Matt Simon

Matt Simon is a senior writer at Grist, covering climate solutions. Prior to that, he spent over a decade at Wired magazine. He’s the author of three books, most recently A Poison Like No Other: How Microplastics Corrupted Our Planet and Our Bodies.

Stories from Matt Simon

Sunlight peaks through the trees behind a cemetery.

Why Millions of Adorable Bees Are Emerging from This Cemetery

A growing body of evidence shows that cemeteries host much more life — including insects, birds, mammals and rare plants — than death.

A person holds a scoop of biochar, which looks similar to charcoal, in both hands.

This New Machine Churns Out Carbon-Storing Biochar on the Cheap

A worker-owned cooperative is deploying PyroTowers to produce biochar, which helps farmers in the developing world improve their yields.

September 26, 2025

Smoke pours from the smokestacks of a factory by the water at sunset.

Community Development

Installing Heat Pumps in Factories Could Save $1.5 Trillion and 77,000 Lives

A new report finds that replacing conventional boilers with heat pumps could also avoid 33 million asthma attacks by 2050 thanks to improved air quality.

September 2, 2025