Washington joins California and Québec to bolster and broaden their fight against climate pollution

Last week, Washington, California and Québec made history by joining their respective programs for reducing climate pollution. In each state or province, major polluters must pay for their carbon emissions while an overall limit (“cap”) on total carbon pollution lowers over time, and states invest the proceeds in affordable and local clean energy solutions. A joint carbon market creates greater stability and flexibility, while encouraging regulated industries to make cost-effective investments in pollution reductions across borders. 

Combined, the economies of Washington, Québec and California amount to the fourth largest in the world, after China, Japan, and the European Union. This new collaboration represents a powerful flex for sub-national governments who are more ready to take bold action on climate than the US or Canada at the federal level. Washington Director of Ecology Casey Sixkiller said that the collaboration will “create a more stable, predictable carbon market that helps to reduce emissions, spur innovation, and ensures that we continue to generate revenue that can be reinvested in communities.” This linkage agreement provides an important blueprint as other states and governments consider whether “cap and invest” policies are best suited for how they tackle the climate crisis.

If we don’t tell them about it, maybe climate change will go away

It’s a distinct trend: national media outlets have been shrinking from dedicated climate coverage this year: laying off reporters, eliminating climate and clean energy beats, and in some cases subsuming climate news coverage into other departments. In February, the Washington Post gutted its climate reporting team as part of a massive round of cost-cutting layoffs. Former LA Times climate reporter Sammy Roth commented, riffing on the Bezos-owned paper’s possibly ironic front-page slogan, “Clean energy dies in darkness.”

Around the same time, National Public Radio laid off climate desk chief Neela Banerjee and disbanded her team, folding the remaining reporters into a broader National Desk; a later round of layoffs dismissed climate correspondent Jeff Brady. And the long-valued news source E&E News will soon no longer exist, with parent company POLITICO planning to merge clean energy coverage into its larger portfolio, or as they put it, “a connected set of energy and environment editorial products that share our deep reporting and strong analysis while showcasing our greater global editorial coordination.”

The loss of experienced climate reporters, and of structural commitments to uplift coverage of climate and clean energy matters, is bad news at a time when extreme weather and other climate threats are spiking across the globe. A recent study from the University of Colorado Boulder found that climate change coverage fell 14% in 2025.

When informed clean energy and climate reporting becomes harder to access, more space is created for fossil fuel-backed narratives to spread via the echo chambers of conservative media and social media influencers. One consequence is to dampen the public’s sense that climate action is possible, as well as necessary. A recent Gallup poll found that, while a majority of Americans say that climate change is a serious threat; only 10% think their compatriots feel the same. The dearth of climate and clean energy coverage in the media is a contributor to that perception gap.

Not everyone is saddened by the national die-off of climate news coverage. The conservative/libertarian Heartland Institute reports approvingly that media are “climbing down from the alarming 24 hours a day pronouncements of the so-called climate crisis.” Heartland notes that the national media companies’ shift closely aligns with the policy preferences of the Trump administration.

Well, yeah. Covering Climate Now notes that “news coverage often mirrors what political leaders talk about, and US president Donald Trump in particular talks little about climate change except to deny it’s happening. That denial has emboldened others — in business, in politics, and in media — to downplay the climate threat.”

Happily, there are still plenty of media voices dedicating resources to critical coverage of climate and clean energy, among them The Guardian, Bloomberg News, the New York Times, and mission-driven outlets like Grist, Heatmap and Heated.

Pacific Northwest Climate Week

From July 13-19, folks from all corners of the climate movement will gather across seven cities in the Pacific Northwest, for PNW Climate Week, the only cross-region climate week in North America.

We’re so excited to dive into the community-building, learning, and action—a packed schedule of Climate Week events includes these hosted by Climate Solutions staff:

Powering Progress Summit Seattle, Tuesday, July 14, 1:00-5:00pm

Convened by Earth Finance, this half-day summit, split into two sessions, brings together senior leaders across energy, finance, policy, utilities, infrastructure, investment, and corporate sustainability. 

• Session 1 - Shifting Public Policy & Markets: Lessons from Washington, Oregon and California
• Session 2 - Thriving in an Energy-Constrained World - featuring a fireside chat titled “Can We Build It In Time?” with Meredith Connolly, Climate Solutions Director of Policy and Strategy

Clean Energy - Shifting the Conversation Seattle, Thursday, July 16, 3:00-5:00pm

How can we more effectively connect the dots between clean energy benefits and people's lives? Hint: it's not just about affordability. Join this climate narrative conversation with several regional climate comms leaders, moderated by Kimberly Larson, Climate Solutions Senior Director of Communications and Engagement.

Fleet Electrification Mixer: Connect with the PNW Clean Transportation Community Portland, Wednesday, July 15, 3:00-7:00pm

Join our Breaking Barriers Collaborative team in Portland for a casual evening mixer with Portland's clean transportation community! Whether you're already electrifying your fleet, just starting to explore the idea, or working in the EV space, come connect with fleet operators, industry specialists, and advocates who are making the transition happen in the PNW.