Tuesday, Mar 24

Dear Reader,

Those of us who work in media have watched with dismay as more and more local and national news sources have been subsumed or killed, and climate reporters have been fired or quit in despair. More than ever, we need good, accurate reporting on the threat of climate change, and instead we’re often being fed mis- and disinformation that’s funded, largely, by fossil fuel interests. But it’s not just the challenges that we need to know about; it’s also the solutions. ‘Cause here’s the thing: We already have innovative and powerful fixes, especially now, with clean energy being the cheapest, safest source of power. 

As a supporter of Bluedot Living, you know that we are driven by a mission to share stories of climate solutions. (Want to support our work? We’d be grateful — and happy to thank-you by providing a wonderful membership gift.) And happily, there are plenty of other indie outlets who are also up to the task of providing great, solid reporting, including one of Dot’s favorites, bioGraphic, which is funded in part by readers but also by the California Academy of Sciences. 

Recently, one of bioGraphic’s editors reached out to me to share some of their work, including a series of stories they produced on the impacts of many of the current administration’s cuts to conservation work … and how at least some of the work is continuing in other ways. We’re all in this together, folks. So I’m happy to salute the valuable, illuminating work being done by my colleagues at bioGraphic. I hope you’ll check out some of their stories:

The Future of Conservation Without U.S. Aid: The administration’s cuts to biodiversity funding have imperiled species, habitats, and the people who defend both. Now the world seeks a new way forward.

The Ghosts of Conservation Past: bioGraphic editor Jude Isabella takes a look back at the United States’ outsize influence on global conservation and reveals why the latest funding cuts should come as no surprise.

In the Wake of the Storm details how cuts to federal funding are reshaping coastal communities, research, and species management in Alaska.

And, in The Fight for the Heart of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a reporter examines the once-lauded agency one year after the current administration threw it into chaos and discovers that former employees continue to push back — and dream of an agency reborn.

If any (all!) of these stories light a fire in you to combat some of the damage being done, check out Bluedot’s Guide to Citizen Action. There are many ways to get involved. And many people waiting for you to join them. 

Collegially,

Dot