>> Jeff: LAURA, IT'S REALLY NICE TO SIT DOWN WITH YOU AND HAVE A CHANCE TO TALK ABOUT 'OUR LAND' FOR 2024.

THANKS FOR DOING IT.

>> Laura: THANKS JEFF PROCTOR.

>> Jeff: SO I KNOW FROM CONVERSATIONS THAT WE HAVE HAD KIND OF OVER AND OVER AGAIN, NOT IN FRONT OF TELEVISION CAMERAS, THAT YOUR IDEA FOR THE YEAR IS TO REALLY SHIFT THE FOCUS OF YOUR WORK BACK TO CLIMATE CHANGE.

WHAT SORT OF GOT YOU THINKING ABOUT DOING THAT ALONG THOSE LINES?

>> Laura: YEAH.

SO THERE'S SUCH A HUGE GAP BETWEEN WHAT SCIENTISTS ARE TELLING US WE NEED TO DO -- FOR EXAMPLE, 2023 WAS THE WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD BY FAR, AND SCIENTISTS KEEP SAYING WE NEED TO BRING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS DOWN TO ZERO.

WE NEED TO BE ACTING VERY FAST.

AND YET THAT GAP, WHAT POLITICIANS ARE DOING, WHAT GOVERNMENTS ARE DOING ON AN INTERNATIONAL, NATIONAL, OR STATE SCALE WERE NOT DOING AT ALL WHAT SCIENTISTS KEEP TELLING US TO DO.

AND SO FOR ME, FOR THIS PLATFORM, FOR OUR AUDIENCE IN NEW MEXICO, I FEEL REALLY A MORAL IMPERATIVE TO BE TALKING ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE AND BIG PICTURE IN REGULAR WAYS AGAIN.

YOU KNOW, WEEKLY CONVERSATIONS ABOUT GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, ABOUT THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, ABOUT THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON OUR MENTAL HEALTH, OUR SPIRITUAL HEALTH.

SO I FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, FOR ME AND WHAT I KNOW AND UNDERSTAND IS HAPPENING, HAVING COVERED THESE ISSUES FOR 20 YEARS, I FEEL LIKE OUR AUDIENCE DESERVES TO UNDERSTAND CLIMATE CHANGE BETTER.

>> Jeff: THE MORAL IMPERATIVE PART CERTAINLY TRACKS, AND IN TERMS OF THE SUBJECT MATTER, ALL I CAN REALLY SAY IS, OOF.

THAT SOUNDS DARK AND DEPRESSING.

OF COURSE, YOU'VE NEVER BEEN SORT OF A HAPPY, FUN TIME JOURNALIST, BUT THAT'S HEAVY SUBJECT MATTER.

>> Laura: YEAH, I KNOW.

AND, LIKE, IT HURTS.

AS A CLIMATE REPORTER, I HAVE CERTAINLY HAD MY UPS AND DOWNS OF FEELING LIKE I CANNOT REPORT ON THESE ISSUES ANY LONGER, ESPECIALLY WHEN I HEAR AUDIENCE FEEDBACK, YOU KNOW, FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE PAYING ATTENTION, WHO ARE SAD, WHO ARE DEPRESSED, WHO FEEL A SENSE OF HOPELESSNESS.

AND REALLY, I FEEL LIKE FOR ME, I'M COMING OUT THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS.

IT'S MAYBE TAKEN 20 YEARS, BUT I REFUSE TO GIVE UP ON THIS PLACE THAT I LOVE, AND I REFUSE TO GIVE UP ON MY COMMUNITY AND THE COMMUNITIES I LOVE HERE.

SO I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING AND WHY IT'S HAPPENING AND WHAT'S GOING TO CONTINUE HAPPENING.

BUT TO BE CONNECTING WITH OUR PLACES, OUR ECOSYSTEMS, OUR COMMUNITIES AND ONE ANOTHER, WITH A REAL SENSE OF LOVE AND JOY AND COMMITMENT, EVEN IF IT'S HARD TO FEEL HOPEFUL, I WILL NOT GIVE UP ON THIS PLACE, AND I WILL NOT GIVE UP ON WHAT I KNOW NEW MEXICANS CAN DO WHEN IT COMES TO CLIMATE CHANGE.

>> Jeff: LAURA, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED AND ADMIRED SO MUCH ABOUT YOUR WORK IS THE INTENTIONALITY WITH WHICH YOU APPROACH IT.

YOU'RE ALSO INCREDIBLY ORGANIZED.

I'VE SEEN YOUR CALENDAR FOR THE YEAR, WHICH MAKES ME FEEL LIKE THE WORK AHEAD IS GOING TO BE MORE DIFFICULT FOR ME, BECAUSE I'M NOT THAT ORGANIZED.

BUT I WANT YOU TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW THAT WORKS FOR YOU.

HOW DO YOU DECIDE AND SETTLE?

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY FOLLOWING AN ARC OF STORIES FOR THE COURSE OF A YEAR?

>> Laura: SO FOR A LONG TIME, I WAS ONE OF ONE, OR ONE OF TWO ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISTS IN THE STATE, AND THAT'S NOT THE CASE ANYMORE.

THERE'S LIKE A REALLY HEALTHY ECOSYSTEM ON THE MEDIA LANDSCAPE WITH PEOPLE COVERING THE ENVIRONMENT RIGHT NOW AT SOURCE NEW MEXICO, KUNM, NEW MEXICO POLITICAL REPORT, SEARCHLIGHT.

OF COURSE, SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN AT ASSOCIATED PRESS.

LIKE, THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE COVERING THE DAY-TO-DAY KIND OF ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS.

SO I HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A LUXURY THAT I DIDN'T HAVE IN THE PAST WHERE I CAN KIND OF LOOK AT THE YEAR AND BE LIKE, HMMM, WATER SCARCITY, FIRE SEASON, AND KIND OF FILL OUT THE ARC OF THE YEAR AND TRY TO REALLY PROVIDE NEW MEXICANS THE INFORMATION THAT THEY NEED IN A CLIMATE CHANGE WORLD TO BE DEALING WITH THESE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE.

>> Jeff: I COMPARE YOUR WORK TO WHAT BILL GRAHAM SAID ABOUT THE GRATEFUL DEAD.

YOU ARE NOT THE BEST AT WHAT YOU DO, YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE WHO DOES WHAT YOU DO.

SO HOW WILL THE AUDIENCE FEEL THIS DIFFERENTLY THIS YEAR AS YOU SHIFT INTO THIS REALLY INTENTIONAL PATH?

>> Laura: YEAH, I HOPE THAT THE AUDIENCE COMES ALONG WITH ME ON THIS JOURNEY.

I WANT TO TALK ABOUT SOME HARD THINGS.

I WANT TO TALK ABOUT HOW CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECTS OUR MENTAL HEALTH.

I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT GAP BETWEEN WHAT SCIENTISTS ARE TELLING US WE NEED TO DO AND WHAT OUR POLITICIANS AND LAWMAKERS AND DECISION-MAKERS ARE ACTUALLY DOING.

I HOPE THAT PEOPLE WILL COME ALONG AND WATCH THESE SEGMENTS, OR READ OUR NEWSLETTER, OR FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA, AND REALLY TALK TO THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS AND HAVE THESE DEEPER CONVERSATIONS IN THEIR OWN HOMES.

AND I ALWAYS LOVE HEARING FROM PEOPLE, WHETHER THAT'S THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA OR E-MAIL.

I WANT TO KNOW WHAT PEOPLE ARE FEELING AND SEEING.

IT ISN'T JUST A -- YOU KNOW, WE'RE A BROADCAST TELEVISION PROGRAM, BUT IT'S NOT JUST THAT WE BROADCAST OUT.

I WANT TO BE HEARING FROM PEOPLE, AS WELL.

>> Jeff: LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT FOR JUST A MOMENT.

OF COURSE WE WILL CONTINUE TO AIR 'OUR LAND' PIECES ON NEW MEXICO In FOCUS, WHICH IS INCREDIBLY GRATIFYING FOR ME.

HOW ELSE CAN FOLKS INTERACT WITH YOUR WORK, CONSUME YOUR WORK?

>> Laura: SO AS A PRINT REPORTER AT HEART, I WILL ALWAYS BE HAPPIEST SORT OF WRITING WORDS DOWN AND CONNECTING WITH AUDIENCES THAT WAY THROUGH THE WRITTEN WORD.

SO THEY CAN SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER, 'OUR LAND WEEKLY,' AND ALSO FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM.

IT'S 'OUR LAND NM' ON INSTAGRAM.

WE'VE GOT A YOUTUBE CHANNEL.

YEAH, I THINK THE NEWSLETTER IS A REALLY GOOD WAY TO STAY ON TOP OF, LIKE, THE LATEST RESEARCH ON CLIMATE, THE LATEST REPORTING ON CLIMATE, AND KIND OF HOW I TRY TO CONNECT ALL OF THESE THINGS TOGETHER FOR OUR NEW MEXICO AUDIENCE.

>> Jeff: WELL, I'M INCREDIBLY EXCITED ABOUT THE YEAR AHEAD, AS I HAVE BEEN WITH SO MANY YEARS OF YOUR WORK IN THE PAST.

SO THANKS FOR TALKING ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT.

>> Laura: THANKS, JEFF.