Rachel Ramirez

Introducing The Confluence The name refers to the vital, turbulent intersection where the rigor of ocean science meets the heartbeat of social justice.

Anyway, subscribe to my newsletter The Confluence: theconfluence.news/p/introducin...

Here’s me speaking to students at the Northern Marianas College about my career path & the consequences of the lack of Pacific Islander representation in the media, in hopes they follow the same path I did.

We need more of our stories told. 5/

Night market on Guam.

News about U.S. territories in the Pacific are frequently framed through the lens of U.S. national security or "Chinese aggression" rather than the lived experiences of the people — Indigenous CHamoru people (all of whom are U.S. citizens), immigrant Filipino workers, etc — residing there. 4/

Passing by the USAF base on Guam.

The only thing still booming across the Marianas archipelago? the U.S. military.

Just south of the CNMI, on Guam, I drove my fiancé around the island and he was shocked to see the gargantuan military complex presence there. I explained to him how normal this all was to us growing up. 3/

Some schools on Saipan still in FEMA tents.

I know the CNMI has been struggling economically since Super Typhoon Yutu hit in 2018, then it exacerbated during the pandemic.

Walking around our “downtown” area feels like a ghost town. Shops closed. Our only theater and mall closed. Some schools still using FEMA tents. It feels surreal. 2/

About a year ago, CNN laid me off, the only climate reporter in the network born & raised in the Pacific Islands, along with 100s of others.

I haven’t had the chance to go back to my home island since I started working there.

Nearly a year later, here I am back home in the Northern Marianas 🇲🇵 1/

thank you!

Resource Library The Uproot Resource Library gathers together resources for and by Uproot members, as well as resources from the broader environmental journalism community. A Journalist’s Guide to Reporting on Deep-Se...

Go to the Uproot Resource Library to see three new reporting guides by 2025 MONA Fellows and Uprooters @rachelreports.bsky.social, @mjoel17.bsky.social, and Eva Tesfaye
uprootproject.org/initiatives/...

Oooh, we're excited for The Confluence!

📩📩🌊🌊

China’s solar capacity set to overtake coal in ‘historic’ shift Wind and solar combined are projected to account for about half of China’s total installed power capacity

Meanwhile, China is set to have more solar power capacity than coal for the first time this year, marking a “historic” milestone in the country’s energy transition. By the end of the year, wind & solar are projected to account for ~half of total installed power. www.independent.co.uk/climate-chan...

Storms Goretti, Ingrid and Chandra see UK break records for wind power in January Record-breaking wind power generation cut gas costs by more than £160m in single month

Some news in the clean energy sector: A surge in wind power generation, fueled by storms, broke records and cut gas costs in the UK last month. www.independent.co.uk/climate-chan...

Japan's unprecedented project could test the limits of deep-sea mining Japan’s five-week test of deep-sea mining is a milestone — and a test of how nations balance geopolitics, clean energy, and environmental risk.

"Japan is spending five weeks mining the seafloor. It is a technological milestone — and a stress test for how nations balance geopolitics, clean energy demand, and environmental risk." Uprooter @rachelreports.bsky.social for @grist.org

grist.org/internationa...

Japan's unprecedented project could test the limits of deep-sea mining Japan’s five-week test of deep-sea mining is a milestone — and a test of how nations balance geopolitics, clean energy, and environmental risk.

Last December, I went to Japan to learn more about the country’s deep-sea mining research. In January, a crew embarked on a five-week experiment off a remote Pacific island.

I wrote a deep dive about Japan’s move to ultimately cut reliance on China for critical minerals. grist.org/internationa...

fine, maybe we’ll make a Bluesky too 💙

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Feds mull first-ever seafloor mining in Alaskan waters Critics warn that opening up Arctic waters to mineral extraction could devastate large fisheries and sensitive habitats off Alaska’s shores.

First, it was American Samoa; then my home, the Northern Mariana Islands; now the Trump administration is looking at Alaskan waters for deep sea mining.

… another home to Indigenous peoples, fisheries and some of the world’s most fragile ecosystems. www.eenews.net/articles/fed...

Today, I learned Travis Kelce hosts a game show!

the nba postponed a game because the united states government is killing its citizens

WHO removing Us Flag

Journalists—especially those with resources from major networks who are able to parachute and report on the ground in Minnesota—need to be asking tougher questions.

We need to not just report what we’re seeing, we need to hold people in power accountable. This is not right.

ugh

This is the water in parts of Manhattan right now. This has been happening almost all day. My landlord said there’s been a “huge water main break in Midtown.” (??)

Lots of chatter by two deep-sea mining CEOs on this panel about the urgency to mine seabed for stock piling & natural security purposes. Then @drandrewthaler.bsky.social comes in with....

"... and the cheapest place to stockpile a polymetallic nodule is to leave it on the seafloor.” 💥

Wind and solar overtook fossil fuels for EU power generation in 2025, report finds Researchers say event described as ‘major tipping point’ for clean energy in era of destabilised politics

“The role of fossil gas increased by 8% – largely because of a weather-related drop in hydropower output – but remained well below its most recent 2019 peak, the report found.“ www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Trump to speed permits for deep-sea mining in international waters The Trump administration is pressing ahead on Wednesday with an effort to encourage U.S. exploration of the deep sea by accelerating permitting for companies hunting for critical minerals in internati...

The Trump administration issued a new rule to fast-track deep sea mining in international waters, consolidating a two-step permitting process—one for exploration and another for commercial recovery—into a single review.

This reduces environmental oversight. www.reuters.com/world/trump-...

Can someone tell me why I can’t seem to open this reel a friend shared on Insta of a comedy skit by comedian Marcello Hernandez comparing Latino crimes to white crimes? Whenever I do, this notification pops up. I’m in New York…🤔

“The MONA fellowship provided me the rare opportunity to step out of the daily news cycle and into the field, engaging with and learning from amazing ocean scientists and researchers. These connections have grown into lasting professional relationships that I know will only continue to inform my stories and ensure my coverage of our oceans puts equity at the center.“ Rachel Ramirez Independent Journalist and MONA Fellow

“The MONA fellowship provided me the rare opportunity to step out of the daily news cycle and into the field, engaging with and learning from amazing ocean scientists and researchers.“ Uprooter @rachelreports.bsky.social

Learn more and apply: uprootproject.org/mona-fellows...