Nathanael Johnson is a senior staff writer at Grist, where he investigates the intersection of climate policy, corporate influence, and community impacts. Based in the United States, his reporting combines document-driven exposés with vivid narratives about how environmental decisions shape everyday lives.
Nathanael Johnson’s journalism career began at a small-town daily newspaper in Idaho, where he honed his ability to distill complex issues into accessible narratives. His transition to public radio at KALW in San Francisco marked a shift toward long-form storytelling, blending investigative rigor with human-centered angles. By 2013, Johnson joined Grist as a senior staff writer, where he became a leading voice on climate policy, environmental justice, and the intersection of science and public discourse. His work has evolved to tackle systemic corruption, as seen in his landmark investigation into Ohio’s energy policy scandal, which combined forensic document analysis with grassroots community interviews.
This 2020 exposé unraveled a complex web of corporate lobbying and political corruption, revealing how utility companies funneled $60 million to lawmakers in exchange for legislation subsidizing coal and nuclear plants. Johnson’s use of court documents, campaign finance records, and insider testimony provided a blueprint for understanding how state-level energy policies are often shaped by backroom deals. The article’s impact extended beyond journalism: it became a key reference in subsequent federal trials and inspired legislative reforms in other states.
In this 2024 analysis, Johnson connected climate data with educational policy, showing how rising temperatures have forced schools to cancel classes due to extreme heat rather than snow. By interviewing climatologists, school administrators, and students across three states, he illustrated the tangible societal costs of global warming. The piece popularized the term “heat days” in climate discourse and was cited in congressional testimony on infrastructure funding for school cooling systems.
This 2016 deep dive into neonicotinoid pesticides combined ecological research with agricultural economics, tracing how pesticide regulations favored crop yields over pollinator health. Johnson’s ground reporting from almond orchards and bee labs made abstract scientific concepts tangible, while his analysis of EPA documents revealed regulatory capture. The article remains a staple in environmental science curricula and influenced retailer commitments to phasing out harmful pesticides.
Johnson consistently highlights how policy decisions disproportionately affect marginalized communities. Successful pitches should foreground intersectional angles, such as the health impacts of power plant emissions on low-income neighborhoods or the agricultural challenges faced by Indigenous farmers. For example, his Ohio energy scandal piece meticulously documented how rate hikes burdened rural households, demonstrating his interest in structural analysis over superficial outrage.
While many journalists report on climate projections, Johnson excels at linking datasets to lived experiences. Pitches incorporating localized climate modeling (e.g., heat island effects in specific ZIP codes) or innovative data visualization (e.g., mapping utility lobbying patterns) align with his approach. His heat days article exemplified this by correlating NOAA temperature records with school closure databases across 15 years.
Stories bridging ecological and public health issues resonate strongly, particularly those exposing regulatory gaps. The bee-pesticide investigation succeeded because it connected colony collapse disorder to broader food system vulnerabilities. Pitches might explore topics like PFAS contamination in fisheries or the mental health impacts of climate displacement, provided they include verifiable scientific backing and community voices.
While Johnson critiques ineffective policies, he also highlights promising interventions. However, he avoids uncritical “green tech” boosterism. A successful pitch might examine a city’s successful stormwater management program while scrutinizing its funding sources and long-term equity implications, mirroring his balanced approach in energy transition coverage.
Johnson often contextualizes current issues within historical patterns, such as tracing utility corruption to early 20th-century monopolies. Pitches should identify these throughlines—for instance, how contemporary land-use conflicts echo colonial resource extraction practices—and provide archival evidence or oral histories to support the analysis.
At PressContact, we aim to help you discover the most relevant journalists for your PR efforts. If you're looking to pitch to more journalists who write on Environment, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
