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!
During WITF’s Family Night: Weather and Climate, kindergarteners through fifth graders and their families can learn about weather and climate and why those fields are essential. Climate Solutions contributed to the production.
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Featured Stories
On Earth Day, WITF’s Family Night program explores weather and climate
Kindergarteners through fifth graders and their families will learn about weather and climate and why these fields are essential.
Rachel McDevitt
By Matt Toth, Lebanon Daily News
North Annville supervisors deny application for controversial solar farm
The project would have produced 70 to 100 megawatts, with the expected lifespan of the project to be between 30 to 35 years.
Rachel McDevitt
By
Rachel McDevitt
Driving an EV in Pennsylvania: range anxiety, charging and maintenance
EVs are one solution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transportation – which makes up a third of the country’s emissions.
By
Rachel McDevitt
Rachel McDevitt
By
Rachel McDevitt
Legislation pits two climate efforts — solar energy and plugging abandoned gas wells — against each other
Instead of letting the state reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by claiming the power generated by new solar projects, the bill would have the state sell the renewable energy credits generated by that clean power.
Screenshot from video
By
Rachel McDevitt
New: Join StateImpact Pennsylvania’s Rachel McDevitt in her texting club about climate change
Whether you’re confused about a climate change topic or are deeply involved in climate mitigation efforts in your community, I’d love to hear from you.
Climate Solutions partners
Funding partner
Climate Solutions Reporting
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Stefani Reynolds
Where Pennsylvania U.S. Senate candidates stand on energy, climate issues
StateImpact Pennsylvania checked in on how climate change and energy issues are playing out in the race for Pennsylvania’s open U.S. Senate seat.
By Rachel McDevitt -
Courtesy Gov. Tom Wolf’s Flickr page
Pennsylvania governor candidates show support for fossil fuels, ignore climate in runup to primary
StateImpact Pennsylvania checked in on how climate change and energy issues are playing out in the state’s race for governor.
By Rachel McDevitt -
Rachel McDevitt
Court battle over Pennsylvania climate rule set to begin
Coal and labor groups and power plant owners are suing the Department of Environmental Protection, saying the rule will cause them irreparable harm.
By Rachel McDevitt -
The race is on (again) to build out a low-carbon hydrogen economy
‘Blue’ hydrogen still emits some carbon dioxide, whereas ‘green’ hydrogen doesn’t. But right now, blue hydrogen is more cost-efficient than because it relies on technology that’s been around for almost a century.
By Reid Frazier -
Kimberly Paynter
Philly’s carbon emissions are dropping — but the city has a long way to go
The city has committed to zeroing out its emissions by 2050, something experts say the world needs to do in order to avoid some of the worst impacts of climate change.
By Sophia Schmidt, WHYY -
Russ Walker
Pennsylvania’s climate rule met with applause and court threats upon finalization
Joining RGGI is the centerpiece of Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to address climate change.
By Rachel McDevitt -
On Earth Day, WITF’s Family Night program explores weather and climate
Kindergarteners through fifth graders and their families will learn about weather and climate and why these fields are essential.
By Staff -
Kevin Birch
U. of Pennsylvania energy-prize winner says natural gas not compatible with long-term climate goals
Lord Nicholas Stern said fossil fuels must be phased out. “So the question is how you slow down and where you slow down.”
By Jon Hurdle
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
