
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!
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Featured Stories
Climate change prompts Pa. farmers to adapt crops and businesses
As the climate changes and brings more risks to the traditional farming schedule, farmers are looking for ways to make sure their crops survive.
Ex-Pennsylvania DEP secretary: Agency’s underfunding will test its new leader
Former DEP secretary Patrick McDonnell says the new leader will have his management skills tested at an agency that’s been constrained by a decade of underfunding.
Pennsylvania climate forum brings informed public into problem-solving effort
Deliberative forums bring together a demographically representative group of people, provide them with in-depth background material on the subject matter of the forum, and create questions to engage attendees in small-group discussions that are designed to produce ideas and potential solutions.
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.
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.
Climate Solutions partners
Funding partner
Climate Solutions Reporting
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Susan Phillips
Pa. drillers abandoned thousands of natural gas wells in 5 years, ignored state law, report says
Gov. Tom Wolf ordered the review, but it will be up to new Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration to take any action.
By Rachel McDevitt
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Reid R. Frazier
In Pa., heat pumps could be a climate change solution. But contractors and customers would need to buy in
Natural gas heats most homes in Pennsylvania. Heat-pump technology could help reduce one of the largest sources of greenhouse gases in America: home heating.
By Reid Frazier -
Rachel McDevitt
Claim that Pa. climate program was unlawfully delayed is moot, court says
Because the rule is now official, the court says the case is moot and any judgment given would not have an effect.
By Rachel McDevitt -
Marie Cusick
Ex-Pennsylvania DEP secretary: Agency’s underfunding will test its new leader
Former DEP secretary Patrick McDonnell says the new leader will have his management skills tested at an agency that’s been constrained by a decade of underfunding.
By Rachel McDevitt -
Reid R. Frazier
Top stories of 2022: Pa. pushes climate measures forward, meets delays and lawsuits
Pennsylvania finished regulations to join a carbon-trading program and to limit oil and gas site emissions in 2022.
By Rachel McDevitt -
Jeremy Long
Pennsylvania boosts carbon capture research with investment in state geological survey
Pennsylvania core samples have a lot of value for researchers now looking for the best places to inject carbon dioxide, so it can’t reach the atmosphere.
By Rachel McDevitt -
Kimberly Paynter
Josh Shapiro could set new tone with legislature on climate, ex-DEP secretary says
Shapiro’s political background will likely help as he negotiates his environmental priorities.
By Rachel McDevitt -
Jeremy Long
Climate change prompts Pa. farmers to adapt crops and businesses
As the climate changes and brings more risks to the traditional farming schedule, farmers are looking for ways to make sure their crops survive.
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.
“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