What I learned from North America's top meteorologists at Climate Week
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Also: Cutting the cost of meat with mycelium
Welcome to our weekly newsletter where we highlight environmental trends and solutions that are moving us to a more sustainable world.
Hi, it's Johanna.
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For almost two decades, I've been talking about climate change through the weather we experience every day.
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But after spending Climate Week in New York with fellow meteorologists from across North America, one thing is clear: this job is getting deeply personal.
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job → spend → America
- What I learned from North America's top meteorologists at Climate Week
- The Big Picture: Progress on the world's nature goals
- Mycelium with your meatballs?
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I → learn → meatballs
How one Vancouver company is farming fungi to combat meat costs
What I learned from North America's top meteorologists at Climate Week
I was invited to join a closed-door workshop in New York City during Climate Week called "Beyond the Forecast: How Trusted Weather Voices Can Help Communities Understand Climate and Extreme Weather."
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Communities → farm → Climate
Hosted by the Clinton Global Initiative in partnership with the Eleven Eleven Foundation, the session offered a rare space to talk openly with other broadcast meteorologists about how we communicate climate change.
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I mean, this is my bread and butter.
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For almost two decades, I've been talking about climate change through the everyday weather we experience.
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I've been grateful to have the support, platforms and formats at CBC to do just that.
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Even so, there is a distinct weight to this work — seeing the data play out in real time, knowing the severity of a storm's impact before it hits, and navigating how politicized the term "climate change" has become.
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term → be → impact
Stepping into my new role as the host of CBC's climate podcast What on Earth?, the timing couldn't have been better for this gathering.
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Finding common ground in New York
Arriving in New York, I loved being recognized by fellow Canadians at Newark Airport — climate advisers from Vancouver headed to the same gathering.
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It was a nice reminder of why these conferences matter.
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Bringing people together (despite the carbon footprint of travel) creates a momentum you can't replicate virtually.
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Walking from the subway up 5th Avenue toward the conference centre on my first day, I instinctively fell into the fast-paced ebb and flow of the city street.
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I credit my former Toronto days for my defensive walking skills, but adopting that rhythm makes you feel immediately plugged in.
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This trip was going to be all about feeling part of something bigger.
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The workshop itself was one I won't soon forget.
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Nearly every major meteorologist I've watched on U.S. networks was there (plus Bill Nye!)
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Our scheduled two-hour session ran long — after all, we talk for a living — but it was deeply cathartic.
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Hearing forecasters from Fox News to CNN to ABC, alongside scientists and policy-makers, open up about the shared challenges of communicating climate risk felt like a rare moment of unity.
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Here are a few takeaways I can share:
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1. The connection between weather and climate is undeniable — but the pushback is real
Underlying every discussion in that room was one overarching reality: we are all trying to talk about climate change as station scientists.
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But for television forecasters attempting to bring that science into daily broadcasts, the pushback from audiences can be tough — and deeply emotional.
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pushback → attempt → audiences
While I've been lucky enough to avoid the absolute worst of it, let's just say you never truly develop a thick skin.
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And knowing what lies ahead when forecasting a devastating storm carries a real weight.
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what → know → weight
Between sessions, I raced from Midtown down to SOHO to record in the studios at WNYC (New York public radio) — a fun moment of solidarity, hopping from one public broadcaster's home base to another.
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But the conversation I recorded hit home sharply.
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I spoke with forecaster Chris Gloninger, who made the difficult decision to leave his TV news career after facing severe harassment and a death threat simply for explaining climate links on air.
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who → speak → air
But Chris's story was a stark reminder that serving as a trusted voice often comes at a high personal cost.
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To go "beyond the forecast," weather communicators need more than just thick skin — we need strong community support to keep having these vital conversations safely.
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I attended the workshop alongside only one other Canadian: my friend Mark Robinson from The Weather Network, who I went to meteorology school with!
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Being there together highlighted how much the U.S. and Canada have in common, and also just how differently our two media markets operate.
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American broadcast TV remains deeply traditional, with millions of viewers still tuning in to local 6 o'clock newscasts every night.
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For U.S. forecasters, that means trying to cram complex climate attribution science into a lightning-fast, two-minute weather window between commercial breaks.
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At CBC, as the media landscape has shifted, we've chosen to experiment with meeting audiences where they are.
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Beyond dedicated space on podcasts like What On Earth? and digital platforms, our local TV markets frequently carve out extra airtime specifically to connect the dots between severe weather and climate change.
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Having that room to explain why a heat wave or atmospheric river is happening is something I was reminded not to take for granted — because in a tight TV hit, context is often the first thing left on the cutting-room floor.
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context → have → floor
But as more U.S. newsrooms experiment with climate-dedicated segments and digital extras, the potential to inform communities is huge.
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potential → experiment → communities
…and 58 more, not listed.
The Aporia
