As part of this commitment the Guardian is launching a revamped weekly environmental newsletter, Down to Earth (formerly Green Light), which will, say the publishers, cut through the clamour of climate crisis news with a helpful guide to the biggest environmental stories of the week. Each weekly edition will include an exclusive piece from one of the Guardian’s environment correspondents, as well as highlighting ‘Climate Heroes’, in a section dedicated to Guardian readers’ efforts. Readers can sign up for the newsletter here. The newsletter will be edited by Toby Moses in the UK and Max Benwell in the US and launch on 28 October.
As well as doing breaking news, analysis and in depth features the Guardian’s Cop26 coverage will include:
- a daily liveblog to keep readers informed of the significant developments, as well as a dynamic data guide on the UK homepage to show the crucial climate indicators - atmospheric carbon dioxide, Arctic sea ice and percentage of low carbon electricity in the UK.
- In audio, there will be special Cop26 episodes of their Today in Focus podcast from Glasgow, and the Science Weekly podcast will go daily for the two weeks of Cop26, beginning 1 November.
- Guardian Australia are releasing a special investigative podcast series - Australia v the climate - ahead of the Cop26 global climate summit, scrutinising Australia's role in the climate crisis over more than two decades, as well as the three part Pacific podcast An Impossible Choice.
- A special digital edition, available to digital subscribers through the Guardian’s Editions app on 6 November
- Print readers will find a 20-page supplement, free inside their Saturday Guardian on October 30. Saving Planet Earth is the Guardian's guide to Cop26 and will help readers understand all they need to know about the crucial summit on the climate emergency.
- A team of more than a dozen journalists from across the Guardian will cover the Cop26 summit providing coverage to the Guardian’s global audience, including Guardian Australia’s political editor, Katharine Murphy.
Katharine Viner, editor-in-chief, the Guardian: “The Guardian is committed to quality environmental journalism, rooted in scientific fact and giving a voice to those most affected. Throughout Cop26 we will be giving our readers a range of insightful, helpful and in-depth journalism across multiple formats to ensure readers have the information they need at this critical moment.”
To amplify the impact of our climate reporting, the Guardian is inviting other news organisations around the world to republish its stories for free through Covering Climate Now, a global partnership of more than 460 newsrooms committed to better coverage of the climate crisis.
Following on from the pledges in 2019 and 2020 by editor-in-chief Katharine Viner, the Guardian has expanded environmental journalism across the Guardian, from business, to fashion, to sport and technology.
The Guardian is also updating readers on its pledge commitments – citing a 30% reduction in carbon emissions in 20/21. This means the Guardian is on track to reach its target to eliminate two thirds of its carbon emissions by 2030. It has also taken the further step to commit through the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), which provides businesses with emission reduction plans inline with the Paris Agreement Goals.
The latest developments add to the Guardian’s environmental track record including:
- Changing the language the Guardian uses about the climate emergency
- Becoming the first major news organisation to become a B Corporation in 2019
- Adding C02 levels to the weather forecasts
- Becoming one of the first news organisations not to accept advertising from fossil fuel extractors
The Guardian will also be shining a light on its environmental commitments with a marketing campaign designed to highlight its history and authority in reporting on the climate crisis. The campaign will be featured across the Guardian's owned channels and social media. There will also be out of home in Glasgow, Manchester and London where innovative and low carbon outdoor media has been prioritised including city centre posters, flyposting and adbikes, says the Guardian.
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