Climate News Coverage

The amount of climate news that environmental journalists may need to stay abreast of is vast and new developments are breaking every day. The best way to stay current is to keep an eye on some of the many major online climate news sources. Here are some of the best, which offer news on climate in the conventional sense, reliably accurate and reality-based, whether as original reporting or as aggregated links to news stories from a variety of sources. These outlets generally adhere to traditional news standards of accuracy, fairness and objectivity — though some of the sources they link to may not.

 

 

Go to:  Select News Organizations  |  Specialized News Organizations  |  Award-Winning Climate Coverage

 

Climate Coverage From Select News Organizations

 

Associated Press: Climate

Climate hub for the independent global news service. Also see hubs on carbon neutrality, solar power and environment.

Bloomberg Green

Climate news and insights on the latest in science, environmental impacts, zero-emission tech and green finance. Plus, a channel on climate adaptation and a Green Daily daily digest newsletter.

CNN: Climate

The weather section of CNN.com includes a climate hub that has news, explainers and in-depth coverage. Other weather hubs are storm and wildfire trackers.

The Guardian: Climate News

Guardian News & Media, publisher of theguardian.com and Guardian US, is one of the largest English-speaking newspaper websites in the world. 

L.A. Times: Climate & Environment

Climate change news from the largest metropolitan daily newspaper in the United States. Also, see the Boiling Point newsletter on climate change, energy and the environment.

National Public Radio: Environment

Climate change news within the radio network's environment coverage. Also see NPR's energy news hub and its special Environment And Energy Collaborative series, with original reporting on climate, environment and an energy system in transition.

New York Times: Climate News

Environmental coverage from a news leader. Special climate coverage includes a Climate 101 and the Year in Climate, as well as a weekly Climate Fwd: newsletter.

Reuters

General news service with climate coverage on its environment news headlines, energy news headlines or science news headlines. 

 

Climate Coverage from Specialized News Organizations

 

Carbon Brief

A U.K.-based website covering the latest developments in climate science, climate policy and energy policy, specializing in data-driven articles and graphics, plus science explainers, interviews, analysis and fact checks, as well as daily and weekly email summaries of newspaper and online coverage.

Climate Central

An independent organization of leading scientists and journalists conducting surveys, scientific research and reporting on climate and its impacts. Plus, a Partnerships Journalism program that collaborates with local newsrooms nationwide and a Media Library, with its Climate Matters reporting resource program.

Climate Desk

A climate journalism collaboration between The Atlantic, Atlas Obscura, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, CityLab, Grist, The Guardian, High Country News, HuffPost, Medium, Mother Jones, National Observer, Newsweek, Reveal, Slate, The Weather Channel, Undark, Wired and Yale Environment 360.

Climatewire

Original reporting focused on climate policy debate and its effects on business, the environment and society. Published by E&E News, the for-profit publishers of Greenwire and Energywire, now part of Politico. 

The Conversation: Climate Change

An academic take on climate issues in the public sphere, part of a nonprofit, independent news organization publishing written by academic experts for the general public and edited by its team of journalists.

Covering Climate Now

A global journalism initiative of 400 news organizations committed to news coverage of environmental issues, founded by Columbia Journalism Review, The Nation and The Guardian.

The Daily Climate

Curated and original reporting. Published by the nonprofit, nonpartisan Environmental Health Sciences.

Earther

A Gizmodo-vertical covering "science for news" with a voice and a focus on environmental justice.

EcoWatch

A mix of curated and original work focused on climate change, as well as  other environmental issues.

Environmental News Network: Climate

Climate news channel for a service providing a mix of curated and original work with global perspective on environmental issues. 

Inside Climate News

A Pulitzer Prize-winning, nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization and one of the largest dedicated environmental newsrooms in the United States.

Texas Climate News

An independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan magazine that publishes reporting and analysis about climate and sustainability.

The Revelator: Climate Change

Climate news page with independent reporting, analysis and stories for an online news and ideas initiative of the Center for Biological Diversity.

Environment and Climate Podcasts

See SEJ's list of environmental podcasts, many with a climate change bent.

 

Award-Winning Climate Coverage

 

SEJ Award Winners

SEJ's annual Awards for Reporting on the Environment honor the best environmental journalism in 10 categories. Winners frequently cover climate-related issues. Climate-related winners for 2020 include:

• First Place, Outstanding Beat Reporting (Small Newsroom or Circulation): "Holding the Powerful to Account for the Environment" by James Bruggers for InsideClimate News.
• First Place, Outstanding Explanatory Reporting (Large Newsroom or Circulation):  "2°C: Beyond the Limit" by Brady Dennis, Juliet Eilperin, Darryl Fears, Chris Mooney, Steven Mufson, John Muyskens, Aaron Steckelberg, Harry Stevens and Monica Ulmanu; photography by Salwan Georges and Bonnie Jo Mount; photos and videos by Carolyn Van Houten; and graphics by John Muyskens and Harry Stevens for The Washington Post.
• First Place, Outstanding Feature Story (Large Newsroom or Circulation): "Our Secret Delta" by Tony Bartelme, Glenn Smith and photographer Lauren Petracca for The Post and Courier.

See past award winners: 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016. 

The John B. Oakes Award

The John B. Oakes Award for Distinguished Environmental Journalism is given annually for news reporting that makes an exceptional contribution to the public’s understanding of environmental issues. Climate coverage is frequently recognized. Past climate-related winners include:

• Winner, 2019: "Harvesting Peril: Extreme Weather and Climate Change on the American Farm," Georgina Gustin, Neela Banerjee, John H. Cushman Jr. and Paul Horn for Inside Climate News
• Finalist, 2018: "The Race to Zero Emissions," Akshat Rathi for Quartz

The Pulitzer Prizes

The Pulitzer Prizes, established in 1917, are awarded annually in journalism and other categories. Environmental and climate-related reporting receiving recent recognition include:

• Winner, 2020, Explanatory Reporting: Staff of The Washington Post for a groundbreaking series that showed with scientific clarity the dire effects of extreme temperatures on the planet.
• Finalist, 2020, Public Service: Staff of The New York Times for exemplary reporting that exposed the breadth and impact of a political war on science, including systematic dismantling of federal regulations and policy, including several climate-related reports.
• Finalist, 2020, Feature Writing: Nestor Ramos of The Boston Globe for a sweeping yet intimate story about how climate change is drastically reshaping Cape Cod, locally illustrating the urgent global crisis.

Pulitzer Center: Environment and Climate Change

Reporting from Pulitzer Center grantees on the abilities of communities in diverse regions to bounce back and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Includes in-depth reporting, investigations, interactive multimedia and documentaries. See stories, projects, education resources, lesson plans and updates.

AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Awards

The awards, begun in 1945, honored journalists for distinguished reporting on the sciences, engineering and mathematics. Recent climate-related coverage recognized by the awards include:

• Silver, 2020, Science Reporting – Small Outlet: Alex Kuffner, The Providence Journal, "Coastal Erosion: The smallest state and why it's getting smaller"
• Silver, 2019 Video: Spot News/Feature Reporting: Agnes Walton, Lee Doyle, Arielle Duhaime-Ross, Ruben Davis, VICE News Tonight, "Greenland – OMG Expedition"

SEAL Journalism Awards

The SEAL (Sustainability, Environmental Achievement & Leadership) Awards include prizes for environmental journalism. In 2022, 12 journalists were awarded a SEAL Environmental Journalism Award "for their efforts to raise awareness of the interplay between social, governmental and market forces in shaping climate justice."

North American Agricultural Journalists Association Writing Contest

A professional, international group of agricultural editors and writers that offers awards for best journalism and agricultural coverage in its annual writing contest. Recognition for climate coverage:

• First Place, Feature: Georgina Gustin, Inside Climate News, "Ravaged by Drought, a Honduran Village Faces a Choice: Pray for Rain or Migrate"
• First Place, Special Project: Helena Bottemiller Evich, Politico, for coverage of climate’s effects on agriculture.

Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism

American Geophysical Union's award, named for Walter Sullivan, the renowned science writer for The New York Times, is given annually to an individual journalist or a group of journalists in recognition of a feature story or series in any medium, except books, that makes information about the Earth and space sciences both accessible and interesting to non-scientists. Recent climate coverage honored includes:

• Winner, 2017: Tony Bartelme, The Post and Courier, for "Every Other Breath: Hidden stories of climate change"