Joe Wertz | Colorado Public Radio

Joe Wertz

Climate Editor

Joe Wertz is the climate and environment editor at CPR News.

Professional Background: Joe joined CPR in 2020 after working as a senior investigative climate and environment reporter at the Center for Public Integrity. He previously worked as a managing editor and senior reporter at StateImpact Oklahoma, a journalism collaboration of public radio stations in Oklahoma, where he covered environment and energy issues for NPR audiences and other national outlets.

His work includes leading coverage of his home state’s oil- and gas-linked earthquake surge and the state’s plodding regulatory response, Scott Pruitt’s rise and fall at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and national reporting on drilling, renewable energy, agriculture, pollution and climate change. Joe also teaches a university course on data journalism and has worked as an editor and staff reporter at several major newspapers in Oklahoma.

Education: Bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Oklahoma, emphasis on journalism.

Climate Change
New UN climate report says the world has a brief window to avoid a deadlier climate future. Here’s what’s at stake in Colorado
More wildfires, longer droughts and decreasing water supplies are all on the line.
By Joe Wertz
Environment
We now know lightning didn’t spark the Marshall fire, but not much else is publicly known about the investigation
Investigators are actively focused on three explanations: downed power lines, human activity, and underground coal fires.
By Joe Wertz and Veronica Penney
Environment
Kruger Rock fire ignites near Estes Park, forcing evacuations
U.S. 36 between Lyons and Estes Park has been closed. The cause of the fire is unknown.
By Paolo Zialcita, Miguel Otárola, and Joe Wertz
Colorado Matters
From Glasgow, a Colorado lawmaker’s perspective on environmental justice
World leaders have commanded much of the attention at the U.N. Climate Change Conference, which is now in its second week. At the same time in the U.S., state policy-makers collectively wield a lot of power over the industries and activities fueling climate change. We speak with Colorado State Representative Dominique Jackson who's in Glasgow to talk to attendees about environmental justice and what can be done to address inequities. She's a Democrat who represents Aurora and Arapahoe County.
By Joe Wertz
Climate Change
Colorado’s Skies Really Are That Much Smokier As Western Wildfires Worsen
The number of days with smoky skies has grown over the last decade, the data show, blanketing Colorado from the Eastern Plains to the Western Slope
By Joe Wertz and Veronica Penney
Environment
Flash Flood Risk High Today As Storms Roll Across Cameron Peak Burn Scar, Other Parts Of The State
Updated at 5:43 p.m. The Summit County Sheriff’s Office reported a flood in Tenmile Canyon west of Officer’s Gulch. A bike path connecting from Fraser to Copper Mountain through the canyon is closed. The National Weather Service has also issued a flash flood warning for the Williams Fork burn area — near Winter Park.
By Joe Wertz
Environment
As Wildfires Get Worse, So Are Firefighter Shortages. Climate Change And Low Pay Aren’t Helping
President Joe Biden has called federal firefighter pay “ridiculously low” and pledged to increase it. But some say it would still be too low as climate change makes fire seasons longer and more intense.
By Joe Wertz
Environment
Smoke Blankets Parts Of Colorado As Wildfire Season Gets Underway
Battling gusty winds and hot temperatures, firefighters tried to keep the Sylvan fire north of Snowmass, Woody Creek and Basalt on Tuesday.
By Joe Wertz
Environment
From Conifer To Silverthorne To Rangely, Small Wildfires Burn Just A Day After ‘Extreme’ Warning
So far, the fires have been relatively small, with no reported injuries or major damage to homes or buildings.
By Joe Wertz
Outdoors
Forecasters Issue First ‘Extremely Critical’ Fire Weather Warning For Northwest Colorado In 15 Years
Gusty winds, low humidity and dry conditions have pushed federal forecasters to issue an “extremely critical” wildfire weather warning for northwestern Colorado, the first such notice in 15 years.
By Joe Wertz
Environment
Colorado Signals An Extraordinary Wildfire Season Following Last Year’s Historic Blazes
Thanks to a changing climate and forest conditions, Polis said Colorado could no longer limit its plans to a limited set of months. Intensified efforts to prevent and battle fires would need to continue year-round.
By Miguel Otárola, Sam Brasch, and Joe Wertz
Climate Change
2020 Was Earth’s 2nd-Hottest On Record And Colorado Felt It
Temperatures in the northern hemisphere were 2.3 degrees above the 20th-century average, according to NOAA’s analysis.
By Joe Wertz
Colorado Matters
Do Renewables Only Work When The Sun’s Shining And Wind’s Blowing?
By Joe Wertz
2020 Elections
The Colorado Climate Voter’s Guide To The 2020 Election Results
Climate change is an increasingly critical motivating issue for a segment of the Colorado electorate.
By Joe Wertz, Michael Elizabeth Sakas, and Sam Brasch