Chris Mooney

Washington, D.C.

Reporter covering climate change, energy and the environment.

Education: Yale University, BA in English

Chris Mooney writes about energy and the environment at The Washington Post. He previously worked at Mother Jones, where he wrote about science and the environment and hosted a weekly podcast. Mooney spent a decade before that as a freelance writer, podcaster and speaker, with his work appearing in Wired, Harper’s, Slate, the Los Angeles Times and the Boston Globe, to name a few. He also has published four books about science, politics and climate change.
Latest from Chris Mooney

Greenland is losing more ice than we thought. Here’s what it means for our oceans.

The Greenland ice sheet lost 20 percent more ice than scientists previously thought, posing potential problems for ocean circulation and sea level rise, a study says.

January 17, 2024

Is climate change speeding up? Here’s what the science says.

Some scientists have warned the rate of global warming might soon accelerate. And now, after the hottest year in recorded history, some believe it is already happening.

December 26, 2023

Greenland’s ice shelves hold back sea level rise. There are just 5 left.

Greenland’s floating ice platforms — which hold back trillions of tons of ice that could cause sea level rise — are in stark decline, according to a new study.

November 7, 2023

West Antarctic ice sheet faces ‘unavoidable’ melting, a warning for sea level rise

Regardless of how aggressively humans act to reduce fossil fuel emissions, waters around some of Antarctica’s glaciers are forecast to warm at a pace three times faster than they have in the past, a new study says.

October 23, 2023

How sea level rise made Idalia’s storm surge worse

Rising oceans substantially worsened the devastating storm surge that Hurricane Idalia flung at the Florida coast on Wednesday, according to scientific experts and data analyzed by The Post.

September 1, 2023

Facing the surge

Sea levels along the U.S. Gulf Coast are rising much faster than predicted. For New Orleans, the surge threatens its natural hurricane protection, leaving the city and surrounding area much more vulnerable to storms.

August 7, 2023

As Florida ocean temperatures soar, a race to salvage imperiled corals

As a blistering marine heat wave persists, a full-blown emergency is unfolding along the only living coral barrier reef in the continental United States.

July 26, 2023

As the world sizzles, China says it will deal with climate its own way

Europe, China and North America are all struggling with heat waves but in contrast to the consensus of the 2015 Paris climate accord, the world is deeply divided on how to confront climate change.

July 19, 2023

Reeling Arctic glaciers are leaving bubbling methane in their wake, scientists warn

Scientists found that rapidly retreating Arctic glaciers are triggering the release of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that causes global temperatures to rise, into the atmosphere.

July 6, 2023

Five things a climate reporter wants you to know about making indoor air safer

A writer who covers climate change and the environment has had to learn more than most about air quality, how much it matters and how to preserve it. Here are his tips for making indoor air safer.

June 8, 2023