Climate Home News welcomes article pitches from freelance journalists, experts and organisations working on climate policy. We evaluate these on merit, suitability and interest for our audience.
Please bear with us if there is a delay in our response – we are a small team and we receive a large number of pitches, particularly around key events in the climate diary. While we try to give timely feedback, we cannot guarantee a response to your pitch.
Before submitting your idea, please read this guide to what we are looking for, who to contact and what information to provide.
In all cases, send a short (<300 words) outline of what you intend to write, not the finished article. The relevant editor may have advice on how to make it a good fit for Climate Home.
News, features and investigations
We have a modest budget to commission freelance reporting from around the world. Successful stories complement the coverage of our editorial team and usually combine human interest with a strong news angle.
All stories must have a climate change theme and an international outlook. While our coverage is informed by scientific evidence, our editorial focus is on the political, economic and social dimensions of the climate crisis.
We do not typically run stories based on a research paper or widely distributed report, or panels at conferences. We rarely publish stories that are solely focused on climate impacts or common climate solutions like a wind farm, unless there is something new to say about them.
Topics of interest include climate finance, carbon markets, the energy transition and its supply chains (including critical minerals), how climate solutions affect human rights, land use conflict, loss and damage linked to climate change, corporate greenwash, climate diplomacy and geopolitics.
In your pitch, please explain:
- What is new? Whether your story is based around a single event, ongoing process or trend, explain why now is the time to read about it.
- Why does it matter to an international audience? This could be the scale of emissions associated with a project, an extraordinary detail, the involvement of a global brand or multilateral organization, or implications for trade or international relations.
- Who are the main actors? To catch a reader’s attention, there should be colourful characters and/or tension between different interest groups.
- What sources would you use? Make the most of any hard-to-reach contacts, leaked documents, original analysis and on-the-ground reporting.
- What is your background? If you have not written for us before, include a short bio and links to two or three stories you have had published.
- Where is the action? For certain reporting programmes, we can cover reasonable travel expenses, by prior agreement.
- Is there a visual or audio component? While our reporting is text-based, good photos can elevate a story and we are open to multimedia ideas.
Rates start at £0.35 a word (GBP). A standard 600-word news story should involve interviewing (and usually quoting) three or more sources and linking to relevant data or research. We periodically run longer features and in-depth reporting programmes on a theme that sometimes have a budget for travel expenses. We can also support bids for reporting grants.
Email news, analysis and feature pitches to Megan Rowling: mr [at] climatehomenews.com and investigative pitches to Sebastian Rodriguez: sr [at ] climatehomenews.com.
Comment pieces
Climate Home offers a platform for insightful commentary on the politics of the climate crisis. This is generally unpaid. A good comment article:
- Expresses a well-argued opinion of interest to the broader climate community.
- Is concise – aim for 800 words as maximum length.
- Avoids jargon and includes examples to demonstrate key points.
- Links to a recent or upcoming news event. This could be a breaking news story or planned summit, for example.
- Links to sources of key facts and figures.
- Combines emotional force with rigorous analysis.
Email comment pitches to Megan Rowling: mr [at] climatehomenews.com.