Silence & Supply

LISTENING: to the waterfall flow into the koi pond
FEELING: hot and sweaty
SEEING: a bunch of butterflies float through the botanical garden

Guess who's in Miami? I know, so much traveling! I'm attending the annual Aspen: Ideas Climate event on South Beach. For those who aren't familiar, this event brings together folks from around the globe who are working to address the climate emergency. That includes journalists like me — but also investors looking for new shiny tech toys or frontline activists hoping to raise awareness about their local battles.

This year, the list of attendees and speakers also included a few folks with the Biden administration. While it's worth celebrating the president's work around carbon emissions and renewable energy, we can't ignore his ongoing support of the Israeli government's attack on Gaza. I was disappointed that no activists took to the stage to interrupt his team around the genocide unfolding in Gaza. I've been underwhelmed by the silence on Palestine here. When I was in Italy for the award ceremony last week (I didn't win, by the way), everyone was talking about the crisis on stage. That hasn't been the case here in Miami.

On my panel, at least, the homie Naveena Sadasivam from Grist mentioned Palestine. I've also seen little stickers posted here and there — in bathroom stalls and outdoor posts. "PALESTINE IS A CLIMATE ISSUE," they read.

That it is.

Welcome to Possibilities, a creative climate newsletter on the possibilities that lie where crisis meets community. I’m Yessenia Funes, and I'm back to discussing the genocide in Gaza.

A new report from Oil Change International Thursday examined which countries are supplying Israel with the oil fueling its assault on Gaza. Unsurprisingly, the U.S. is on the list. Our leaders are providing the fuel powering military jets dropping bombs on children. Our leaders aren't the only ones. There's also Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Gabon, and Brazil. Companies like BP and ExxonMobil are the ones profiting from the sale of these fossil fuels.

"This complicity in Israel’s Gaza genocide is not just killing Palestinians and destroying our cities, refugee camps, and villages; it is also accelerating the world’s descent into what the U.N. Secretary-General calls 'total impunity' where the law of the jungle reigns," said Mahmoud Nawajaa, the general coordinator of the Palestinian BDS National Committee, in a press release.

Some people in the climate space want to ignore Palestinian voices, but I won't stay silent. The connections are clear. The impacts are damning. The suffering is disgusting. I wish I had heard more remarks linking the issues here in Miami to the disaster in Palestine, but this is the status quo. I'm grateful to organizations like Oil Change International digging in and reminding us.

There's no climate justice without a free Palestine. 🌀

Rest in Power

I'm not finding anything this week. Let me know in the comments if I'm missing something.

Currently Reading

As I'm sweating in Miami, I'm thinking about this piece from Nina Lakhani in The Guardian about who is most vulnerable when the temperature is too high.

Journalists do such important, heartbreaking work. This story from Talia Jane, the reporter who broke the Aaron Bushnell self-immolation, was sobering.

Poetry

we come together

we break bread

we laugh, we sing

we mourn the dead

we live another day

we dance in the rain

we sweat on the beach

we love because we can

-ylf-

See you next week. xx

- Yessenia