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Joan Meiners, PhD

@joanmeiners

🌡 Climate reporter (The Arizona Republic | @azcentral.com) 🐝 Bee doctor (Ecology Ph.D. @UF) πŸš΄β€β™€οΈ Outdoor athlete (runner, thruhiker, skier, former bike racer) Listen. Be human. Fight bullshit. https://www.azcentral.com/staff/5308605002/joan-meiners/

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17.08.2023
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Latest posts by Joan Meiners, PhD @joanmeiners

"We have 75% of Americans who know climate change is happening. You're not gonna lose viewers. You're going to earn people's trust and respect by making this a more important area of coverage. I hope conversations like this help reporters who are still there get stories on."
- @chasecain.bsky.social

05.03.2026 17:57 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
NBC's top climate reporter quits In an exclusive interview, veteran NBC meteorologist Chase Cain opens up about burnout, suppression, and why he's going independent.

This is a vital conversation about trends in #climate news coverage that people NEED to hear.

@emorwee.bsky.social, Tracy Wholf & @chasecain.bsky.social (who was great to work with on our 2024 interview of John Podesta for @coveringclimatenow.org) are indispensable.
heated.world/p/nbcs-top-c...

05.03.2026 17:52 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Trump’s Orwellian Board of Peace Consists Entirely of Human Rights Abusers An Intercept analysis finds that every single Board of Peace member state has been rebuked for human rights violations.

EXCLUSIVE: Trump’s Orwellian Board of Peace Consists Entirely of Human Rights Abusers

An Intercept analysis finds that every single Board of Peace member state has been rebuked for human rights violations.

theintercept.com/2026/03/02/t...

03.03.2026 22:01 πŸ‘ 589 πŸ” 326 πŸ’¬ 36 πŸ“Œ 32

@ejtodaynews.bsky.social @sejorg.bsky.social @momscleanairforce.org @cleanaircatf.bsky.social @azcentral.com

05.03.2026 03:28 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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SRP seeks summertime rate cut as regulators drop renewable power rules As Arizonans struggle with rising bills, heat relief experts emphasize a need to pursue nature-based city planning and clean energy generation.

I set out to write about fluctuating electricity rates at Arizona utilities today & ended up also covering the final repeal of AZ’s renewable energy standard, passed ~4pm.

The sunniest state in the nation no longer has any benchmark goal for solar energy. Dark day.
www.azcentral.com/story/news/l...

05.03.2026 03:28 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Good article, but the framing is wrong. There is not a dearth of interest in taxonomy. There is a scarcity of funding and positions, which is a deliberate choice by funding agencies and institutions. The youth love taxonomy! It's the olds that are failing to meet their passion!

03.03.2026 04:00 πŸ‘ 301 πŸ” 85 πŸ’¬ 5 πŸ“Œ 7

Love this one

01.03.2026 00:09 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Sam Alito has an oil money problem 30 percent of Alito’s individual stock portfolio is directly tied to fossil fuels.

The Supreme Court has decided to hear a major climate case against fossil fuel companies

Alito has not recused himself, despite owning nearly $200,000 in fossil fuel stocksβ€”including in Phillips 66 and ConocoPhillips, which are being sued in cases that would be directly affected by a SCOTUS ruling

25.02.2026 21:17 πŸ‘ 728 πŸ” 373 πŸ’¬ 29 πŸ“Œ 23

Touched on that in my story yesterday!

20.02.2026 22:17 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

@sejorg.bsky.social @ejtodaynews.bsky.social @westernpriorities.org @priya4az.bsky.social @coveringclimatenow.org @sierraclub.org @westernlaw.org

20.02.2026 20:14 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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What funding the Arizona Trail may mean for the future of public lands A bill to fund maintenance of the Arizona Trail moves forward while a long list of federal threats to land management agencies still looms large.

I wrote a story about a bill to fund maintenance of the #ArizonaTrail, which crosses nearly every category of #publiclands on its 850-mile journey btw Utah & Mexico -- and what in-state support for it might mean against a backdrop of federal attacks on public lands.
www.azcentral.com/story/news/l...

20.02.2026 20:12 πŸ‘ 8 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0
Post image Post image Post image Post image

I know there’s a lot of horribleness right now. But last night I attended the premiere of a new documentary about two brothers who walked across Arizona before the #ArizonaTrail existed. There was so much love & commitment to public lands in the room that it felt like a flicker of a pathway forward.

20.02.2026 20:03 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Highly recommend applying for this!

It’s FREE to enter, is international (=more inclusive and interestingly competitive) and is one of the easier submission processes out there.

AND if you win you get a super cool orange glass globe trophy for your desk! To keep us motivated. 😎

18.02.2026 21:57 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Abe Kwok, Arizona Republic editor and columnist, dies at 59 He was quick to help his family and friends and loved a good laugh. His work was marked by a focus on fairness and exacting prose.

I only met Abe Kwok briefly a few times. But it's easy to believe all of these amazing things his former colleagues at The Arizona Republic have to say about him here. I'm sad he's gone.
www.azcentral.com/story/news/a...

17.02.2026 03:39 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I would never quote anyone like this. It’s especially inappropriate because she’s actually quite well spoken a majority of the time.

16.02.2026 20:02 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I would never quote anyone like this. It’s especially inappropriate because she’s actually quite well spoken a majority of the time.

16.02.2026 20:01 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Calling it now: the US political media's treatment of AOC is going to make their treatment of Hillary Clinton or Al Gore look like a model of balance and discretion.

16.02.2026 19:38 πŸ‘ 6206 πŸ” 1276 πŸ’¬ 138 πŸ“Œ 54

Days after laying off many of the great climate change reporters I once worked with, the Washington Post published an editorial applauding Trump for ripping up the federal government’s authority to regulate climate pollution. Important column by @sammyroth.bsky.social

15.02.2026 16:58 πŸ‘ 25 πŸ” 14 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 1

For the nerds out there, this story also includes some original analyses and data visualizations of Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs' track record on environment-related bills in the first three years of her first term, as she begins campaigning for re-election.

10.02.2026 18:31 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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For the nerds out there, this story also includes some original analyses and data visualizations of Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs' track record on environment-related bills in the first three years of her first term, as she begins campaigning for re-election.

10.02.2026 18:30 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I’ll also be covering these bills in more detail in smaller batches as they progress, so stay tuned and get in touch if you have info to share.

CC: @sejorg.bsky.social @ejtodaynews.bsky.social @climate.skyfleet.blue @azcentral.com

10.02.2026 18:10 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Environmentalists brace for a barrage of bills as 2026 elections near Even with a democratic governor in her final year as the last line of defense, activists fear backward progress on water, energy and climate policy.

My story out today covers the absolute blitzkrieg of bills attacking progress on #climate and environmental issues that have been introduced before the 2026 Arizona Legislature as midterms near.

Environmentalists will gather at the AZ Capitol Feb. 11 to strategize.
www.azcentral.com/story/news/l...

10.02.2026 17:47 πŸ‘ 29 πŸ” 9 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 2

In a deeply fucked-up world, this still stands out. WTAF. Not ok.

06.02.2026 18:15 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Top of the photo in white text reads: "BREAKING OVER 680 NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES MEMBERS, INCLUDING 10 NOBEL PRIZE LAUREATES, ENDORSE IMPEACHING RFK JR." Below that in black text is a statement reading: "We, the undersigned Members of the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Sciences, and the National Academy of Engineering, writing in our private capacities, endorse the Articles of Impeachment introduced in the House of Representatives on Dec 10, 2025 by Representative Haley Stevens." Below that is the red "STAND UP FOR SCIENCE " logo. Below that is a link in white text reading: "standupforscience.net/impeach-rfkjr".

Top of the photo in white text reads: "BREAKING OVER 680 NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES MEMBERS, INCLUDING 10 NOBEL PRIZE LAUREATES, ENDORSE IMPEACHING RFK JR." Below that in black text is a statement reading: "We, the undersigned Members of the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Sciences, and the National Academy of Engineering, writing in our private capacities, endorse the Articles of Impeachment introduced in the House of Representatives on Dec 10, 2025 by Representative Haley Stevens." Below that is the red "STAND UP FOR SCIENCE " logo. Below that is a link in white text reading: "standupforscience.net/impeach-rfkjr".

BREAKING: Over 680 members of the National Academy of Sciences, Medicine, and Engineering have endorsed articles of impeachment against RFK Jr.
(1/2 🧡)

05.02.2026 21:08 πŸ‘ 6527 πŸ” 2167 πŸ’¬ 69 πŸ“Œ 94
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Heat-related 911 emergency calls are growing fast, Arizona study finds The number of people seeking emergency care for heat-related issues grew faster than for non-heat-related health issues in mountain states and Texas.

NEW: A just-published study found that 911 calls/EMS activations increased by 68% in the U.S. btw 2019-2024, overwhelming medical systems.

Extreme #heat caused incidents to increase faster among mid-aged adults, low-income ppl & those in Mountain states.

My story: www.azcentral.com/story/news/l...

05.02.2026 18:28 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Wait...are they putting a paywall of sorts on the White House website? We now can't read executive orders without signing up for Trump's email list?! Has anyone else run into this?

04.02.2026 03:58 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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So much for AI knowing what I want and how to help. I have never once needed info about anime backgrounds or Persian cats.

03.02.2026 20:00 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

When I realized that performing an emotional reaction to the news was not activism my life got a lot better

03.02.2026 12:34 πŸ‘ 8 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Right? But a banker…yikes.

28.01.2026 03:53 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1

Imagine being this boring

28.01.2026 02:50 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0