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The Atlantic ·Behind the news

Is It Warm Out There?

by Joshua Partlow

Published 2026-06-23 14:53:15-04:00

If the signs of a warming planet are everywhere, why has the conversation gone quiet?

0:00 / 9:55 · Narrator Rasalgethi

Context

Published on 23 June 2026, this report examines the quiet that has settled over the American climate conversation. While record heat and wildfires continue to alter the environment, the political urgency of a few years ago has seemingly vanished. The piece explores the "worry gap"—the space between the reality of a warming planet and the public's willingness to speak about it. By visiting a rural Oregon county facing extreme drought, the writing asks whether this silence is a form of stoic adaptation or a sign that the crisis has simply become too polarizing to mention.

Show notes

An assessment of the diminishing prominence of climate change in American political discourse and public concern. Analysis of shifting Democratic strategies and activist priorities is paired with polling data identifying a gap between objective environmental risks and public perception. Reporting from rural Oregon illustrates how communities facing extreme heat and drought navigate these changes through local adaptation rather than political mobilization.

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