Climate change is driving incalculable transformation around the world, and its impacts will only accelerate from here. WIRED seeks a writer to cover this incredibly consequential beat, with a particular focus on how people and technology are adapting to a rapidly changing world—or failing to.
You’ll cover the compounding impacts of higher temperatures, rising sea levels, sinking cities, and other environmental changes that affect the way we live. You’ll break news about clean energy companies, regulatory wins and misses, and Big Tech’s attempts at net zero. Your focus will be on the people profiting from and most affected by climate change. You’ll engage with academic research, but always through the lens of real-world consequences. You will bring a deep stable of sources to the role and be able to deliver breaking news and scoops.
You’ll also cover attempts to mitigate the effects of climate change, from heat pumps to carbon capture to geoengineering. You’ll cover these efforts through a measured lens, cutting through hype to give readers indispensable context about what does work, what could work, and what won’t. You’ll write engaging, forward-looking stories that avoid the extremes of doomerism and false hope. You will work closely with editors to identify the sharpest angles on the most pressing stories on this beat.
The successful candidate must have extensive experience and a demonstrated portfolio of work covering climate change and its impacts. They must also have experience with both short and long-lead storytelling across a wide range of formats such as social, podcasts, video series, live events, etc.
This role reports to WIRED’s Director, Science, Politics, and Security, and is part of a growing and increasingly global newsroom of smart, kind, nerdy, and well-informed colleagues who are always brimming with ideas and eager to help each other out. This role is hybrid in-office (3 days/week) and we are open to candidates in New York, London, or remote.
Primary responsibilities:
- Report and write at least six stories per month, juggling shorter news pieces with longer, differentiated enterprise work
- Pitch, report, and write stories on climate change, including impacts and proposed solutions
- Collaborate with other members of the science desk, and journalists from across the WIRED newsroom, to ensure that our coverage of climate change is smart, nuanced, and groundbreaking
- Collaborate with audio, video, events, and social media teams as needed to develop ways of telling stories on other platforms
- Work collaboratively with global markets on all relevant stories or packages
- Additional projects/stories as assigned
Skills and qualifications:
- At least 5 years experience reporting specifically on climate change and building expertise on this beat; more experience on other beats is welcome
- A proven track record of scoops and the ability to consistently break news on a beat; a proven ability to publish consistently (multiple stories per week) in a digital setting
- Strong organizational skills with demonstrated ability to manage a constantly evolving workload and prioritize appropriately
- A clear, engaging, jargon-free writing style
This is a guild position.
The expected base salary range for this position is from $95,000-$127,000. Salary offers are based on a wide range of factors including but not limited to relevant skills, training, experience, and education.
