Climate problems are large. We highlight the solutions.

Dear Reader,

News about climate problems comes barreling at us every day. Just last week, for those in the Northeast, it was in the form of thick, hazy smoke from wildfires burning out of control in eastern Canada. Some friends of mine in NYC said it smelled like a campfire – indoors. And they were right to worry. You might have seen the story that we published from a toxicologist on how wildfire smoke harms health, even if the fire is hundreds of miles away.

What I heard from family and friends (I’m in the Northeast too) was fear, sadness and apathy. “What can one person do?” my friend Cynthia asked me. “The news is always the same on climate, and it is always bad.”

True, but there are solutions to the climate crisis. None are easy. But consider this: Last year, for the first time, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change highlighted the power of behavioral change to force large-scale mitigation.

At The Conversation, we don’t shy away from documenting the effects of climate change, but we also look at it through the lens of solutions. Our crackerjack environment and climate editing team does this frequently, as the antidote to despair, with stories on ways to reduce emissions in agriculture, advances in battery storage technology, solar panels shading canal projects and an explanation on why local climate activism really does make a difference.

These stories reach hundreds of thousands of people with trustworthy information. They are picked up by hundreds of news outlets that no longer have the funds for full-time climate and environment editors. 

No single foundation or billionaire funds our two-person climate and environment desk. We created it three years ago by scraping together dollars from multiple sources, including individual donations, because it is that important. We can see that we’re having an impact on apathy and the public’s understanding of the ways forward.

Will you help us keep it going?

Every gift counts. And every gift will receive a free e-book explaining some of the climate solutions being worked on by some of the smartest scientists and engineers in the nation. If you make a recurring donation of $20 per month (or more), we will thank you with a tote bag. And every gift of $1,000 or more will be thanked with a set of two of our newly minted, first-edition books that are coming out later this month.

The editors on each of our beats keep you updated on the latest news and also make sure you have the context and information to understand what’s behind the headlines. And they do that for your neighbors and for people across the country, in articles we provide free for all to read or republish.

Thank you for making this work possible.

With gratitude,

Beth Daley
Executive Editor and General Manager
The Conversation U.S.

How to donate:

By credit card: https://donate.theconversation.com/us 

By check: Mail to The Conversation U.S., 303 Wyman St., Suite 300, Waltham, MA 02451.

With stock: Please write to priyanka@theconversation.com if you are considering a gift of stock or a gift from your IRA.

The Conversation US, Inc. is a tax-exempt public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. All donations made are fully tax deductible, if you itemize. Our tax ID number is 46-0906774.