This Sunday marks the 10th anniversary of Climate Connections, our national radio program. Launched during a low point in mainstream media coverage of climate change, when only about 15% of Americans believed human-caused global warming was an urgent threat, the program was designed to get listeners talking about climate change and climate solutions.
From the beginning, we aimed to use our bite-sized, 90-second segments to show that climate action wasn’t just the province of scientists and distant technocrats who lead negotiations in United Nations meetings. Instead, anyone – including someone like you – could be part of the climate story. You can hear the result in the first segment we ever aired, which told the story of Debbie Dooley, a co-founder of the Atlanta Tea Party who found common cause with the Sierra Club to fight for homeowners’ rights to install rooftop solar panels and sell energy to the grid in Georgia.
We’ve since told more than 2,500 stories of people from every walk of life who are experiencing the impacts of climate change and role-modeling climate action. Among our team’s favorites are segments about a teen who changed his stepdad’s mind about global warming, a hunter and fisherman who’s seeing the impacts of a changing climate firsthand, Indigenous people whose seeds could help farmers adapt to a warmer climate, advocates working for universal air conditioning in Texas prisons, a team that runs a polar bear 911 hotline, a scientist who explains why an octopus showed up in a Miami parking garage, a Michigan woman who’s helping her neighbors go solar, and city residents who are using maps to fight inequality.
These stories have resonated with the stations that air the program.
“We know that issues around the environment and climate change are important to Connecticut Public’s audience, locally and regionally,” said Catie Talarski, senior director of storytelling and radio programming at Connecticut Public. The Climate Connections segments, she added, “are a great addition to our overall coverage.”
At launch, nearly 50 radio stations had committed to airing the program. Since then, Climate Connections has grown dramatically and is now broadcast on more than 750 frequencies, with a presence in every U.S. state. Our partners include major stations in large urban media markets, such as WHYY in Philadelphia, KPCC in southern California, and WABE in Atlanta, as well as small stations across rural America. (In fact, two-thirds of our stations are located in districts won by Donald Trump in 2020.) Altogether, Climate Connections receives more than 57 million listens each year.
Over the decade, the climate story has only grown more urgent. Hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and heat waves – with human fingerprints all over them – are intensifying. At the same time, there are more opportunities than ever for everyone to help reduce carbon pollution at every stage of life: by joining or supporting climate organizations, pursuing green careers, electrifying homes and vehicles, voting, talking, lobbying, and so much more.
We’re grateful for the support Climate Connections has received from our family of radio stations, listeners, and financial supporters across the country. We continue to add more stations each year and are excited to produce and share more of these incredible stories with you. But we can’t do it alone. If you’re able, please help us celebrate our 10th anniversary with a donation today. Thanks for your support!
On behalf of the Climate Connections team: ChavoBart Digital Media, Sara Peach, Pearl Marvell, Samantha Harrington, editors emeritus Bud Ward and Jan O’Brien, and our national network of environmental journalists.
Cheers,
Tony