Americans want climate news

In mid-July, I landed in Chicago for the Aspen Ideas: Climate conference. The sky was veiled in burnt sienna, like a watercolor wash over the city. Wildfire smoke from Canada flowed into the Windy City, which had recorded some of the worst air-quality readings in the world the week before.

Hot, smoky summers may be the new normal for the Upper Midwest, which was once regarded as a climate refuge. The truth is that no place is exempt from our changing climate, as hotter temperatures and more extreme weather arrive.

But where are the reporters to cover the biggest story on the planet? They’re getting laid off from outlets like The Washington Post and National Public Radio that previously had robust coverage, according to industry reports.

Climate change isn’t just a national story for the prestige press. It’s a local story, happening in the farmer’s field where torrential rains made it too wet to plant, and in the high school stadium where a football game was rescheduled because it was too hot to play.

Two-thirds of Americans are worried about global warming and feel the issue is important to them personally, according to a major national survey. A majority want news stories on topics like how global warming is affecting the cost of living, what actions are being taken by the U.S. government in response to global warming, and how global warming impacts their local community.

Yet only about a third of Americans say they hear about global warming in the media at least once a month, the survey found.

We at the Ag & Water Desk are trying to fill that gap by partnering with local news outlets to cover climate change as it affects people across our region. Some of our favorite climate change stories are listed below.

At the Chicago meeting, I attended a roundtable discussion with journalism industry leaders and funders on how we can create and sustain strong climate reporting. While we didn’t find all the answers, we did find strength in each other. We agreed to keep collaborating — because our shared future is at stake.

How Climate Change Looks Across Our Region

Census model: More than 800K Mississippi River basin households may not have access to air conditioning By Cassandra Stephenson, Tennessee Lookout

Climate experts say spring is coming earlier. How will that affect agriculture and ecosystems? By Héctor Alejandro Arzate, Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk

A warming climate is changing growing conditions, shifting planting zones northward By Olivia Cohen, The Gazette

Drought means ‘drier than normal,’ but ‘normal’ is changing By Harshawn Ratanpal, KBIA

Louisiana’s wetlands store massive amounts of carbon. They also contribute to emissions when lost. By Elise Plunk, Louisiana Illuminator

Bogs sink carbon dioxide ‘like no ecosystem on Earth,’ but many are at risk of being drained By Jess Savage, WNIJ/Northern Public Radio

An ecosystem engineer’s vision: mock beaver dams to restore Wisconsin wetlands By Bennet Goldstein, Wisconsin Watch

Midwest maple syrup producers adapt to record warm winter, uncertainty as climate changes By Bennet Goldstein, Wisconsin Watch & Brittney J. Miller, Cedar Rapids Gazette

As climate risks increase, Mississippi River towns look to each other for solutions By Eric Schmid, St. Louis Public Radio

Midwest farmworkers struggle with extreme heat — and almost no regulatory safeguards By Mónica Cordero, Investigate Midwest & Eva Tesfaye, Harvest Public Media 

Sincerely,

Sara Shipley Hiles
Executive Director,
Ag & Water Desk