and delayed. (Here journalists must remember that most of the public remains unaware of the industry’s many decades of lying.) Coverage can update this perspective by examining how fossil fuel interests today use disinformation, electoral campaign contributions, and other methods to blunt climate progress.
- Who Are the Climate Champions?
Engaging storytelling requires both heroes and villains. If fossil fuel companies and their enablers in government, finance, advertising, etc., are the villains, this category can supply the heroes. Journalists and news organizations should identify the people and institutions pushing the envelope of climate solutions in their market areas. In the tradition of rigorous solutions reporting, these stories should not sugar coat or cheerlead but rather interrogate possible champions of climate progress. This category might also offer a focus for the in person and online public gatherings that will be a vital part of The 89 Percent Project, including during the months between the first Joint Coverage Week in April and the second one in October.