Matt Simon is a senior climate solutions writer at Grist, where he investigates environmental challenges and sustainability innovations. Based in the United States, his reporting spans:
environmental policy, green consumer products
Matt Simon has established himself as one of America's foremost science journalists specializing in environmental crises and climate solutions. With over 15 years of experience across major publications, his work combines rigorous scientific analysis with compelling storytelling about humanity's relationship with a changing planet.
In this March 2025 investigation for Canada's National Observer, Simon explores biochar - a charcoal-like substance created through pyrolysis of organic waste. The piece details how modern farmers are reviving this 2,000-year-old Amazonian technique to simultaneously boost crop yields and sequester carbon. Simon contrasts biochar's 100-1,000 year carbon retention with the brief lifespan of tree planting initiatives, while examining scalability challenges through interviews with USDA researchers and Kenyan agricultural cooperatives.
Key findings reveal biochar could offset 12% of global agricultural emissions if adopted widely. Simon masterfully connects ancient wisdom with cutting-edge climate math, using vivid field reporting from Iowa cornfields to Bangalore waste management facilities. The article sparked renewed interest in pyrolytic technologies, referenced in subsequent EU carbon removal policy debates.
This April 2024 Undark Magazine piece combines geophysical analysis with urban infrastructure reporting. Simon explains how excessive groundwater extraction (500% above recharge rates) causes Mexico City's clay-rich lakebed to compact, sinking some metro stations at 1.5 feet annually. Using interferometric synthetic aperture radar data, he visualizes deformation patterns threatening critical transit infrastructure.
The article stands out for its human angle - interviews with engineers reinforcing tracks nightly and commuters navigating increasingly hazardous platforms. Simon draws parallels to Jakarta and Bangkok's subsidence crises, arguing for integrated water management in megacity planning. Mexico's Environment Ministry cited this work in their 2025 aquifer rehabilitation proposal.
Simon's March 2025 Grist exclusive analyzes UCLA/NRDC data showing Colorado River Basin states recycle only 25% of treatable wastewater. He exposes political barriers to potable reuse programs through interviews with Navajo Nation water officials and Las Vegas treatment plant operators. The piece highlights stark disparities - Scottsdale's 90% recycling rate versus Phoenix's 15% - tied to public perception issues.
Innovative solutions like San Diego's Pure Water program (60% supply from reuse by 2035) are contrasted with agricultural resistance in Utah. Simon's water math breakdown shows full recycling could sustain 8 million additional households. The article influenced the Department of Interior's 2025 Colorado River conservation grants.
Simon frequently bridges environmental science with engineering and policy. Successful pitches should demonstrate how proposed solutions intersect multiple disciplines, like his biochar piece connecting archaeology with carbon accounting. Example: Waste-to-energy technologies that also address environmental justice.
He prioritizes stories with strong visual components, particularly geospatial data. The Mexico City subsidence article used InSAR satellite imagery to dramatic effect. Pitch opportunities: Climate migration maps, pollution dispersion models, or energy transition infographics.
Following his microplastics book, Simon seeks new contamination narratives. Recent pieces examine tire particles in salmon streams and space junk atmospheric fallout. Pitch targets: Nanoplastic detection methods or bioremediation breakthroughs.
His work increasingly highlights traditional ecological knowledge, like the biochar story's Amazonian roots. Successful pitches might explore Native water management practices or Arctic indigenous climate adaptation strategies.
With 68% of his 2025 articles focused on cities, Simon seeks metro-scale solutions. The Mexico City piece exemplifies interest in infrastructure adaptation. Pitch angles: Heat island mitigation tech, coastal settlement blueprints, or transit electrification roadmaps.
Won for his Wired series "Zombie Forests," examining California's conifer migration failures. Judges praised the "rare combination of ecological modeling expertise and visceral wildfire storytelling." This prestigious award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science recognizes work that makes complex science accessible to general audiences.
His book A Poison Like No Other was shortlisted for this honor celebrating science communication excellence. The selection committee noted Simon's "relentless investigative approach to plastic pollution's molecular invasion."
Received for "The Thin Haze," a Wired interactive feature on stratospheric aerosol injection. The project combined climate modeling data with geopolitical analysis of solar geoengineering governance.
