• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, November 28, 2023

The Guardian has updated its climate policy, reporting progress in each of six promises it made four years ago.  

The Guardian’s program calls for relentless reporting on the crisis every single day. And it is available to all -- there is no paywall. 

The Guardian writes: 

1. We will continue our longstanding record of powerful environmental reporting, known around the world for its quality and independence. 

2. We will report on how climate breakdown is already affecting people and species, including during extreme weather events. This involves poor and marginalized communities. 

3. We will publish up-to-date global indicators on the crisis and use language that recognizes its severity.
In 2019, the Guardian updated the terms it uses to describe the crisis. “We have now updated these further to use the term “nature crisis” instead of “biodiversity crisis,” which we feel is more accessible and relatable.

4. We will eliminate two-thirds of our emissions by 2030 and reduce our impact on nature.

5. We will seek to decouple our business and finances from fossil-fuel extractive companies. 

6. We will be transparent about our progress. This year, we published our latest sustainability and positive impact report, detailing our greenhouse gas emissions and the steps we are taking to reduce them. Emissions fell by 30% in the first two years of our 10-year plan. 

The Guardian is not the only publisher to announce a climate policy. 

Conde Nast aims to reach carbon neutrality by 2030. How? By “reducing our emissions and offsetting when reduction is not possible,” the company says.  

Given the Guardian’s plan and that of Conde Nast, the year 2030 will be an important one in publishing and the climate battle.