Climate change newsletters I like
Are you looking for sources to read about climate change? Here, I recommend two independent news organizations and five Substacks.
Inside Climate News (news site)
Inside Climate News publishes local and national climate news stories. They are a nonprofit news organization and once won a Pulitzer for reporting on a Michigan oil spill.
Grist (news site)
Grist is another great nonprofit news organization reporting on climate change, with a focus on climate justice.
The Crucial Years, by Bill McKibben (Substack)
Bill McKibben is a longtime activist who founded climate activism groups 350.org and Third Act, a group for people 60 and older concerned about the climate. I liked this recent article, where he analyzes the current administration’s attacks on energy-saving measures such as Energy Star appliances (which saved consumers $14 billion in utility bills last year), alternatives to incandescent light bulbs, and low-flow shower heads, among other things. McKibben points out that “many things the Trump administration does are simply designed to waste energy” in an effort to prop up Big Oil in a world that is rapidly switching to more efficient clean energy sources.
HEATED, by Emily Atkin (Substack)
Emily Atkin on why she writes HEATED: “It is not your fault that the planet is burning. Your air conditioner, your hamburger, your gas-powered car—these aren’t the reasons we only have about a decade to prevent irreversible climate catastrophe. No; the majority of the blame for the climate emergency lies at the foot of the greedy […] It’s time to get angry.”
I recommend her post “What can I do? Anything” for suggestions on how any of us can contribute to stopping climate change– primarily by pushing for transformative changes to society, rather than changing individual choices.
She also reported on Hawaii’s recent passage of the “green fee”, a small (0.75%) increase in the tax on tourist lodgings that will raise $100 million to protect Hawaii against hurricanes, wildfires, and coral reef loss. Hawaii has also filed a lawsuit against several major fossil fuel companies, seeking compensation for the damage caused by climate change. They are not the only state to do so. We’ll have to wait to see how this plays out in court.
Talking Climate, by Katherine Hayhoe (Substack)
Katherine Hayhoe is a climate scientist and communicator. Every week, she posts a climate update including good news, bad news, and what you can do to help.
In her most recent post (“Are we really doomed?”), she rejects doomerism: the belief that we are already doomed to climate catastrophe, so we might as well just give up.
Scare tactics and shaming aren’t effective strategies; they cause people to shut down, not act. “Instead, talk about why you care about climate change. How is it affecting the people, places, or things you love? […] Use your voice to advocate for change where you live, work, study, or worship.”
Sustainability by Numbers, by Hannah Ritchie (Substack)
Hannah Ritchie is a data scientist who writes about sustainability “not based on instincts, but on data.” She writes with clarity about complicated topics, where other sources might ignore the complex reality in favor of a straightforward narrative. She also works at Our World in Data, a great resource for data on major world problems.
Your Dose of Climate Hope, by Climate Action Now (Substack)
This blog posts a hopeful story about climate change problem-solving every day, accompanied by a suggested action. Perfect for a quick read when you need some climate hope.