A new approach to climate
My name is Sammy Roth, and I spent 11 years covering climate change and clean energy for the Los Angeles Times and the USA Today Network. I loved my work and felt like I was making a difference, but I couldn’t ignore the fact that U.S. climate politics were fundamentally broken: We were making progress, but not nearly fast enough. Most people wanted climate action, but it wasn’t a top priority at the ballot box. It wasn’t enough to overcome opposition from polluting industries.
Climate needs to be top of mind for more Americans. People need to understand we have ample solutions at our fingertips. They need to feel urgency.
That’s a job for cultural institutions that shape how we see the world. The industries that bring us movies, TV, sports, social media, newspapers, food, music, advertising, video games, theme parks — they’re all affected by the climate crisis. They should be telling stories that help people understand the challenges we face and what we can do to solve them. They’re our best chance at moving the needle, fast.
That’s why I’m writing a newsletter about climate and culture: to encourage America’s most influential storytellers to get in the game, and to help them figure out how. If we want climate progress in energy, transportation and agriculture, we need progress in entertainment, media and sports.
It’s time to start seeing the world through climate-colored goggles. Please subscribe to support my work.
Last but not least, thank you to my amazing graphic designer brother Danny Roth for the rad logo. Find out more about him here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannyrothdesign/
Transparency policy
I enjoy speaking and moderating discussions about climate change, energy and other environmental issues. Sometimes I’m compensated for doing so by organizations that I write about. When that happens, I maintain full editorial control over my remarks, and over everything I write here at Climate-Colored Goggles.
Over the last 12 months, I’ve been compensated for my participation in events or conversations hosted by UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, the California Municipal Utilities Association, the Climate Center, the Center for Biological Diversity, the California Community Choice Association, UC Riverside’s Solar Valley Consortium and the US Green Building Council California. I also wrote a guest essay on the Colorado River for the New York Times. (Last updated 6/27/26)
