Climate change might seem like an abstract concept, but it is a real and growing concern that affects every living person, creature, and organism on the planet. More than just letting the nation’s leaders decide on the fate of our Earth, every citizen should do their part in lessening their carbon footprint and helping build a future that’s safe for generations to come.
Be in the know about climate change by adding these websites to your bookmark and visiting them regularly for updates!
1 Climate Central
An independent group of leading scientists in climate science and respected journalists created Climate Central with a mission to “communicate the science and effects of climate change to the public and decision-makers.” Conducting extensive scientific research and reporting their key findings to the public, Climate Central presents unbiased reports on topics such as climate science, sea level rise, meteorology, energy, wildfire, and drought. Analyzing the data they’ve gathered, Climate Central also makes it their goal to provide media, local communities, and as many audiences as possible with the essential tools needed to visualize the real dangers of human-caused climate change and the growing need for practical solutions.
Climate Central’s stories tend to concentrate on studies done in the various US states, but the news (covering warming trends to heavy rain events), videos (ranging from extreme weather to climate in context), and reporting resources (with compelling graphics and detailed information) they provide can be of use to anyone from anywhere in the world.
2 NASA
US federal agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) keeps tabs on the planet’s vital signs through satellites that orbit the Earth (some of these have been in orbit for over 14 years!). Their interactive Earth Now feature lets you fly along these missions to monitor the current state of the planet from outer space. Clicking on a satellite lets you view various 3D models of the visible earth, air temperature, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sea level, soil moisture, ozone, water vapor, and gravity field, but you can also opt to review the latest data in their Vital Signs tab. Wildfires, super storms, and algal blooms are also presented as geo-located satellite images in NASA’s Latest Events feature.
3 DeSmog Blog
The people behind this blog make it their goal to clear the PR pollution that clouds climate science. Since its launch in January 2006, DeSmog Blog has become a reliable source for fact-based information centered on global warming misinformation campaigns. The blog shares a compilation of helpful media resources, enlightening new series, and even a searchable research database that reveals the individuals and organisations who have actively confused the public into taking action against global warming.
4 InsideClimate News
Founded in 20017, InsideClimate News is a “non-profit, non-partisan news organization that provides essential reporting and analysis on climate, energy, and the environment for the public and decision makers.” With a commitment to establishing a permanent national reporting network as well as training the next generation of environmental journalists, InsideClimate News delivers impartial reports on hot topics such as agriculture, clean energy, climate science, and extreme weather.
Receiving the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting, the award-winning InsideClimate News also features in-depth investigations (i.e. the effects of extreme weather and climate change to farmers and to national security), documentaries ranging from clean wind power to flash drought, and useful visual guides like charts, maps, and infographics.
5 Skeptical Science
From the “climate has changed before” to “it hasn’t warmed since 1998,” this blog debunks the 10 most used climate arguments through basic and intermediate explanations backed by compelling scientific evidence. Aside from rounding up climate change and global warming news on a weekly basis, its global team of volunteers provides a wealth of resources like John Cook’s Scientific Guide to Global Warming Skepticism, climate graphics, and even a temperature trend calculator. The best part? Skeptical Science offers arguments in 25 different languages (Japanese, Portuguese, Slovak, and more) so that more nations can learn and disseminate its information.
6 The Daily Climate
A publication of Environmental Health Sciences, The Daily Climate reports, publishes, and curates climate change stories from various news sites such as The Guardian, The Conversation, and The Washington Post. Putting the day’s events in a larger context, the team divides what they’ve gathered into five unique topics: solutions, impacts, causes, resilience, politics, and good news.
7 RealClimate
A commentary website created by climate scientists for journalists and the general public, RealClimate aims to “provide a quick response to developing stories and provide the context sometimes missing in mainstream commentary.” Presenting discussions of a scientific nature, the site offers a one-stop link of quality resources that people can check out whether they’re clueless about climate change or simply in need of more comprehensive information.
8 Climate Home News
Politics, finance, energy, land, tech, and science—these are the different topics covered by Climate Home News, an independent website focused on reporting climate-related news unfolding at different parts of the globe. This London-based editorial team seeks to publish pieces that touch on the political, social, and economic aspects of climate change, such as South Africa signing a carbon tax into law, school strikes taking place in 92 different countries, and European State Agency creating a satellite fleet to monitor carbon dioxide emissions worldwide. In addition to reading these stories, most articles on the site can be republished at no extra cost.
9 Climate Desk
A journalistic collaboration between various media outlets and organisations (The Atlantic, The Weather Channel, and Yale Environment 360 to name a few), Climate Desk is dedicated to exploring the multiple impacts of a changing climate—from human and environmental to economic and political—and helping enrich the public’s understanding of this growing issue. The website breaks down the topics into seven categories for easy perusing: warming world, science, politics, energy & tech, food & health, weather & climate, and videos.
10 Grist
Claiming itself as “a beacon in the smog,” Grist has worked hard since 1999 to produce incisive online stories with witty headlines on topics such as clean energy, sustainable food, and environmental science. More than just crafting features, the independent, non-profit newsroom aims to expose inequities, offer solutions, and provide the much-needed knowledge and tools for its readers so they can help make a difference in the world.
Grist brings together a daily digest of must-read news, produces award-winning videos that are fun to watch and easy to understand, and provides a forum in which green advocates can share their thoughts. The website also rounds up an inspiring yearly list of 50 movers and shakers who are coming up with innovative solutions to help solve our global problems.
Which websites do you follow to keep abreast of the latest climate change news? Let us know by commenting below! You can also read more posts on the environment and conservation in our blog.
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