"How Wall Street Turned Its Back on Climate Change"
"Six years after the financial industry pledged to use trillions to fight climate change and reshape finance, its efforts have largely collapsed."
Source: NYTimes, 01/20/2026
International
"World’s First Treaty to Protect the High Seas Becomes Law"
"An international agreement to safeguard marine life is now in effect. Known as the High Seas Treaty, it represents the first time that international waters, which lie outside of any country’s jurisdiction and cover nearly half the globe, can be protected."
Source: NYTimes, 01/20/2026
Solutions Stories a Compass for Readers
Get more Voices of Environmental Justice in 2026, as we increase column frequency to bimonthly. And for her first contribution of the year, writer Yessenia Funes calls on climate reporters to offer audiences a sense of hope by leaning into solutions narratives, hard-hitting and data-driven stories that hold the powerful accountable. Expert advice on how to make solutions journalism work.
SEJ Publication Types:
Topics on the Beat:
Visibility:
Spring Is Coming. How Silent Will It Be?
Bird populations remain in steep decline, mostly due to human activity. But as the latest TipSheet reports, reporting on the disappearance of our avian residents can lead journalists to some bread-and-butter environmental stories: whether about local ecosystems, climate change, chemicals, land disturbance and more. Read on for more, including nearly a dozen-and-a-half story ideas and reporting resources.
SEJ Publication Types:
Topics on the Beat:
Visibility:
Geothermal a Valuable, But Overlooked Clean Energy Source?
More heat pumps than ever are going into homes and businesses in the United States these days. But they are just one small-scale use of geothermal energy, a promising utility-scale technology that is growing worldwide — and with a minimal carbon footprint to boot. But there are drawbacks as well. The new Issue Backgrounder explains how it all works.
SEJ Publication Types:
Topics on the Beat:
Visibility:
Scientists Call Near-Record Hot Year Warning Of A Shifting, Dangerous Climate
"Earth’s average temperature last year hovered among one of the three hottest on record, while the past three years indicate that warming could be speeding up, international climate monitoring teams reported."
Source: AP, 01/16/2026
"Insured Losses From Wildfire, Storms And Floods Hit Record High Globally"
"Record insured losses from wildfires, storms and floods hit $98 billion globally last year, with L.A. County’s January wildfires the costliest disaster of 2025."
Source: LA Times, 01/16/2026
‘Bombshell’: Doubt Cast On Discovery Of Microplastics Throughout Human Body
"High-profile studies reporting the presence of microplastics throughout the human body have been thrown into doubt by scientists who say the discoveries are probably the result of contamination and false positives. One chemist called the concerns 'a bombshell.'"
Source: Guardian, 01/15/2026
Trump’s Biggest Inaugural Donor Benefits from Worker Safety Weakening
"Meatpacking giant JBS gave $5 million; industry soon celebrated a decision to make those on the assembly line work faster."
Source: Capital & Main, 01/13/2026
Pages
