| "I wish to speak a word for Nature, for absolute freedom and wildness, as contrasted with a freedom and culture merely civil—to regard man as an inhabitant, or a part and parcel of Nature, rather than a member of society." So begins Henry David Thoreau's landmark essay "Walking," which was published in The Atlantic in 1862. Thoreau is one of many Atlantic writers to explore in our pages the complicated, fraught, and surpassingly consequential relationship between humanity and the environment. The Atlantic was a pioneer in writing about the environment, and we continue that tradition with the launch of a new section, Atlantic Planet, devoted to covering the changing climate. We have no shortage of crises at the moment, but climate change may be the defining challenge of our time. It is already reshaping every aspect of our lives, from how we do business to where we live to what foods we eat. This is why The Atlantic is committing itself to examining the ways in which climate change will remake life as we know it, and to investigating and illuminating solutions that could allow humanity to save itself from possible catastrophe. In Planet, you'll find: Vann R. Newkirk II on heat as the human-rights issue of the next decade; Lawrence Weschler on a climate future beyond denial and despair; Sabrina Imbler on the health and environmental risks of gas stoves; and an introduction to the new section by our lead climate reporter, Robinson Meyer. Meyer is also the inquisitive and kinetic mind behind The Atlantic's forthcoming newsletter, The Weekly Planet, which we are thinking of as the curious person's guide to living through climate change. Every Tuesday, he'll bring you big ideas that are driving the climate conversation, along with vital information that will help us survive (and perhaps even flourish) on a changing planet. Sign up to receive the first edition of The Weekly Planet on October 20. In the meantime, I hope you take a moment to explore Atlantic Planet and to read the stories that, like Thoreau's, speak up for Nature. Jeffrey Goldberg
Editor in chief | 
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