| Five-plus years ago, during the early days of COVID-19, we sent the first edition of Boiling Point. I wrote then that there would "always be people who say it's the wrong time to talk about carbon emissions, or water pollution, or the extinction crisis." But even amid a deadly pandemic and stay-at-home orders, I argued, it was more important than ever to keep the climate crisis front and center. |
| The same is true now — yes, even amid the Trump administration's escalating attacks on democracy and dissent and immigrants. Which is why, even though I'm leaving the L.A. Times, Boiling Point will continue. |
| Yes, you read that correctly. I've made the difficult decision to leave the L.A. Times. Tuesday was my last day. |
| But I'm not done telling stories about climate. And neither are my wonderful friends and colleagues. |
| I'm not quite ready to share my own plans yet. If you want to keep following my work, please send me an email at sammyroth42@gmail.com, and I promise to keep you updated. I'm excited for what comes next. |
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| It's a bittersweet moment, though. Working at The Times has been one of the great privileges of my life; thank you for inviting me into your inboxes, and making time to read my stories when you could have been scrolling or streaming. I'm grateful for our dialogue, our debates, our disagreements. I hope we'll have many more. |
| Just as importantly, I hope you'll continue to follow and support the L.A. Times, especially our environment team. |
| With no disrespect to any other news outlet, we have the best climate reporters in the business: Tyrone Beason. Tony Briscoe. Noah Haggerty. Ian James. Sandra McDonald. Melody Petersen. Corinne Purtill. Susanne Rust. Lila Seidman. Hayley Smith. Rosanna Xia. If you're not reading them, you're doing it wrong. |
| Starting next week, several of my colleagues will take turns writing Boiling Point. It'll look a little different than it does now, with a combination of analysis and news roundup. Each edition will have a unique focus, based on the reporter's expertise: Ian James will cover water, for instance, while Lila Seidman will tackle wildlife and Tony Briscoe will handle air quality. You'll get a wide range of thoughtful perspectives. |
| The newsletter will still arrive in your inbox every Thursday. It'll still be worth opening. |
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| Just like climate, journalism is more important now than ever. Local journalism especially. |
| Thank you for everything. Onward. |
ONE MORE THING |
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| On the southern end of Del Mar, train tracks run precariously close to the edge of rapidly crumbling cliffs. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) |
| For nostalgia's sake, here are some of my favorite environmental stories and series the L.A. Times has produced during my seven years here — including, no shame, one of my own: |
| A reporter kept a diary of her plastic use. It was soul-crushing |
| Colorado River in Crisis: A Times series on the Southwest's shrinking water lifeline |
| Keep up with California | Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Subscribe to the Los Angeles Times. | | | | | |
| Fishing the L.A. River is more than a quarantine hobby. For some, it's therapy |
| Is it ethical to have children in the face of climate change? |
| Repowering the West: Energy-hungry cities are reshaping the landscape, again |
| The California coast is disappearing under the rising sea. Our choices are grim |
| The L.A. Times investigation into extreme heat's deadly toll |
| Uncovering the toxic soil lurking in L.A.'s burn zones |
| This is the latest edition of Boiling Point, a newsletter about climate change and the environment in the American West. Sign up here to get it in your inbox. And listen to our Boiling Point podcast here. |
| For more climate and environment news, follow @Sammy_Roth on X and @sammyroth.bsky.social on Bluesky. |
