Hi Reader,

The most important story of our lifetime may very well be climate change. As this global crisis grows more urgent by the day, so does the need for credible journalism, rooted in fact and providing trustworthy information that can rise above the sea of politicized commentary that sows confusion and inaction.

At ProPublica, we have doggedly covered the environment since our inception, being one of the first to deeply investigate the impacts of fracking (before it was even called fracking), providing early warnings on the failure of the Colorado River and creating our groundbreaking work from 2021, The Great Climate Migration. In that series, senior environmental reporter Abrahm Lustgarten laid bare how many parts of America are becoming inhospitable as extreme heat and climate disasters become the norm and temperate zones shift northward. That work points to the likelihood of substantial migration northward, as Americans follow the shift in temperature and rainfall and seek more stable living conditions.

Last week, Abrahm wrote his latest piece in this series, offering another startling look at how serious the climate crisis truly has become. According to a new study about how the climate “niche” for human life is shifting, 600 million people have already been left behind, falling into a zone that for 6,000 years has been far less livable. Looking forward, one-third to one-half of humanity — 3 to 6 billion people by 2070 — could soon be pushed outside of our planet’s most habitable zone into regions of the planet that are not optimal to support life. They will face extreme heat, rising food scarcity and higher death rates. In all probability, some large number of them will migrate.

Like all of the investigations at ProPublica, this story was published with one goal: We hope that the facts we present will inspire change. It’s an ambitious mission, but we’ve proven time and again that our journalism can spur real-world impact.

Our two-week summer member drive ends on Friday, and the show of support we’ve seen so far has been overwhelming. If you’re in a position to help, I’d be so grateful if you’d join us today. Help ProPublica raise the critical funds we need to continue dozens of active investigations by making a donation of any amount. Real change can occur when accurate investigative journalism has the resources it needs to report the facts. I hope you’ll help us in this pursuit by giving today.

Thanks so much,
Jill Shepherd
Proud ProPublican