Articles by Senior Staff Writer Matt Simon

Matt Simon is a senior staff writer at Grist.

All Articles

Ducks love to eat this climate-friendly food. Now you might, too.

Azolla is a nutritious aquatic fern that grows like crazy. New research finds that the cyanobacteria within the plant are nontoxic, potentially clearing the way for Azolla to become a novel food.

Matt Simon Climate
How Hurricane Milton exploded into an ‘extraordinary’ storm

Milton's wind speeds skyrocketed by 90 mph in 24 hours. It’s one of the fastest intensification events scientists have ever witnessed in the Atlantic.

Matt Simon Extreme Weather
The ‘perfect’ conditions that could make Hurricane Helene ‘unsurvivable’

The storm could rapidly intensify into Category 4 strength as it passes over the steaming-hot Gulf of Mexico, sending a huge surge of water ashore.

Matt Simon & Jake Bittle Extreme Weather
The secret ingredient in Biden’s climate law? City trees.

Planting trees in cities sounds simple. Here's why the Forest Service is spending $1.5 billion on it.

Matt Simon Cities