What's Going On?
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Possibilities has a distinct and tangible soul fueled by Yessenia’s fierce compassion for others. It doesn’t just seek to inform readers about the climate crisis; it seeks to unite them through a shared sense of community and moral urgency.
LISTENING: to the airplanes flying outside in the sky
FEELING: stressed since a hit-and-run on the parkway 🥲
SEEING: my cat sunbathe in his window hammock
Where do I begin? The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday to uphold Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming healthcare for trans youth. This is a major blow to trans people of all ages across the country. (And in case you forgot, this is directly related to the climate crisis.) In the Middle East, Israel has launched an unprovoked war with Iran as the U.S. flirts with the possibility of joining. A dangerously humid heat wave is forecast to hit the eastern half of the U.S. next week. In New York, the mayoral election is well underway. I'm staying hopeful we'll have a Mayor Mamdani very soon.
I'm not here to talk about all this news, though. It's all very overwhelming. I know. Amid the shit show in D.C. and the violence in the Middle East, important policy changes can fall through the cracks. And that's exactly what Donald Trump and his right-wing goons want: They want to overload us so we miss all the ways they're wreaking havoc on the planet.
Welcome to Possibilities, a creative climate newsletter on the possibilities that lie where crisis meets community. I’m Yessenia Funes, and this newsletter has always been about the wellness of our communities.
Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed to eliminate the environmental protections that limit how much air pollution power plants can release. These limits, previously enacted by Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, not only examined greenhouse gases that are exacerbating the planet's heating. They also prioritized health by keeping industrial facilities from recklessly releasing toxins like mercury and arsenic. Must I lay out what exposure to those can do to the human body (especially children)?
"Weakening protections against air pollution is a direct assault on public health," said Dr. Vin Gupta, a pulmonologist and public health advocate, in a statement from the Climate Action Campaign, which is sponsoring local townhalls on the policy reversal. "Air pollution makes people sick. Period. Anyone who relies on clean air to breathe – that’s everyone – pays a steep price when the Trump administration puts polluters over people."
I think of the Black communities in Louisiana's Cancer Alley who live surrounded by fossil fuel infrastructure. All those families want is clean air. To step outside and breathe easy without concern. To go to sleep without waking up coughing in the middle of the night. To raise their children on the same lands as their ancestors.
As the New York Times reports, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin called those of us who care about climate change members of a "cult," but the real cult is the one blindly worshiping Trump with no care for the consequences. Advocacy groups swiftly followed the EPA's actions with a lawsuit. The courts have been hit or miss with the Trump administration. We saw the Supreme Court erode trans rights just Wednesday. A day prior, a federal judge also ruled that the EPA's cancellation of environmental justice grants was illegal.
Let's hope the courts get this one right, too. 🌀
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