Think tank launches climate news outlet powered by former Greentech Media staff

The clean energy think tank RMI just launched a nonprofit journalism arm called Canary Media that's staffed by well-known names in energy and climate reporting.

The big picture: Canary will be "at the forefront of the clean energy transition" with a mission to cover global efforts to fight climate change, per RMI, formerly the Rocky Mountain Institute.

The intrigue: Top staff are veterans of Greentech Media, a highly respected but now-defunct site that began in 2007.

• The consultancy Wood Mackenzie, which bought Greentech in 2016, shuttered it last month (though WoodMac provides its own public-facing content).
• Canary's editor-in-chief is Jeff St. John, who was managing editor at Greentech. Eric Wesoff, who was Greentech's first employee, is managing editor.
• Also on board are former Greentech reporters Julian Spector and Emma Foehringer Merchant.

David Roberts, who recently left Vox to launch a Substack newsletter, is the editor at large.

Why it matters: They won't lack material as they cover business, tech and policy in a newsroom they call independent from RMI.

• Clean tech — in power, mobility, industry and more — is shaking up legacy systems, attracting new investment and policy support.
• But changes thus far have not started bringing the kinds of steep emissions cuts needed to meet the goals of the Paris climate deal.

What's next: Canary's site went live today and they're also launching a free subscription newsletter.

• Wesoff tells Axios they have no immediate plans for paywalled products but didn't rule it out. 
• The site will leverage analyses and data from RMI, but also use research from a range of analysts, Wesoff said.
• The "launch partners" include Amazon Web Services, Black & Veatch and other companies.