Climate Solutions
Climate Solutions uses engagement, education and storytelling to help central Pennsylvanians move toward climate change literacy, resilience and adaptation. Our work will amplify how people are finding solutions to the challenges presented by a warming world. Join our Facebook group!
Adriana Delagarza, who joined StateImpact Pennsylvania this summer as a mass media fellow with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, produced this explainer on potential community-based solutions to the problem of stormwater runoff — which is significant because climate change is expected to bring more extreme rain to Pennsylvania.
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Featured Stories
Courtesy of Samantha Sharp
By
Rachel McDevitt
In Pa., climate change can increase flooding risk in places that rarely worried about it. This community is seeking solutions
The intense storms that cause flash floods are likely to become more common in Pennsylvania with climate change, and they’re happening outside historical floodplains.
By
Rachel McDevittWhat values and priorities do you think should drive action on climate change in Central Pa.? Bring your voice to the table
Join other Central Pennsylvanians in a deliberative forum on climate change issues.
Jeremy Long
By
Adriana Delagarza
In Pa. cities, street trees can help cool ever-hotter temps. But they present their own problems to solve
Places like Harrisburg are planting more trees to improve the urban canopy. But if roots of trees buckle a sidewalk, for example, a homeowner is on the hook — which leads some to resist.
By
Adriana Delagarza
Rachel McDevitt
By
Rachel McDevitt
Pennsylvania gives millions to boost EV adoption
The Wolf Administration is putting $3.4 million toward building electric vehicle charging stations across the state and $2 million to EV rebates.
Roxy Todd
By
Reid Frazier
New climate law has a hidden benefit for coal miners: Permanent funding for black lung
Passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, the Democrats’ large climate and health care bill, included one provision aimed at helping miners afflicted by black lung disease.
Climate Solutions partners
Funding partner
Climate Solutions Reporting
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Courtesy of Samantha Sharp
In Pa., climate change can increase flooding risk in places that rarely worried about it. This community is seeking solutions
The intense storms that cause flash floods are likely to become more common in Pennsylvania with climate change, and they’re happening outside historical floodplains.
By
Rachel McDevitt -
Rachel McDevitt
Pennsylvania gives millions to boost EV adoption
The Wolf Administration is putting $3.4 million toward building electric vehicle charging stations across the state and $2 million to EV rebates.
By Rachel McDevitt -
What values and priorities do you think should drive action on climate change in Central Pa.? Bring your voice to the table
Join other Central Pennsylvanians in a deliberative forum on climate change issues.
By Staff -
Roxy Todd
New climate law has a hidden benefit for coal miners: Permanent funding for black lung
Passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, the Democrats’ large climate and health care bill, included one provision aimed at helping miners afflicted by black lung disease.
By Reid Frazier -
Ian Sterling
Pennsylvania will miss September RGGI auction as court battle continues
The Supreme Court denied DEP’s motion to let the state participate in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative on an emergency basis while DEP defends the rule.
By Rachel McDevitt -
Kimberly Paynter
Could district steam systems provide a climate solution? Philadelphia Gas Works says no
PGW, which provides fossil fuel to heat the majority of Philly’s commercial and residential buildings, is under pressure to decarbonize. Vicinity Energy says it has an idea to help: decarbonize all the buildings within the current steam loop.
By
Susan Phillips -
Jeremy Long
In Pa. cities, street trees can help cool ever-hotter temps. But they present their own problems to solve
Places like Harrisburg are planting more trees to improve the urban canopy. But if roots of trees buckle a sidewalk, for example, a homeowner is on the hook — which leads some to resist.
By
Adriana Delagarza -
Scott Detrow
A new Pa. law aims to address old gas well cleanup. It could make the problem worse, critics say
Gov. Wolf said the law eliminates the state’s authority to impose stricter requirements than what’s needed under Pa. law, even if more stringent requirements are mandatory parts of the federal program.
By Rachel McDevitt
Central Pa. organizations form unique collaboration to engage community on climate change challenges, solutions
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 29, 2021
Harrisburg — Five news organizations, two institutions of higher learning and a theater company announce their partnership to use engagement, education and storytelling to inform and empower central Pennsylvanians to find solutions to the challenges posed by climate change.
This new collaboration — called “Climate Solutions” — is convened by StateImpact Pennsylvania, a public media partnership covering energy and environment. StateImpact Pennsylvania is based at WITF, whose public media news and programming reaches 2.3 million people in 19 counties in central Pennsylvania.
Climate Solutions’ funding partner is the Solutions Journalism Network, which works with journalists and news organizations to help them focus in-depth on responses to problems, how the responses work and whether there is insight others can use. SJN is providing a $200,000 grant spread over two years for partners to use toward community engagement, events and journalism and education efforts for the next year.
Collaboration members are:
- Franklin & Marshall College Center for Public Opinion Research
- La Voz Latina
- Q’Hubo
- Sankofa African American Theatre Company
- Shippensburg University Department of Communication, Journalism & Media
- StateImpact Pennsylvania
- USA TODAY Network in central Pennsylvania (York Daily Record, Lebanon Daily News, Hanover Evening Sun, Chambersburg Public Opinion, Waynesboro Record Herald and Greencastle Echo Pilot)
- WITF
Climate Solutions’ geographic focus are the counties of Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon and York. We will use community engagement to ask how climate change issues are affecting the lives and livelihoods of central Pennsylvanians. Frequently using a Solutions Journalism lens, we’ll report on what is working — or could work — to help us meet the challenges climate change presents, and whether those solutions could be used in other communities.
“We’re thrilled to bring together a diverse collection of people and organizations who care about climate change and the challenges it presents, and about helping communities problem-solve,” said Scott Blanchard, senior editor for WITF News and StateImpact Pennsylvania, and editor of Climate Solutions. “It’s a unique partnership. We think our members’ skills, experience and ideas will help elevate the climate story in central Pennsylvania — not to alarm people, but to work with them and open doors to potential solutions.”
Jennie Jenkins-Dallas is publisher of news organization La Voz Latina Central, a Climate Solutions partner.
“We not only want Latinos/Hispanics knowledgeable and aware of climate change, but also to include them in the solutions to slow it down,” she said. “With over one million Latino/Hispanics in Pennsylvania, it is imperative that they make a contribution toward saving our planet.”
Carrie Sipes, department chair of Communication Journalism at Shippensburg University, and Dhiman Chattopadhyay, assistant professor specializing in journalism and strategic communications, are leading the university’s partnership with Climate Solutions.
Jennie Jenkins 
Dhiman Chattopadhyay 
Carrie Sipes 
Scott Blanchard
“We hope that this project will lead to both in-depth news/ feature stories offering solutions to the dangers posed by climate change, and in-depth academic research whose findings can be applied by journalists to do more meaningful reporting in this area,” Chattopadhyay said. “Of course, no discussion on the global dangers of climate change and viable solutions for local communities can be complete without including the bright young minds who are learning the ropes of journalism in college today and will be leading voices of solutions-oriented journalism tomorrow.”
Climate Solutions’ work will be collected at stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/climate-solutions/ and will be featured on its partners’ websites.
Find Climate Solutions on Facebook and Twitter, and follow us for climate news, as well as information about events in your community.
Press contact: Scott Blanchard, scott_blanchard@witf.org or 717-344-4757
PARTNERS
FUNDERS
Climate Solutions partners
