Caleigh Wells

Climate Reporter

United States

National climate reporter based in the Great Lakes region with 9+ years of experience covering daily stories, features and investigations for print, audio, digital and social platforms

Caleigh Wells

Climate Reporter

United States

National climate reporter based in the Great Lakes region with 9+ years of experience covering daily stories, features and investigations for print, audio, digital and social platforms

A climate-friendly home starts with an energy assessment. Here’s how my 100-year-old house did
My assessment delivered pretty bad news. But with it came with lots of room for improvement. Here’s how the day unfolded.
Associated Press
Climate change forces third-generation fisherman to rethink this year
Warming ocean temperatures affect albacore tuna’s migratory patterns, and that’s made it more difficult for local fishermen to make a living catching them.
Marketplace, KCRW
BURNED: A California Newsroom investigation
This yearlong investigation reveals the U.S. Forest Service's struggle to complete the work it must do to mitigate wildfires. This won a national Murrow.
NPR, and various member stations nationwide
Did you dawdle on installing solar panels or buying an EV? Better move fast to get those tax credits
Tax incentives that saved U.S. residents thousands of dollars on home upgrades and clean energy installations are expiring. With thousands of dollars on the line and mere months to claim them, we’ve got tips on how to maximize savings.
Associated Press
The Anti-Dread Climate Podcast
This podcast ran for two seasons, answering listener questions about what they can do to help the planet. Co-hosted by Caleigh Wells and Candice Dickens Russell.
KCRW
What to know about buying electric vehicles after the federal tax incentives end
The massive tax and spending cut bill that Congress passed Thursday ends federal tax incentives for electric vehicles. Buyers have until Sept. 30 to qualify for the federal tax credits on EVs before they are terminated. But experts say there are still strong financial reasons to consider buying the vehicles even without those incentives.
Associated Press
Composting bodies catches on as the eco-friendly alternative to burial and cremation
Body disposition can have a major environmental impact. That’s partly why 12 states and counting have legalized human composting in the past five years.
Marketplace, KCRW
These Los Angeles kids are getting involved in addressing climate change
As the world focuses on how to address climate change, a school in Los Angeles offers a way to get young people involved in addressing the issue.
NPR
Urban condo owners are “counting pennies” as home insurance soars
Insurance rates nationwide have jumped more than 11% in 2023 and climbed nearly 20% since 2022, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence.
Marketplace, KCRW
US Catholic sisters are dying out. ‘We knew this was coming’
At its height, Harnett estimates she was one of more than 100 Sisters of St. Louis in Southern California. Now, she is one of 26. Most of them are older than 80. The U.S. population of nuns and sisters peaked at nearly 200,000 in the mid-1960s. Now there are roughly 40,000. It’s just not a job that most women want anymore.
Marketplace, KCRW
Amtrak trains are slow and late. Why do West Coasters still use it?
Some might choose to spend their saved money on a roundtrip flight to Europe. But for me: a one-way ticket to Portland that takes twice as long (and comes with complimentary French toast).
Marketplace, KCRW
Municipal composting helps food scraps find a second life
On trash pickup day in Los Angeles, the orange peels, carrot tops, egg shells and brown paper bags are no longer carted off to the local landfill. Instead, they go to a compost facility called Recology, 100 miles north to Bakersfield.
Marketplace

About

Caleigh Wells

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Caleigh Wells covers climate, economics and the environment for national and international audiences as the climate choices reporter at the Associated Press. Before coming to the AP in 2025, she reported for the public radio economics show, Marketplace, where she was awarded 2024 Audio Journalist of the Year by the LA Press Club. Before that, she was KCRW's inaugural climate reporter, freelancing regularly for NPR and winning a national Murrow for her investigation with the California Newsroom into the US Forest Service’s fire mitigation work. She is currently based in Cleveland, providing stories from the Midwest and Great Lakes regions.