Established in 2018, The Years Project is a left-of-center organization dedicated to multimedia storytelling and education on climate change. Based in Melville, New York, it produces videos, documentaries, and digital content aimed at raising awareness about environmental issues. ¹ Its activities include creating short-form videos on topics such as wildfires, heat-related deaths, and industrial pollution, often linking these phenomena to broader climatic shifts. ¹

The group maintains an active presence on social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter) under the handle @YEARSofLIVING, where it shares content and promotes environmentalist campaigns. ²

Leadership and Mission

The origins of The Years Project trace back to the television series “Years of Living Dangerously,” a documentary program that premiered on Showtime in 2014. Produced by Joel Bach and David Gelber, both former producers for CBS’s “60 Minutes,” the series featured celebrity narrators and journalists reporting on climate impacts worldwide. It aired for two seasons, garnering an Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series in 2014.  ³

Daniel Abbasi, the founder of GameChange Capital and a former executive producer, played a role in the project’s early development, connecting it to investor networks focused on environmental initiatives. ⁴ Following the series’ conclusion, the effort evolved into a nonprofit entity in 2018, expanding into digital media production. The organization has since claimed to produce “the most inspiring and thought-provoking climate change videos,” with over one billion views across platforms. ³

The Years Project frames climate change as an “existential issue” interconnected with social challenges such as racism, classism, sexism, inequity, and inequality. ⁵ The group advocates for a “Just Transition” from what it calls an extractive to a regenerative economy, emphasizing human rights, ecological balance, and community-led solutions. Its content often highlights personal stories of those affected by environmental events, such as heat stroke victims or communities near industrial sites, while promoting viewer actions like signing petitions or joining movements. ⁵

Programs and Activities

Key programs include the production of digital videos, a weekly action toolkit for climate activists, and collaborations on educational content. Recent initiatives feature partnerships with institutions like Columbia Business School’s Climate Knowledge Initiative, producing videos on technologies such as low-carbon cement and low-emissions steel. ⁶ The group also runs a paid internship program for climate media roles. On social media, recent posts from September 2025 emphasize megafires, wildfire smoke health risks, and calls to action during events like New York Climate Week. Content is distributed across platforms, with claims of reaching over 50 million TV viewers in 145 countries and inspiring action among half of its audience. ⁵

The organization collaborates with over 30 environmental groups, including 350.org, Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and Extinction Rebellion. These partnerships support joint campaigns on issues like fossil fuel divestment and climate justice. ⁷ In terms of policy, The Years Project supports restrictions on fossil fuel expansion and opposes so-called “false solutions” such as carbon capture, nuclear energy, and biofuels. It was among over 650 signatories to an August 2022 letter to congressional leaders rejecting fossil fuel project approvals tied to the Inflation Reduction Act. ⁷

Opposition to Nuclear Energy

The Years Project was one of more than 650 signatories on an August 2022 letter organized by People vs Fossil Fuels and addressed to the “Democratic Leadership” in Congress. The letter was titled: “Opposition to Fossil Fuel Project Approvals and Permitting Reforms Conditioned on the Inflation Reduction Act.” ⁸

The letter portrayed as “false solutions” carbon sequestration, carbon-free nuclear energy and all sources of energy not approved as “renewable” by the signatories: “Relying only on large scale investments in renewable energy and environmental justice alone will not stave off climate disaster if Congress simultaneously puts its legislative foot on the gas to expand fossil fuel production and false solutions like carbon capture, hydrogen, biomass, biofuels, factory farm gas, and nuclear power.” ⁸

Nuclear power plants produce no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas emissions, and as of 2021 accounted for 20 percent of American electricity production—the largest source of zero carbon electricity in the United States. ⁹ An October 2018 proposal from The Nature Conservancy noted that zero-carbon nuclear plants produced 7.8 percent of total world energy output and recommended reducing carbon emissions by increasing nuclear capacity to 33 percent of total world energy output. ¹⁰

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1. “About Us,” The YEARS Project, accessed September 27, 2025, https://theyearsproject.com/about
2. “Years of Living,” X.com, accessed September 27, 2025, https://x.com/yearsofliving
3. John Wihbey, “Celebrities, Climate and Showtime’s ‘Years of Living Dangerously,’” Yale Climate Connections, March 26, 2014, https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2014/03/celebrities-climate-and-showtimes-years-of-living-dangerously/
4. Michael Thrasher, “Climate Change and the Years of Investing Dangerously,” Institutional Investor, September 19, 2024, https://www.institutionalinvestor.com/article/2bsufc6d6srinox5unoxs/corner-office/climate-change-and-the-years-of-investing-dangerously
5. “Our Work,” The YEARS Project, accessed September 27, 2025, https://theyearsproject.com/work
6. “Climate Entrepreneur Mini Documentaries,” Columbia Business School, accessed September 27, 2025, https://business.columbia.edu/insights/climate/cki/videos
7. “Letter from 650+ Groups Opposing Fossil Fuel Projects and Proposed Permitting Reforms,” People vs. Fossil Fuels, accessed September 27, 2025, https://peoplevsfossilfuels.org/dirty-deal-letter/
8. “Letter from 650+ Groups Opposing Fossil Fuel Projects and Proposed Permitting Reforms.” People vs Fossil Fuels. August 24, 2022. Accessed July 21, 2025. https://peoplevsfossilfuels.org/dirty-deal-letter/
9. “Nuclear explained.” U.S. Energy Information Administration. Accessed July 21, 2025. https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/nuclear/us-nuclear-industry.php
10. “The Science of Sustainability.” The Nature Conservancy. October 13, 2018. Accessed July 21, 2025. https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-insights/perspectives/the-science-of-sustainability/