'How Dare You'
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Possibilities is my favorite newsletter in my inbox. It is real, raw, informative, and inspiring. It's an outlet for my rage, a balm for my soul, and a lantern in the darkness we're all wandering through right now.
LISTENING: to this 2019 speech on repeat
FEELING: annoyed! by it all!
SEEING: the sun shine a bit too bright for my taste
"People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairytales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!"
I still remember when I first heard these words by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. It was 2019. Donald Trump was president for the first time. I was working at Earther, the now-defunct environmental news site at Gizmodo. And I was sitting at my desk in Times Square, tears welling in my eyes as I listened to Thunberg's pleas. The tears are here yet again as I listen once more.
She was speaking at a U.N. climate summit when she gave that historic speech. (I linked a cool EDM version above that I am weirdly into despite not being much of a house head instead of our weekly Spotify song.) The video popped up on my feed a few days ago, posted on the Land Palestine page, which shares news about the genocide in Gaza and the ongoing occupation.
Thunberg's words still ring true today, six years after the fact. And her commitment to justice remains unwavering. As I write, she's sailing to the shores of Gaza with a group of activists to deliver life-saving food. I've said this once in this newsletter, and I'll say it again: Greta is a real one — the realest one!
She's been clear in her videos from the ship: This isn't about her. It's about the people of Palestine. The land is calling to us. How will we answer?
Possibilities has always been about where community and crisis meet — and the endless possibilities that lie at that intersection. It's time to get creative. What's happening to Gaza is a climate justice issue.
Don't listen to me. Listen to Thunberg:
"It's so weird to me that people are separating caring about the environment and the climate to caring about humans. I care about the environment and the climate because I care about humans and planetary well-being. Those are the same thing, in my view. We are standing up for justice and for sustainability — for liberation for everyone. There can be no climate justice without social justice." 🌀
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Rest in Power
While we can't say for certain that climate change led to these specific weather events (we need attribution studies for that), we do know that the Earth's rising temperatures are already creating more frequent and/or stronger disasters like these.
In Arizona's Maricopa County, health officials alerted the public Wednesday that a man who sustained heat-related injuries last year has just died. "This death is a tragic reminder that the effects of extreme heat can be long-lasting. Although the individual sustained heat-related injuries in 2024, he did not pass away until 2025,” said Dr. Nick Staab, the county health department's chief medical officer. “It highlights the serious and sometimes delayed impact heat can have on our health.”
In Nigeria, floods this week resulted in the deaths of over 200 people. The death toll could be closer to 700 as another 500 people remain missing.
Overnight floods in Dallas, Texas, Tuesday night left at least one person dead.
Currently Reading
We know that sexual abuse can spike after a storm. Nina Lakhani has the story for the Guardian about the aftermath of the Lahaina fires in Hawai'i. She's got another banger on the emissions of Israel's attacks on Gaza.
Under Trump, FEMA is denying states' requests to build back stronger after climate disasters, Zahra Hirji reports for Bloomberg.
I've been learning more about Phil Anschutz for a story I'm working on, so I appreciated this L.A. Times column from Sammy Roth about the billionaire's plans to build a gas plant.
Elon Musk's Starbase company town is not sitting well with locals, Paola Rosa-Aquino reports for Scientific American.
This scene Angela Chapin paints for The Cut of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil meeting his son for the first time is almost too sweet to bear: "Khalil played with his son’s tiny fingers and toes, and when the baby started to fuss, he walked Deen around the room while singing an Arabic lullaby."
Collage
I'm hoping to have an interview for you all next week to kick off Pride Month! Hope you all are going out, feeling the sun, dancing with friends, and embracing love this month. 🏳️🌈
- Yessenia
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