A survey by FT has shown that its readers value environmental reporting as it helps them make business decisions and personal choices. The publisher is now looking to grow its number of subscribers by fulfilling this need
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The Financial Times (FT) has launched a new climate change section for its digital platforms in response to growing demand from its audience.
Climate Capital is an online hub for all climate change-related content, both on the FT app and on its website. On top of articles about climate change, it offers subscribers a community and virtual events programme, providing them with information on emerging risks and opportunities for their businesses.
"All of the FT’s journalism and editorial products are focused on engaging our current subscribers and also attracting new ones," says Renée Kaplan, head of digital editorial development, in an email to Journalism.co.uk.
"With our existing climate coverage, we've already seen very high levels of engagement from our audience, which grows year on year. Climate topics attract higher than average proportions of both subscriber and anonymous readers.
"Climate Capital aims to further capture that engagement, creating an even more valuable experience for our paying readers, and the awareness to new audiences with a differentiating angle of coverage of this all-important topic."
A survey of FT global readers conducted in August 2020 revealed that more than three quarters of respondents marked the overall topic of climate change as 'extremely' or 'very' important. Clean energy stories have also emerged as a core beat in terms of high traffic volume.
Climate Capital will be led by FT journalist Leslie Hook, and the FT has appointed Emiliya Mychasuk as climate editor and Camilla Hodgson as climate reporter.
"It gives us co-ordination, greater focus and greater resourcing, with commissioning across all parts of the FT," says Mychasuk, also via email.
"Our readers have told us in surveys that they want to gain in-depth insight on the topic, and want to find key facts, figures, graphs, and quotes. They want to be able to use the information both in understanding the changes in business for work purposes, to inform purchasing decisions and behaviours, as well as in making personal choices or in conversations with friends, family, and colleagues.
"Our coverage will expand to include more explanatory journalism, using data and visualisation, to meet those needs, as well as interviews with change-makers, and further news and analysis across business sectors."
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