Why we're moving to a subscription model

Funding more journalism and data is the key to growth

When we launched Callaway Climate Insights 10 months ago, at the start of the pandemic, we promised a new voice in the climate change world, dedicated to reporting on climate solutions and the financial world’s new focus on sustainable investing. We also promised to highlight and develop great journalism around the world about what is arguably the biggest story of our time.

As the U.S. enters the post-Trump era this week, with all that is at stake in fighting climate change, we’re announcing a subscription pay model to fund this journalism. Starting in three weeks, on Feb. 8, we will be charging $249 a year for our most valuable coverage, from my Zeus columns and Mark Hulbert’s ESG investing pieces, to special new coverage of climate finance data and interviews with emerging climate leaders. From our interviews with people like George Shultz this week, and Jeff Eckel, CEO of Hannon Armstrong, to Gabriel Kra of Prelude Ventures, and Jean Rogers of SASB, we will bring the freshest ideas and investing strategies to our subscribers.

Subscribers who prefer to pay monthly can do so for $25 a month, or less than a dollar a day, and we will also offer a special founder rate of $350, which will never increase, for our biggest supporters. Student rates will also be available. You can begin supporting us today.

We will still post for free to our growing readership list, and encourage you to share as much as possible, as the climate battle is too important to leave anybody out. But increasingly, our best stuff will be for our best supporters.

In the next few weeks, you’ll see us move to posting four days a week, from two, and notice some new bylines. We’ve added an intern, George Barker, from Northeastern University in Boston, and some more editing help in New York. With Stephen Rae and his team in Dublin, we’ll now be able to extend coverage to the European day and increase subscribers in both Europe and Asia.

We’re working on some data projects that will create new franchises in coming months, and use the subscription funding to bring on new writers in places such as Hong Kong, India, and Australia, to complement our existing coverage of Europe, Canada, and Latin America. We plan to begin offering events, with the webinar with EU Climate Commissioner Frans Timmermans being scheduled for this spring, and special discussion threads for subscribers only to dissect the latest headlines.

My goals for Callaway Climate Insights have always been as much about supporting great journalism as they’ve been about covering this nascent battle to fight global warming. My days running USA Today, CBS MarketWatch, and as president of the World Editors Forum impressed upon me the vital role that journalism plays both in protecting democracies and laying the groundwork for them to succeed.

Only through better storytelling and improved communication can investors, companies and governments rise to the existential challenge we all face together from climate change.

We aim to be right in the eye of the hurricane at Callaway Climate Insights. We hope you will join us with your support today.

Cheers.

— David Callaway