Climate Fwd: Looking ahead to 2021

December 30, 2020

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The Climate team’s sign in the New York office. More than a dozen journalists work on the desk.Terence McGinley

By Mark Shimabukuro

This year was a tumultuous one on the climate front. It started with huge wildfires in Australia and ended with historic blazes in California. Over the course of the year, communities around the world were left reeling from extreme heat, record storms and rising seas.

It was also something of a turning point: For many, it brought home the realization that the effects of climate change are not decades away. They are already here.

Combine that broad shift with a new presidential administration in the United States and a new round of international climate negotiations, and you have the makings of potentially crucial year ahead.

So, what to expect from 2021? I asked Hannah Fairfield, the Times climate editor, for her thoughts. You can read our conversation here.

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Your New Year’s climate resolutions

By Claire O’Neill

New Year’s resolutions often err on the side of the personal: Get to the gym, read more books, learn something new.

But what if we all resolved to do something bigger, something for the planet? At the beginning of December we asked you to tell us what you’ll be doing differently in 2021 — your own personal climate pledges. We got so many great responses that we decided to compile them in this article. Take a look — you may see your climate resolution in there. And if not, maybe you’ll find some inspiration.

Have a great New Year, and thank you for subscribing and reading! See you next week!

READ THIS WEEK’S TOP PICKS AND JOIN THE CLIMATE CONVERSATION

Sale of Arctic Drilling Leases Draws an Unusual Taker. It May Be the Only One.

With a deadline looming and weak interest from oil companies, the state of Alaska may step in and buy leases in the hope of reassigning them later. Some analysts saw that as a long shot.

By Henry Fountain

New York’s Real Climate Challenge: Fixing Its Aging Buildings

Nearly 70 percent of the city’s total carbon emissions come from buildings. A project to retrofit nine buildings with green technology is pioneering a new solution.

By Patrick Sisson

David Attenborough Still Has Hope for Our Future

At 94, the beloved British naturalist remains curious and optimistic. He talked about his new docu-series, “A Perfect Planet,” and why the coronavirus may prove to have some positive consequences.

By Etan Smallman

The Lives They Lived

Konrad Steffen Was a Prophet of Climate Change, and its Victim

The very ice melt he warned would threaten the planet turned out to be his undoing.

By Mark Binelli

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