Shannon Osaka

Washington, D.C.

Climate zeitgeist reporter

Education: Princeton University, BA in environmental science and environmental studies; University of Oxford, MPhil in geography

Shannon Osaka is a climate reporter covering policy, culture, and science for The Washington Post. She came to The Post after two and a half years at the nonprofit environment journalism outlet Grist, where she analyzed federal climate policy, the energy transition and ideas about climate change. Before becoming a journalist, she received a master’s degree in human geography and published academic papers on climate change perception and modeling.
Latest from Shannon Osaka

FEMA maps missed parts of North Carolina devastated by Hurricane Helene, Post analysis shows

A Washington Post analysis shows how federal flood maps underestimated the risk homeowners faced in the parts of North Carolina devastated by Hurricane Helene.

October 13, 2024

Scientists have said that we can cool the planet back down. Now they’re not sure it will be so easy.

Scientists and world leaders have said we can “overshoot” and then return to our climate targets. But much damage will be done.

October 9, 2024
Scientists have long hoped that if temperatures go above global targets, the planet could cool back down. New research suggests this could be more dangerous than originally thought.

Thousands of uninsured homes were in Helene’s path

The United States’ crumbling flood insurance system faces a new test after Hurricane Helene.

October 3, 2024
The Broad River is seen through a house in Bat Cave, N.C., on Tuesday.

Before the floods, Asheville was called a ‘climate haven.’ Is anywhere safe?

As climate warms the atmosphere and spurs greater precipitation, mountain communities like Asheville, N.C., face growing danger of floods.

October 1, 2024
The downtown skyline is viewed on a sunny autumn day in October 2016 near Asheville, N.C. Often called a climate haven, Asheville's resiliency is being reconsidered.

What Helene could signal about the rest of hurricane season, and beyond

Will September be a test of what’s to come for hurricane season with a record-hot ocean and more storms lining up in the Atlantic?

September 28, 2024
Megan Kessler wades through storm surge flooding in Gulfport, Fla., as Hurricane Helene passes through.

Climate activists throw soup on two Van Goghs, just hours after others are sentenced to jail

A U.K. judge on Friday sentenced two climate protesters to nearly two years in jail each for flinging soup over the world-famous painting “Sunflowers” in 2022.

September 27, 2024

Scientists just figured out how many chemicals enter our bodies from food packaging

More than 3,000 chemicals from food packaging have infiltrated our bodies, a new study has found.

September 16, 2024
An individually plastic wrapped lemon. Plastic packaging around food can introduce harmful chemicals into the body.

    The disaster no major U.S. city is prepared for

    Experts warn this type of catastrophe -- a power outage combined with a heat wave -- could yield a major death toll.

    September 13, 2024

    California city approves industrial park next to one of Earth’s oldest trees

    After months of deliberation, the city of Jurupa Valley approved a development next to an oak tree that is at least 13,000 years old.

    September 6, 2024
    Looking more like a sprawling tree shrub, the Jurupa Oak has survived since the last ice age.

    The world is burning an alarming amount of plastic, scientists say

    Around 12 percent of all plastic waste produced in cities is burned in the open air, creating air pollution and health risks.

    September 4, 2024