Sammy Roth

Environmental journalist

Los Angeles, California

Climate columnist for the Los Angeles Times.

Sammy Roth

Environmental journalist

Los Angeles, California

Climate columnist for the Los Angeles Times.

Red state coal towns still power the West Coast. We can’t just let them die
L.A. and other progressive cities are still powered by faraway coal plants. We went to Montana to find out why.
Los Angeles Times
Solar sprawl is tearing up the Mojave Desert. Is there a better way?
America needs lots of clean power, fast. Should it go on public lands or on rooftops?
Los Angeles Times
Tearing down dams could save Western rivers — and make climate change worse
One of America's reddest states is seeking 100% clean energy. But does hydropower count as clean?
Los Angeles Times
This power line could save California — and forever change the American West
A conservative billionaire wants to power the Golden State with Wyoming wind.
Los Angeles Times
Want to solve climate change? This California farm kingdom holds a key
Replacing agriculture with solar could help solve the energy and water crises. But farmers are fighting back.
Los Angeles Times
How the fossil fuel industry got its way at the Port of L.A.
Unsuspecting local residents were paid to show support for natural gas trucks at community hearings.
Los Angeles Times
As California broils and burns, how to deal with climate despair
"It is not your responsibility to finish the work of perfecting the world, but you are not free to desist from it."
Los Angeles Times
As Salton Sea recedes, Imperial Valley water wars heat up again
The people of California’s Imperial Valley can be as unforgiving as the harsh desert climate.
Los Angeles Times
In the California desert, a farmer builds a water and energy empire
The full story of Mike Abatti’s enormous influence has never been told. Until now.
The Desert Sun
Fossil fuel firms want you to believe they help people of color
Oil and gas companies try to cast themselves as allies of communities of color, despite the climate crisis.
Los Angeles Times
California killed coal. The gas company is worried it’s next
Southern California Gas is engaged in a campaign to preserve the role of its pipelines in powering society.
Los Angeles Times
The one big problem with Obama's clean energy legacy
The White House says solar and wind are booming on public lands, but its numbers are misleading.
The Desert Sun

I'm the climate columnist for the L.A. Times, with a focus on clean energy solutions. I write our twice-weekly Boiling Point newsletter, which you can sign up for at latimes.com/boilingpoint.

Previously, I covered energy and the environment for the Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network, and served as editor in chief of the Columbia Daily Spectator. I graduated from Columbia University with a degree in sustainable development and American studies.

My work has focused on California and the American West. I've written about the electric grid, water politics, the tension between conservation and renewable energy development on public lands, and global warming impacts including intensifying droughts and wildfires. I've investigated the natural gas industry's response to climate policy and explored the entertainment industry's role in telling stories about the climate crisis. My reporting on financial conflicts of interest at a public utility, the Imperial Irrigation District, resulted in more than $80 million in canceled contracts.

My work has been honored as some of the country's best journalism by the Society of Environmental Journalists, the Gerald Loeb Awards, Investigative Reporters and Editors, the Society of Professional Journalists, Covering Climate Now, the Online News Association and the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. I've also been recognized by Best of the West, the Press Club of Atlantic City's National Headliner Awards, the Los Angeles Press Club and the California Newspaper Publishers Association. The Sacramento Press Club honored me as California Journalist of the Year.

I've discussed my reporting on Marketplace, NPR, CBS News, PBS NewsHour, C-SPAN, Spectrum News 1 and several NPR member stations, including KPCC in Los Angeles. My work was published by Marine Books in "The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2024." I've also hosted climate change and energy discussions at venues including the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Mark Taper Auditorium and the Jewish synagogue IKAR.

Sammy Roth

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Sammy Roth