My work is featured in publications around the world including National Geographic, The Guardian (UK), Vice Motherboard, Inter Press Service News Agency (IPS), Changing America (The Hill), Ensia, Al Jazeera, New Scientist, The Ecologist, Mo Magazine (Brussels), TerraGreen (India), Toronto Star, Maclean’s Magazine, China Dialogue, Earth Island Journal, Narwal and many more.
Winner of the 2018 & 2019 SEAL Award for Environmental Journalism celebrating my work in documenting climate change impacts and solutions
at National Geographic and Vice. Previous winners have included journalists from the Guardian, New York Times and Washington Post.
“Environmental journalism matters now more than ever.” — Matt Harney, Founder, SEAL Awards.
- Co-winner of the Prince Albert/United Nations Global Prize for reporting on Climate Change
- Author of critically-acclaimed book: Your Water Footprint: The Shocking Facts About How Much Water We Use To Make Everyday Products (Winner Best Science Book 2014)
- Co-founder of Climate News Mosaic, prize winning trans-boundary journalism collaboration
- Creator of Community Supported Environmental Journalism – pioneering crowd funded response to cuts in environmental news coverage in 2009
New Project:
Navigating this Decade of Change & Consequence
What do we all need to know at this time of pandemic, existential crisis of climate change and unravelling of nature’s life supports? Not to mention, a time of political, social and technological upheaval? What do we need to know to get through all of this and come out smiling on the other side?
And what do we need to know to help us get through each day?
Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter: Need to Know: Science and Insight
This is where you’ll find my latest work based on interviews with some of the smartest and wisest people on the planet, combined with my 25 years of writing and reporting on need to know issues.
Stephen
SPEAKER: I’ve spoken at dozens of events both large and small from keynotes to pub talks. Click here for more.“Stephen is…a favourite of our audiences. He’s able to make complex issues seem
simple without taking anything away from the urgency and importance of
his message.”
– David Leonard, Director of Canada’s premiere talk series: Walrus Talks
CONTACT
If you’d like to support my work as an independent journalist working in the public interest this link will take you to PayPal.Me for secure donations by credit card
To contact me please click this link and fill out the form at the bottom. Yes, this really works and I will reply — Stephen.
Stephen Leahy, International Environmental Journalist 
Wishing you the very best year ever in all your endeavors and to let you know I have renewed my monthly support for your important work. Rebecca Vermeer
Thanks Rebecca, your support is what enables me to continue. And I wish you the very best in your wonderful work bringing eco-Kalan cookstoves to poor people in the Philippines. They bring huge on-the-ground benefits for people, the environment and even the climate. Spending your retirement making abig difference in the world sure beats playing golf every day!! http://www.eco-kalan.com/
In my opinion
We need to replace the fossil fuel power plants, the primary source of GHG. Now!
At a scale required to accomplish this task :
Ethanol starves people : not a viable option.
Fracking releases methane : not a viable option.
Cellulose Bio Fuel Uses Food Land : not a viable option
Solar uses food land : Not a viable option
Wind is Intermittent : Not a viable option
All Human and Agricultural Organic Waste can be converted to hydrogen, through exposure intense radiation!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/DennisearlBaker/2012-a-breakthrough-for-r_b_1263543_135881292.html
The Radioactive Materials exist now, and the Organic waste is renewable daily.
Ending the practice of dumping sewage into our water sources.
Air, Water, Food and Energy issues, receive significant positive impacts .
Reducing illness / health care costs as well !
Dennis Baker
Hi, I can use some publicity in order to create the largest annual fundraising effort in the world for environmental organizations Please leave your email address upon the blog in a comment (not to be published) Thanks, Murray
http://mecchallenge.wordpress.com/
I am delighted to have found this blog, Stephen. I am trying to get permission to re-publish something you wrote on the Indian CounterCurrents blog on June 2 last year, namely: “CO2 Level Hits 400 PPM, Do We Have A Way Out?”. I suppose (but have not checked) that this may well have been published here first? Either way, would you be willing and/or able to give me permission to re-publish this on my own blog?
Despite the importance of environmental issues, media have slashed their coverage of environmental issues. It is impossible to make a living as a freelance environmental journalist.
This is an appalling state of affairs. Given the intransigence of the ‘free’ (hah!) press, I think that the only way we can turn things around is by each and every one of us contributing whatever we can, in action and/or financial support of those who we believe are acting to try to address the problems. In putting my own (meagre) resources where my mouth is, I’ve recently thrown a few bob* at appeals such as yours here as well as the Climate Science Defence Fund and the Dark Snow Project (which is still less than halfway to target).
Keep up the excellent work!
* archaic expression: a ‘bob’ was the slang term for a shilling (now ‘five pence’ after decimalisation) in old UK munny. ‘A few bob’ therefore means ‘some money’. I could have simply replaced the parochial expression, but that wouldn’t have been as entertaining 🙂
Any friend of ecoshock.org is a friend of mine. Sorry I didn t donate more.
No worries Grant. Radio Ecoshock is fantastic – the best podcast radio I’ve heard: http://www.ecoshock.org/
Hi Stephen,
I read your article warning of perilous heat by 2100. Would you consider writing a story from a mathematical standpoint? Can the environment create its own balance by limiting the expansion of humans? When humans create their own catastrophe, at what point can the environment be restored to balance, equilibrium and harmony? If humankind runs its current course, it would ultimately result in the species reaching its natural limit. When the environment can no longer support humans, lifespans would be ended or shortened… fewer humans …reduced heat …restoration. Perhaps it would take thousands of years – as archeologists tell us of the many species that did not survive in millennias past, yet, the environment reached its natural boundaries and again, a balance. If you had no feelings, no heart, no compassion as a writer, how long would it take for the environment to be restored after humans reached their natural limit, on their current course?
Don’t think you can use terms like mathematical or natural limit when it comes to us. A person today consumes 100x the natural resources someone living 1000 years ago. Similarly between a hunter-gather in the Amazon today compared to a Wall St banker. The Earth has been through many extreme states (from our perspective) and will be again – hopefully not for a long time.
Looking into climate has been illuminating. I claim, the earth is entering a cooling phase for the next 86 years because the sun’s 172-year output cycle peaked in 2017. The climate will be increasingly drier and food production will reduce. NASA Goddard average Global temperature shows this. Total global annual energy production is equivalent to 1 hour of solar input. Reported, but largely ignored is CO2, in general lags temperature, although for short periods it can lead. The Russian-German climate model shows this. All others show the increasing temperature. Things are not what they are advertised by most. Lust for power? Political?
Retired Aerospace Engineer with an abiding curiosity and ability to analyze data
the thermosphere is cooling as always during a solar minimum but that will not affect temps at surface NASA amongst many other experts say. Our 45% increase in CO2 overwhelms any potential cooling – witness the fact July was the hottest month ever recorded according to WMO https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/july-hottest-month-1.5233368