Climate change is the biggest story of our times (Editors’ Note)—so we’re spearheading a collaborative effort with other news organizations to do it justice. Contributing writer Bill McKibben previews the coming climate talks in "Too Hot to Handle" (Anita Kunz’s illustration bitterly distills the politics). He’ll be in Copenhagen as part of a cohort of bloggers, videographers, and…a comedian? Ted Genoways‘ story of a flood-ravaged Alaskan town ("The Last Breakup") is funded in part by the Investigative Fund at the Nation Institute. In conjunction with Frontline/World, the Center for Investigative Reporting’s Mark Schapiro, along with photographer Nicolas Villaume, investigates GM’s plan to use Brazilian forests to offset the Hummer ("GM’s Money Trees"); Hillary Rosner examines the ecosystem-market trend in "Earth in the Balance Sheet". The Center for Public Integrity worked with MoJo editor Rachel Morris to dissect the climate lobby ("Agents of Climate Change"); she also reported from New Zealand on climate change’s first wave of refugees ("To the Lifeboats"). Closer to home, Victoria Schlesinger examines clean coal’s NIMBY problem ("Not Under My Backyard"), while Andy Isaacson goes on a long strange trip with rock-star mycologist Paul Stamets ("Return of the Fungi"). Finally, our blogger Kevin Drum reveals Big Ag’s anti-climate clout ("Betting the Farm"), and MoJo reporter Josh Harkinson and photographer Ken Light bring us a dispatch from America’s new Dust Bowl ("The New Dust Bowl").

Bill McKibben

Nicolas Villaume

Anita Kunz

Dave Gilson

Hillary Rosner

Mark Schapiro

Bonnie Tsui‘s ("Green Around the Gills") book American Chinatown: A People’s History of Five Neighborhoods came out in August.

Washington bureau chief David Corn ("Bank Buster") is a frequent guest on Hardball and Blogging heads.TV.

Shannon Brownlee ("Google’s Guinea Pigs") is a senior fellow at the New America Foundation and the author of Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine Is Making Us Sicker and Poorer.

Mother Jones senior editor Dave Gilson wrote both "My So-Called Riot" and "Jumping the Snark." The latter is illustrated by John Cuneo, who’s painted subjects as varied as Paul Wolfowitz and Clint Eastwood.

Rebecca Clarren ("Is Your Eco-Label Lying?") is a contributing writer at Salon.com and High Country News; the only labels she trusts are the ones in her underwear.

Peter Stone ("Take Two Kickbacks…") covers lobbying and campaign finance for National Journal.

Pictures of the Year award-winning photographer Radhika Chalasani ("The Public Option") has covered everything from famine to Anderson Cooper.