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# Victory Is Ours
- URL: https://www.possibilities.news/nyc-zohran-mamdani-mayor-palestine/
- Published: 2025-11-06T13:00:14.000Z
- Updated: 2025-11-06T13:00:20.000Z
- Description: From New York City to Palestine, people are celebrating the next mayor of New York.
- Author: Yessenia Funes

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💗

****| R E A D E R | T E S T I M O N I A L |**  
  
I feel like I’m catching up with a friend.

---

**LISTENING:** *to the hip hop that raised me*  
**FEELING:** *hopeful again!!*  
**SEEING:** *the sun shine over my great city*

The celebrations are quiet, and the celebrations are loud. I walked to my local bakery this morning wearing my yellow Zohran beanie, and a Black woman looked at me and said, "We did it!" 

Zohran Mamdani — an immigrant, a Muslim, a socialist, a former rapper, a now state assemblyman — will be the next mayor of New York City. He won by [79 points](https://www.thecity.nyc/2025/11/04/election-results-nyc-mayor-mamdani-cuomo-sliwa/?ref=possibilities.news) in my district. Phew. Even 5,000 miles away in the West Bank of Palestine, the people are celebrating. Malak Bsharat, a young woman I met who organizes farmers as part of Palestinian olive oil company [Canaan](https://canaanpalestine.com/?ref=possibilities.news), told me that her feeds are full of Mamdani videos. In particular, ones with the audio of him spelling his name to the tune of Gwen Stefani. 

"Everyone is happy," she said. She's excited for what he'll accomplish as mayor. I am, too. Mamdani's stance on Palestine is what first attracted me to him, but as a climate reporter, I'm curious how he'll address climate resiliency and justice in this city. Last week, heavy rains [killed](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/30/new-york-floods?ref=possibilities.news) two people in their flooded basement apartments. How will he ensure the city doesn't lose more to the erratic weather fossil fuels have created?

I'm encouraged to see that his [mayoral team](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/05/zohran-mamdani-transition-team?ref=possibilities.news) is made up largely of women of color and is entirely women-led. As Robinson Meyer [points out](https://heatmap.news/politics/zohran-mamdani-climate?ref=possibilities.news) for Heatmap News, however, the issue of climate change is not one Mamdani has mentioned much throughout his campaign. As mayor, he may have to be more bold. That doesn't mean he'll have to talk about climate change at every turn, but he should be implementing policies that consider the issue's costly impacts. 

Buses? A climate solution. Housing? A climate solution. These infrastructures are also threatened by climate change. How will his time as mayor bridge the issues of affordability and climate calamity? The city is changing rapidly — not just due to private developers and greedy landlords, but also due to rising temperatures and worsening air quality. 

I championed Mamdani's campaign, but now it's time to turn up the heat and ensure he gives the people what he promised. 🌀

---

Here are some other climate victories to celebrate:

- Virginia: Abigail Spanberger will be the next governor, and she'll have an even larger Democratic majority in the state assembly.
- Georgia: The Public Service Commission was a hot race to watch, and Alicia Johnson and Peter Hubbard are the Democrats for the job. They will help keep energy affordable and, hopefully, usher in much-needed clean energy projects.

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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.**

Heavy flooding in New York last week [killed](https://www.thecity.nyc/2025/10/31/flooding-victims-kingston-brooklyn/?ref=possibilities.news) at least two people.

Meanwhile, back in Vietnam, the death toll from the floods has [risen](https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/international/2025/11/03/846148.htm?ref=possibilities.news) to 37.

The Caribbean is still reeling from Hurricane Melissa, [increasing](https://www.nbcnews.com/weather/hurricanes/hurricane-melissa-death-toll-rises-63-economic-impact-top-4-billion-rcna241639?ref=possibilities.news) the death toll to 67.

## Currently Reading

[Adam Mahoney and Victoria St. Martin for Capital B](https://capitalbnews.org/hurricane-melissa-jamaica-impact/?ref=possibilities.news): "Jamaica is an island that has given so much to the world — entertainment, the arts, the culture, the food, the tourism, the hospitality. And so knowing the devastation is unlike anything they’ve ever seen in centuries, it’s definitely time for the world to give back to Jamaica."

Remember when Typhoon Halong hit Alaskan Native communities last month? Sachi Kitajima Mulkey [writes for The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/climate/typhoon-alaska-archaeology.html?ref=possibilities.news) about the people working to find the artifacts lost in the storm.

Free electricity? Australia is making it happen, [reports Jameson Dow for Electrek](https://electrek.co/2025/11/04/australia-has-so-much-solar-that-its-offering-everyone-free-electricity-3h-day/?utm%5Fsource=substack&utm%5Fmedium=email). Shout out to Bill McKibben, whose [latest](https://billmckibben.substack.com/p/free-electricity-like-at-no-cost?utm%5Fsource=post-email-title&publication%5Fid=438146&post%5Fid=178118309&utm%5Fcampaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=fubh&triedRedirect=true&utm%5Fmedium=email) newsletter pointed me to this!

[Amy Westervelt reminds us in The Nation that the media can and must do better on climate storytelling](https://www.thenation.com/article/environment/climate-media-perception-gap/?ref=possibilities.news): "Though there is an overwhelming amount of evidence that a supermajority of people in the United States and around the world are deeply climate-concerned, newsrooms often assume, because the contrarians are a vocal minority, that 'nobody cares' about climate stories."

(I use [this](https://archive.is/?ref=possibilities.news) website whenever there's a paywall blocking me from reading something. It's been very helpful since I canceled my NYT sub earlier this year!)

## Poetry

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/0c/1a/0c1a1c44-c395-4236-a843-5697585f81d1/content/images/2025/11/hannahmonsour_1762363549_3759300379893702227_272970729.jpg)

[Poem by Hannah Monsour](https://www.possibilities.news/soul-soil-pt-v/)

****What are you reading and seeing? Share in a comment.**

**It's a good week, y'all!**

\- Yessenia x