The Heat Is On

Reporting Right

Sep 08, 2026

THIS WEEK: The Heat is On

Summer is coming to a close. But our heating planet is an ongoing story.

The contiguous United States marked — this past July — the hottest month ever recorded.

Wild fires are still wreaking havoc in Canada and part of the U.S.

A warming planet is being blamed on a collapsed glacier in Nepal that has taken more than a thousand lives.

Europe — once AC-resistant — is rolling out the energy-sucking cooling systems.

And a lot of us are in a state of panic about the impact warming oceans, lakes and other natural bodies of water are having on ecosystems we love.

This is no longer an environmental story, but one that bleeds into almost every beat.

As we head into a long Labor Day weekend, Reporting Right thought we’d compile some climate reads for you.

Want to know what the world is thinking?

Check out this report. The U.N. is worried.
Check out this media project which aims to raise awareness about how much people around the world want solutions.
Check out this news that a West Point scientist just got the pink slip for telling the truth.

Want an overview of how summer has changed here?

Grist reports in this Ode to Summer.

Want some info on AC?

Learn why more air-conditioning is a problematic answer.
Read an example of a story that lays out who’s got it and who doesn’t.
Bone up on what to do if you don’t have AC.

Want to know what a heat dome is?

Read THIS.

Tips for Reporting on a Warming World

Make connections

Don’t report on a record-breaking heatwave or a bad wildfire season as an isolated event. Get trusted sources to explain how and why these events are happening.

Be precise

Don’t report connections you can’t back up with sourcing and data, even if it’s pretty obvious to you there is a connection. That can erode away at your credibility, particularly among global warming skeptics. Do report on connections that become apparent to experts after the fact. That’s a story.

Get past the thermostat

Extreme heat impacts emergency rooms, utility bills, school schedules, crops, drinking water, health and housing. Tell these people-centric stories.

Comfort is a privilege

Report on which neighborhoods on your beat have/do not have trees, cooling centers and reliable electricity. Who works or learns with/without air-conditioning? Which communities receive warnings, insurance or rebuilding assistance? Extreme heat takes an uneven toll. Ignoring these comparison stories leaves community members ignorant of real inequities they may want to address.

Cover public opinion
Organized support for better climate policy is important. But many people who don’t rally for it want action, too. Survey residents. What do they want? Are they getting it? Why/Why not?

Follow the money

There are entities in your community who serve to lose if climate measures are in place. Know who they are, what’s at stake for them, and what they are doing to protect their interests. Make those interests clear to your audience. You don’t have to bad mouth an oil executive. You do have to report on lobbying their firm does — particularly when it’s successful — to prevent clean-energy regulations or other measures that seek to protect the environment.