Talking Climate with Katharine Hayhoe

For me, 2025 has felt like a particularly heavy year ... and you might feel the same. So as we head into the holiday season, I wanted to share a few recommendations — books, podcasts, and newsletters — that encourage me, make me think, introduce me to new ideas and solutions, and remind me how hope begins with action.

The “what to do” this week is simple: share one of these resources! If you read one of the books, pass it along, give it to someone for Christmas, or recommend it to a book club. If you enjoy a podcast episode, share it...

Fires, floods, and fossil fuels - COP30 had it all. 

✅ Good news: Many countries brought a meaningful contribution to this "annual global climate potluck." For example, Brazil will tag 20 million cattle to stop deforestation, the $5.5 B Tropical Forest Forever Fund launched, and South Korea joined the Powering Past Coal Alliance.

 ⚠️ Not-so-good: A decade after Paris, we’ve made progress, but not enough. At COP30, a bloc of oil-producing nations led by Saudi Arabia and Russia prevented agreement on phasing out fossil fuels — and without that, we can’t meet Paris goals.

 💬 What you can do: COP30 remi...

Extreme weather is getting stronger — but so are the solutions. This week’s Talking Climate looks at resilience, risk, and what each of us can do. ⬇️

☀️ Good news: Hurricanes are intensifying and extreme weather disasters are getting worse--but from Jamaica to Puerto Rico, clean energy is helping communities recover faster.

⚠️ Not-so-good news: A new UN report shows climate disasters have displaced 250 million people in the past decade. That's 70,000 every day!

🛠️ What you can do: Whether you’re choosing a new place or strengthening the one you have, assess your home’s climate risks so you can prepare for fl...

This week marks COP30 in Belém, Brazil — the 30th global climate summit since 1992, and 10 years since the Paris Agreement. Here’s a quick look at where we stand a decade after:

🌞 Good news: A decade ago, we were on track for 4–5°C of warming; now it’s closer to 2.8°C ... 2.4°C, if all national pledges are met! And every tenth of a degree we avoid means fewer devastating impacts ahead.

⚡ More good news: Clean energy is accelerating fast. Fossil fuel use is expected to peak before 2030, renewables are now cheaper almost everywhere, and solar output has grown...

From greener cities to stronger storms to climate education resources, this week’s Talking Climate highlights how science can help us build a safer, more resilient future.

🌿 Good news: A review of 1,500+ studies finds that greener, more biodiverse cities aren’t just better for nature—they’re better for people too. Parks, gardens, and trees improve mental health, lower pollution, reduce heat, build climate resilience, and even cut mortality rates!

🌀 Not-so-good news: This year has been a poster child for how climate change is supercharging our weather extremes, from Typhoon Halong in Alaska to Hurricane Melissa in the...

Optimism is not a mood. It’s a courageous choice — and some weeks, it’s harder than ever to make.

Right now, as the devastation in Jamaica reminds us yet again of how climate change magnifies injustice and loss, it can feel almost impossible to hold on to hope. Yet that’s when it matters most. If we don't have hope, there is no reason to act: yet we know the science is clear that our actions matter.

In this week’s Talking Climate newsletter, I’m honored to feature kindred spirit Anne Therese Gennari — author of The...

The Middle East is warming twice as fast as the globe thanks in no small part to its own oil + gas emissions—but from youth activists to engineers, people here are proving that even in the hottest places, change is happening.

Last week I was in Abu Dhabi for the IUCN World Conservation Congress, where thousands gathered to build a livable future for people, nature, and climate. This week's newsletter shares what I learned there!

🌞 Good News: The UAE has set a 2050 net zero target, plans to triple renewables by 2030, and is building a 5-GW solar...

Adam Met, this week's guest editor, combines social science expertise with musical success to catalyze climate action.

Through his Amplify project at Planet Reimagined, Adam shows how artists can mobilize millions for climate action. On AJR’s 2024 tour, over 35,000 fans took real steps — from signing petitions to calling elected officials. Now they're expanding this initiative to include artists from Billie Eilish to Tyler Childers.

As Adam writes, solving climate change isn’t about individual acts alone, but collective action. Together with Planet Reimagined, he's drafted a blueprint for this new philosophy that proposes a new way of...

This month, we lost one of the world’s greatest advocates for people and nature. 

When I was a child, she was the first scientist I ever saw on screen — a young woman in Africa, working with chimpanzees. Decades later, I met her backstage at the Paris climate talks: still tireless, still hopeful, still reminding us that “only when our clever brain and our human heart work together in harmony can we achieve our true potential.”

Even in her final days, Dr. Jane Goodall was urging us not to give up, and now her legacy lives on...

At Climate Week NYC, the message was clear: progress is underway. What stood out most to me was the shared spirit of determination and collaboration. While none of us can do this alone, the number of people who are committed to tackling climate together is growing every day.

🌍 Good News: At the UN Climate Summit I had the honour of opening with Johan Rockström and António Guterres, over 100 nations -- including China -- announced new and more ambitious emissions cuts.

⚠️ Not so good news: While the world races ahead on clean energy and climate f...

This week’s Talking Climate is guest-edited by physicist David Baker from Austin College. David is a NASA exoplanet researcher and professor whose work inspires students and communities to connect the cosmos back to our own remarkable planet.

🪐 Good news: We've now discovered over 6,000 exoplanets, from “eyeball planets” with oceans ringed by ice to worlds with two suns like Star Wars’ Tatooine. These discoveries deepen our understanding of what makes Earth uniquely habitable!

🌍 Not so good news: Out of thousands of exoplanets discovered, not one truly matches Earth’s recipe: the right materials, the right size, the right...

Real stories of climate action remind us that change is possible, and that we each have a role to play. This week’s newsletter highlights how individuals and communities are reshaping the future of clean energy and climate solutions.

Good news: In New York’s Hudson Valley, professor Jeff Seidman turned research into action. By hosting a forum on battery storage for local officials, he helped shift the debate. Just months later, a local town lifted its moratorium on energy storage systems!

Not so good news: In Oregon, outdated perm...

What can music, forests, and faith communities teach us about climate action?

🎶 Good news - Musician Jon Batiste, whose own life was shaped by Hurricane Katrina, is using his music to inspire climate action. His new album Big Money and climate song Petrichor remind us that solutions exist, and that change can be joyful.

🌳 Not so good news - A new study finds that tropical deforestation causes nearly 3,000 deaths each year by amplifying local warming across tropical regions. Once again, vulnerable communities bear the greatest burden.

✨...

It’s back-to-school for many right now, and students are showing us what climate leadership looks like.

📚 Good news: In both Colorado and Oregon, students successfully lobbied for new laws and education standards requiring climate change and sustainability to be taught across K–12 classrooms: more evidence of how powerful youth voices can be!

🔥 Not so good news: Around the world, extreme heat and flooding are keeping children out of school and impacting learning. Classrooms are closing or overheating, and studies show that heat exposure can negatively impact students' educational outcomes i...

From sheep growing better wool under solar panels to matcha prices soaring with the heat: here’s this week’s surprising mix of climate news, and something you can do about it today!

🐏 Good news: New research shows that sheep grazing under solar panels grow stronger, faster wool! Farmers benefit too, as the land supports both green energy and healthy flocks.

🍵 Not-so-good news: Extreme heat in Japan has slashed matcha yields, sending prices soaring. Climate-fueled extremes are also affecting crops of rice, bananas, almonds and more.

💰 Wha...

This week, Global Citizen co-founder Michael Sheldrick, takes us to Western Australia—a region facing both inspiring progress and serious setbacks on climate.

💚 Good News: In the former coal town of Collie, a just transition is taking shape. As coal phases out, nearly $700M is being invested in clean energy projects like large-scale batteries and green steel, with job retraining and community revitalization at its core. It’s an inspiring example of climate progress rooted in local collaboration between workers, governments, and activists.

🔥 Not So Good News: The Australian government...

From carbon-trapping trees to threats to U.S. climate science, here’s this week’s Talking Climate snapshot.

🌱 Good news: New research finds East African fig trees can lock carbon away as stone-like calcium carbonate, keeping it in the soil long term while growing food at the same time!

⚠️ Not-so-good news: The U.S. is rolling back vital climate protections, re-writing science assessments and cancelling NASA satellites at a time when we need more protection, information, and data than ever.

✊ What you can do: One of the mo...

Every week, I share stories that reflect where we are, what’s at stake, and how we're already able to shape a better future. Here's this week’s!

✅ Good News: China’s often painted as a climate villain by those trying to prevent climate action elsewhere: but a new Carbon Brief analysis finds its clean energy technology exports are already reducing global emissions—1% this year alone, and 4 billion tonnes over their lifetimes.

⚠️ Bad News: Just the last few weeks, extreme heat and floods have swept Europe, Asia, and North America. Clima...

This past week brought a landmark legal opinion for climate and set another series of staggering heat records: a powerful reminder of why we all have a role in accelerating climate solutions.

✅ Good news: The International Court of Justice issued a historic advisory opinion affirming that governments have a legal duty to address the "urgent and existential threat" of climate change. Initiated by Pacific Island law students, this ruling strengthens the case for climate justice and reparations world-wide.

⚠️ Not-so-good news: In Kashmir, climate change is disrupting water supplies and agricu...

Alberta may be known for its oil and gas, but it’s also home to some inspiring climate leadership. From award-winning innovation to climate equity efforts and the very real impacts of a warming world, here’s some of what I saw and learned while I was there on one of my bundled trips last month.

🌱 Good news: Calgary-based Carbon Upcycling recently won the prestigious Global Warming Mitigation Project Keeling Curve Prize for turning industrial waste into low-carbon cement, while the City of Calgary continues to lead with its Climate Implementation Plan and equity-focused program...

As the world faces intensifying climate extremes, voices of compassion are speaking out. This week’s newsletterexplores hope, heartbreak, and how each of us can help connect the dots.
🌿 Good news: Pope Leo XIV is carrying forward Pope Francis' legacy by elevating climate action as a moral imperative. From calling for a "conversion of hearts" at aspecial Mass to approving a new liturgy "for the care of creation," his leadership echoes the calls of Catholic bishops from the Global South for climate justice and systemic change.
🌊 Very bad news: Tragic flooding in Texas has claimed the lives of over...

Cleaning up the minerals we need for clean energy, record-breaking carbon pollution, and how each of us can scale clean energy adoption--this week's newsletter connects the dots between science, policy, and action.

🌱 Nickel, but make it low-carbon! Scientists in Germany have developed a new way to extract nickel, cutting emissions by 84%—a major step forward for the clean energy supply chain.

📈 Another year, another record (and not the good kind). CO₂ levels at Mauna Loa just surpassed 430 ppm for the first time in recorded history—as, just last week, the new US b...

This week, I’m delighted to welcome guest editor Dr. Kate Marvel. She's a theoretical physicist turned climate scientist whose brilliance, honesty, and humour shine through everything she writes.

In this edition of Talking Climate, Kate reflects on the role of emotion in science, the very real threats to climate research in the U.S., and why embracing our full humanity is essential to building a better future.

She also offers tangible ways to stand up for science and take climate action, from calling elected officials to joining local ef...

What do a football jersey, a ski suit, a beach towel, and a scarf have in common? They all show the warming stripes—and open the door to talking about climate change.

Here’s more on how you can join in, and start a conversation today without saying a word!

Find your local warming stripes here.

More about Ed here.

Check out my video with Climate Adam here.

Thank you to Anne Cloud with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Voice Over for t...

Climate resilience isn’t just smart—it’s profitable and, as climate impacts accelerate, it's rapidly becoming essential as well.

💡 Good News: A new World Resources Institute study finds that for every $1 invested in climate adaptation, we get more than $10 in benefits — even if the disaster doesn't occur!
🌍 Not-So-Good News: The cost of inaction is rising fast. From glacier collapses in Switzerland to deadly floods in Nigeria and record wildfires in Canada, climate-fueleddisasters are becoming more intense and more frequent around the world.
💪 Inspiring News: In British Columbia, My Climate Plan helps people prepare for climate emerg...

These days, I’m often accused of being a “hopium peddler” -- a person who offers false comfort or even delusional solutions to climate change -- by some who are so worried about climate change, they've decided there's nothing we can do about it. They've given up, and they want everyone else to, too.

But as a climate scientist who’s spent two decades warning about the very real risks we face, I know that despair is just as dangerous as denial. That's why, in this special edition of Talking Climate, I take a fresh lo...

Climate change is already disrupting farming, healthcare, and even our summer vacations—but there are smart, hopeful ways we can respond. From heat insurance for cows to climate-conscious travel, here’s this week’s roundup of risks, resilience, and what we can do.

🐄 Good news: India’s smallholder farmers are on the frontlines of climate change and agritech company DeHaat is helping them adapt by offering heat-stress cattle insurance.

🩸 Not so good news: Climate change is putting the global blood supply at risk. Extreme weather disrupts donation, storage, and delivery, as d...

What does climate change have to do with your skin? More than you might think—and the good news is, you can do something about it.

💄 Good news: Consumers are increasingly demanding sustainable, safer cosmetics, and that pressure is paying off. From refillable packaging to carbon-neutral pledges, major brands and newer companies responding.

😵‍💫 Not-so-good news: Climate change impacts our health, including our skin. Rising temperatures, air pollution, and longer allergy seasons are linked to rashes, eczema, premature aging, and even DNA damage.

✅ What you can do: Look for reliable sustainability ratings like Good On You, learn t...

🐔 Good news: In Zambia, a resilient new chicken breed called the Zambro is helping farmers adapt to extreme heat and drought. These hardy birds grow quickly, lay plenty of eggs, and require less food and water.

🍚 Not-so-good news: In Japan, a rice shortage two years after a record-breaking heat wave is a stark reminder of how climate change affects even the most basic foods. Japan may import 20x more rice this year than in 2024, raising concerns for both food security and local farmers.

🥕 What you can do: Nearly 40% of the world...

What motivates people to act on climate? The number one reason—across cultures—is love for the next generation.

✅ Good news: A majority of mothers care deeply about climate change—and they vote that way too. Studies show women, especially moms and grandmothers, are among the most engaged climate voters worldwide.

⚠️ Not so good news: Climate change is already harming reproductive health, mental health, and child safety—especially for vulnerable women and children.

👥 What you can do: Join a parent-led climate group near you! From Canada to In...

Who should pay for the climate crisis? A new study names names—and puts a multi-trillion-dollar price tag on the damage from extreme heat alone.

🌍 Good news: A new study offers rigorous evidence to support legal action against major polluters by identifying specific fossil fuel companies responsible for $28 trillion in climate damages.

⚠️ Not-so-good news: In the U.S., the National Climate Assessment, which provides the essential, localized climate info needed for resilience planning, is being dismantled, with all 400 authors dismissed last week.

♻️ What you can do: It’s...

What gives me hope? When clean energy alleviates poverty, leaders speak up for justice, and people realize they’re not alone in caring about climate.

Good news: Pakistan installed 22 GW of solar in 2023—more than Canada ever has, and more than the UK added in the past five years.

Not-so-good news: The world lost Pope Francis last week. He was a fearless advocate for climate justice, continually reminding us that climate change is a moral issue that hits the most vulnerable first and worst.

What...

Beavers, birds, and biodiversity—sometimes, nature really does know best. And our love for the natural world can be a powerful driver of climate action.

🌿 Good news: In the Czech Republic, a government dam project stalled for years… until a colony of beavers built a network of dams in the exact same spot. As one expert put it: “Beavers do it for free—one thousand times better than people.”

🐸 Not so good news: Amphibians are in hot water—literally. A new study shows that if temperatures rise 4°C, nearly 1 in 13 amphibian spe...

We all want to protect what we love—but how can we love what we don’t know? This Earth Day, I highlight the power of food, nature, and everyday choices to catalyze climate action.

Good News: Programs like EcoCooks are teaching young people how their food choices affect the planet—and when kids learn, they often inspire their parents to change, too.

Not So Good News: Many of us live far beyond the planet’s means—especially in wealthier countries. Our outsized ecological footprints show how urgently we need to re...