For those of us numbed by the realities of climate change, a warm welcome to the new ClimateProgress

Royal Thai Navy personnel work to clean up the oil spill on Ao Phrao Beach on the island of Koh Samet on July 30. -- from CNN.com (see below)

by Ken

The other day ThinkProgress announced, in addition to a revamping of the thinkprogress.org website, "a major expansion of its coverage of climate change" with the introduction of ClimateProgress, a "hub for all things climate, energy, and environment-related." (Actually it's a re-introduction of ClimateProgress, which had a run from 2006 to 2011, when it was merged into ThinkProgress.)

I confess that I devote far too little attention, both here and in my daily life, to the life-and-death issues of climate change, for the obvious reasons. I don't really understand most of the issues. I don't want to understand most of the issues. The whole thing makes me feel at the same time bored and terror-stricken, and besides, what can I do about it anyway? Perhaps worse still, while the cumulative effects become more and more visible, on a day-by-day basis it's hard to see the change, and even harder to imagine any significant reversal thereof.

None of which is offered as any sort of "defense," just by way of explanation. For people like me, ClimateProgress could be invaluable. Here's more of what the ThinkProgress folks had to say about it:

The number of reporters on the Climate Progress team has recently quadrupled — with even more additions yet to come.

Climate Progress’s expanded coverage will focus on three key areas: illustrating the impact climate change is having now across the country; investigating the opposition forces that fuel climate denial and obstruct action; and elevating climate change to an issue that influences voters and elections. The expanded site will also be able to cover a broader spectrum of climate and energy issues, including environmental justice and green technology.

Climate-fueled disasters like Hurricane Sandy, floods, droughts, and other devastation wrought by extreme weather aren’t going anywhere, but unfortunately major media outlets like the New York Times and Reuters are backing off their commitment to covering these issues at this crucial time. ThinkProgress is stepping up to fill this gap in order to make sure climate change is getting the coverage it deserves while creating sustained accountability for politicians and special interests opposed to action to combat it.

Please check out the new look over at ThinkProgress and be on the lookout for more and more innovative coverage from Climate Progress.

TO GET A FEEL FOR THE SITE . . .

I strolled through the catalog of posts that have already gone up on ClimateProgress in its short existence and pulled out a sampling that grabbed my attention -- and I thought might interest you:


Absent Climate Policies, Global Coal Use Will Soar In Coming Decades, EIA Report Says


Obama: Keystone Jobs 'A Blip', Pipeline 'Might Actually Cause Some Gas Prices In The Midwest To Go Up'


Tar Sands Oil Has Been Leaking Into Alberta For 10 Weeks And No One Knows How To Stop It


Why Minorities Care More About Climate Change


BP Earned $2.7 Billion In Q2 Profits But Still Thinks It’s Paying Too Much In Taxes


As Public Opinion Shifts, Candidates Explicitly Run On Doing Something About Climate Change


How Maryland’s New Climate Plan Could Actually Lower Energy Costs


PHOTOS: Beaches Blanketed In Crude Oil After Major Spill In The Gulf Of Thailand


I don't know if ClimateProgress can shake me out of my fear-of-climate-change-induced stupor, but it looks like a smart as well as important initiative. Best wishes to the folks there.

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