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It was a big year for climate reporting, and not necessarily for the good news.

Wildfires consumed vast parts of the Amazon and Arctic alike. Greenhouse gas emissions continued to rise, but President Trump served notice to quit the Paris climate agreement. The latest United Nations climate talks produced one of the worst outcomes in 25 years, with the biggest polluters blocking even the suggestion of more ambitious targets.

Nonetheless, the year’s best climate articles found new ways to inform and surprise readers. In doing so, these articles, from across The New York Times and other publications, offered their own measure of hope: that by exposing some of the specific failures of governments, businesses and citizens, we might do better.