How The Boston Globe Covers the Climate Crisis

When it comes to the climate crisis, gloom is not the answer.

Yes, it’s hard not to feel despair at the state of affairs. For decades, climate scientists have been loudly warning us that we’re hurtling toward the abyss. Yet even as we see the consequences—more intense storms, wildfires, coastal flooding, crop failures, and coral bleaching, to name a few—we’re barely putting on the brakes.

Here’s the good news: We still have the brakes. We have the tools, the technology, and the roadmap to prevent the worst. In recent years, the world’s nations have made enormous strides toward renewable energy and environmental protection. It’s just not enough.

Here at The Boston Globe, it is our duty to report on the impacts of climate change and how our region is slowly being transformed. It is also our duty to point the way to solving this massive problem. We will highlight the successes and hold private interests and elected officials accountable for getting the job done.

New England is a center of innovation and creativity, filled with world-leading universities, research centers, and green technology companies. Our region is also a leader in policy—the State House and local municipalities have set ambitious goals to rapidly reduce our dependence on planet-warming fossil fuels. The rest of the world can learn from our successes and failures.

Preventing the worst effects of climate change will require sacrifice and investment from all of us. While Americans remain among the largest carbon emitters on the planet, each of our actions, taken together, can make a big difference. Our relationships will continue to strive to help all of us make more informed decisions.

And you think climate change is some abstract problem that doesn’t affect you? Think again. A shorter ski season, more youth sports days lost to rain, and a longer pollen season may not kill us, but they will certainly make life less enjoyable.

Transforming our society in a few years—while also adapting to the rising seas and increased flooding we’re already witnessing, for example—will be one of the most complex undertakings in human history. But it’s something that simply has to be done.

We take a holistic approach to reporting this transformation, considering not only the transition to renewable energy but also changes in transportation, architecture and urban planning that aim to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

The economic investment required will be enormous. The payoff could be greater. Who wouldn’t want to live in a place with less traffic, cleaner air, and lower electricity bills? This is our historic, once-in-a-decade opportunity to build something better. The decisions we make today will have an impact for centuries.

The role of a news organization is to inform, educate and engage. At The Boston Globe, we hope that future readers will look back on our reporting and see that we did our job with rigor and to the best of our ability, presenting the stakes, the hard work that is needed and the progress that remains possible.

Jason Margolis can be reached at [email protected].