andrew revkin, senior reporter on climate change for propublica, sat down with frank sesno, founder of planet forward, for a conversation about telling the story of climate change. revkin said he first realized the gravity of man-made climate change in 1988, when he wrote his first cover story about the topic for discover magazine.

“1988 was the last time carbon dioxide was at 350 parts per million, which is now this kind of iconic number… it had all the elements of news, the science had been evolving for 150 years,” revkin said.

revkin has covered climate change in the amazon, the north pole, the vatican, and the white house to name a few.

“it (climate change) never fit on the front page very well. you’d have to either simplify it and get it wrong, or if you tried to make it true to scope and nature no one would read it,” revkin said.

when sesno asked revkin why he doesn’t use the term “climate denier,” revkin explained that it’s because everyone has a different view of climate change.

“we’re all in states of denial,” he said.