Mark Segal
Mark Segal covers how climate and sustainability commitments translate into finance, technology and corporate change for ESG Today. He reports on environment and ESG developments with a focus on the companies, investors and regulators driving decarbonization. His bylines at ESG Today date back to 2021, reflecting a sustained focus on climate-related business news and policy.
Net zero and climate commitments
Segal regularly tracks corporate and multi‑stakeholder net zero pledges and how they scale over time. His coverage of initiatives such as the Climate Pledge topping 700 companies committed to net zero by 2040 highlights the breadth of corporate actors engaged and the timelines they choose. In his week‑in‑review pieces, he situates these commitments within emerging frameworks, including proposed net zero standards from bodies such as ISO and collaborations between major sustainability reporting organizations. Across these stories he emphasizes numbers, target years and the mechanisms companies use to embed net zero into their strategies, rather than broad rhetoric.
Clean energy and climate tech finance
Segal’s environment beat is grounded in the money and technology behind the energy transition. He has covered large financing rounds such as Geothermal Engineering’s $745 million raise to produce zero‑carbon lithium for electric vehicles, showing how new extraction methods link climate goals with supply‑chain realities. His reporting on General Motors’ first green bond offering details how major manufacturers are tapping sustainable finance markets to fund low‑carbon strategies.
He follows equipment and fleet transitions too, including orders for zero‑emission trucks from manufacturers like Xos, connecting individual contracts to wider shifts in logistics and freight. Beyond corporate deals, he reports on initiatives from organizations such as Boston Consulting Group that launch climate‑focused innovation platforms, underscoring the role of consulting and technology ecosystems in scaling solutions.
His coverage of Michael Bloomberg’s $285 million pledge to help clean energy industries counter fossil fuel influence shows how philanthropy and advocacy funding fit alongside corporate capital in advancing clean energy.
ESG regulation, investors and standards
A significant strand of Segal’s work sits at the intersection of climate, capital markets and regulation.
He reports on asset managers’ responses to political and legal challenges, including coverage of BlackRock pushing back against efforts that frame net zero strategies as attempts to manipulate energy prices. His stories on coalitions led by institutions such as JPMorgan and Natixis examine new guidelines to help companies report progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals, highlighting how investor‑driven frameworks shape corporate disclosure. In the week‑in‑review format he follows regulatory developments affecting shareholder rights and climate governance, such as SEC proposals to eliminate rules that enable shareholders to bring voting proposals to annual meetings.
He also tracks collaborations between standard‑setters like IFRS and GRI to align sustainability reporting standards, showing how climate and ESG information is being integrated into mainstream financial reporting. These articles consistently focus on the practical implications of policy and standards for companies and investors rather than on political commentary.
ESG news roundups and cross‑sector coverage
Segal is a key writer of ESG Today’s recurring “Week in Review” feature, synthesizing climate and ESG developments across sectors and regions. In these roundups he weaves together regulatory actions, financing milestones and technology deals, such as Santander approaching its sustainable finance goal, Google signing record carbon and methane removal agreements, and consolidation in the carbon accounting space through acquisitions like Greenly buying Normative.
The format showcases his ability to move quickly between environment‑focused stories and adjacent ESG themes, providing concise updates that link individual announcements to broader market trends. Outside the roundups, his articles appear across sections dedicated to reports and studies and investor news, indicating a consistent emphasis on data‑driven research, investment flows and market signals around climate and sustainability.
The overall body of work presents a reporter who treats environmental stories as business, finance and governance stories, grounded in transactions, standards and measurable outcomes.
4 more environment journalists.
Alan Halaly
Alan Halaly is a water reporter at the Las Vegas Review-Journal who treats the Colorado River as a working system, not a backdrop, making its governance, infrastructure and risks central to his beat. He covers how policy decisions and infrastructure projects shape the region’s water future, linking high-level choices on the Colorado River, dams, mining and data centers to everyday consequences under mounting heat and growth pressures. He reports deeply on new laws, lawsuits and regulatory shifts, focusing on on-the-ground impacts. His coverage spans Colorado River cuts, Hoover Dam operations, extreme weather, heat and parks, septic system rules, workplace and public health risks, lithium and gold mines, protected landscapes, data centers, AI infrastructure and public funding. Previously he reported for metropolitan dailies, digital outlets and public media, including the Miami Herald, WUFT, The Daily Beast and Miami New Times, with work recognized by Hearst, ONA and the Society of Environmental Journalists.
Alejandra Borunda
Alejandra Borunda reports on how climate change affects human health for NPR. Her work treats global warming as a direct cause of physical and mental health risks. She covers extreme heat, including undercounted deaths, lost sleep and local efforts to track heat-related fatalities. She also reports on wildfire smoke, hurricanes, disease spread such as dengue fever, trauma, stress and unequal health impacts. Her stories examine how communities protect themselves and recover, as well as practical solutions involving climate-resilient crops, agriculture and diet. Before NPR, she wrote about climate science and environmental issues for National Geographic, including glacier retreat, shade and heat inequity, and shrinking ice-fishing seasons. A former climate scientist, she combines field reporting with scientific data to connect atmospheric research to everyday risks, choices and people’s lived experiences.
Alex Lubben
Alex Lubben is an environment reporter at The Times-Picayune/The Advocate who connects climate risk to policy, industry and community change. He covers Gulf warming, flood protection, coastal restoration, wetlands litigation, industrial projects such as SpaceX’s possible expansion, invasive species and local ecosystems. His reporting tracks how law, politics and corporate decisions shape levees, drainage, marshes and long-term resilience. He also examines climate relocation, housing and labor, showing how hurricanes, floods and wildfires displace vulnerable communities and expose gaps in government systems. He works on a small environment team and brings an investigative background to document work, data analysis, legal and policy research, and field reporting. His work has appeared in VICE News, The Center for Public Integrity, The Nation, Jewish Currents and NBC News.
Alex Wigglesworth
Alex Wigglesworth reports on how climate, land use and public policy shape California communities. She covers the Inland Empire and Mojave Desert for the Los Angeles Times and is part of its environment team. Her beat includes wildfires, megadrought, extreme weather, desert development, conservation, wildlife, industrial hazards, aging infrastructure and regulatory enforcement. She has covered Western Joshua trees, desert tortoises, beaver-led restoration, toxic lead pipes, air-quality concerns after industrial fires and the effects of nuclear war on food systems. Earlier, she was a general assignment reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News and Philly.com. She combines breaking news with detailed reporting grounded in scientific studies, modeling and expert interviews. Her work connects fires, drought and other hazards to climate change, while examining how agencies, companies and land-use decisions affect people and ecosystems.