Amber X. Chen
Journalist, Writer
I am a journalist and writer from LA’s San Gabriel Valley.
I cover all things, but am especially interested in reporting on the climate and environment. Historically, my writing has focused on environmental justice issues.
I’ve written about the impacts of drought in rural California, the politics behind fracking, the U.S. military’s pollution of Hawaii and Guam, climate activism in India, deep-sea mining and more. I’ve reported on-the-ground from the 2025 LA wildfires and communities in Philadelphia living in the shadow of oil refineries.
My work has appeared in The Guardian, Smithsonian, Atmos, Grid Magazine, Los Angeles Public Press, Teen Vogue, Inside Climate News and more.
I also love writing about new music scenes, emerging artists and pop culture, and have done so for publications like No Bells, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Asian American Arts Alliance. I began my career as a freelance journalist at the age of 16.
I’m currently a senior at UC Berkeley, where I study environmental science and write for and edit The Daily Californian. You can find some of my best clips below.
Get in touch: axchen@gmail.com
Climate & Environment
Teen Vogue --- Your School Burned in the LA Fires. What Happens Now?
Los Angeles Public Press --- Altadena residents question why evacuation warnings came so late
The Guardian --- Clothes, toiletries — and a free stylist: the LA teen creating a space for peers amid the fires
Atmos --- Fact-checked: Harris’ and Trump’s Climate Claims at the ABC Presidential Debate
Atmos --- Tripping for the Planet: Psychedelics and Climate Activism
The Nation --- Will the Closure of an Oil Refinery Bring Justice or Gentrification to Philadelphia?
The Nation --- Kamala Harris Doesn’t Need to Backtrack on Fracking
Nexus Media News / Ambrook Research --- Wells Are Running Dry in Rural Communities of Color. Is a Fix in Sight?
Smithsonian --- After the L.A. Fires, Locals Turn to Native Plants to Help Shield Homes From Flames and Clean Contaminated Soil
Smithsonian --- A.I. Is on the Rise, and So Is the Environmental Impact of the Data Centers That Drive It
Smithsonian --- As Interest in Deep-Sea Mining Grows, Scientists Raise Alarms About the Possible Ecological Consequences
Grid Magazine--- There is no such thing as PFAS-free synthetic turf. The City is installing it anyway
Grid Magazine --- Grid talks with professor and author Dorceta Taylor about how communities of color became ground zero for toxic industries
Science & Health
Smithsonian --- Were Humans in Thailand Getting High Off Betel Nuts 4,000 Years Ago?
The Guardian --- ‘We have to survive’: the women filling the gap in Texas borderlands’ medical deserts
Music & Culture
Asian American Arts Alliance --- Actress Shirley Chen Seeks Complicated Truths in Her Roles
The Philadelphia Inquirer --- Meet the 19-year-old Philly native behind the viral #Ick TikTok trend
Atmos --- Raveena Aurora Leads With Love
Other Selected Work
The Nation --- The “Save Chinatown” Coalition Goes on the Defensive in Philadelphia
Los Angeles Public Press --- ‘Substantial remodel’ — a legal loophole to evict tenants in LA
The Daily Californian --- Berkeley’s ‘so-called’ chess club brings community together
AAJA VOICES --- A Community in Healing: Monterey Park, 6 Months After the Shooting