All We Do Is Win, Win, Win
OK, maybe that's not always true — but let's take some time to celebrate the wins, yeah?
Yessenia Funes
2024 in Books
Here are the books I've read this year. Or at least the ones I can remember reading!
Chasing Gold
It's official: Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele wants to reverse the country's mining ban. Activists are promising a fight.
I (We) Deserve It All
It's hard to feel gratitude after yet another failed COP, but we've got to try, right?
In My Head, Neurons Blaze
A stream of thoughts from yours truly — on history, weather, and how they all come together.
Fuck Paradise
I choose hardship. I choose creative imagination. I choose soul.
Stay Open
Donald Trump will be president again. We cannot succumb to despair.
You Can't Escape the Flames
I saw a wildfire burning while at a wedding upstate. It won't be long until the flames come for us all.
Protect Whom?
As world leaders gather in Colombia in an effort to save biodiversity, how are they factoring in the people already dying to protect it?
Love/Hate
The U.S. has a love-hate relationship with immigrants. In the face of climate catastrophe, they deserve so much more.
Under Water
Extreme weather events often leave women and their children especially vulnerable to their abusers.
Where Do We Go When We're Gone?
A new study offers a disturbing finding: Hurricanes kill long after they're gone.
Climate Week Highs & Lows
COVID-19 didn't get me this year, so Climate Week is in full effect.
Middle America
I just spent the last few days in conservative Middle America — but it's more than that.
< 5 Minutes on Climate & Energy
The climate crisis is the greatest issue our planet faces, and this is the amount of attention it gets in a major presidential debate.
Greta, the Realest One
In this house, we love Greta Thunberg, you heard?
Recharging...
It's time to recharge ahead of a busy end of year.
La Madre Patria
To look forward, we must first look to the past.
Have Faith
I'm learning how, at least.
Tim Walz & Line 3
Indigenous water protectors in Minnesota aren't cheering a Harris-Walz White House just yet.
Europe Gets It
The European Union has generated more electricity from wind and solar than fossil fuels this year. Woohoo!
IT'S A FEMININOMENON
Can we all get pumped about the prospect of a President Kamala Harris?
The Real Distraction
Let's stop wasting time on conspiracy theories. Our futures are on the line.
Can You Beliebe It?
Pop star Justin Bieber performed at the wedding of a billionaire family in India — which made its fortune off dirty petrochemicals and fossil fuels.
Confronting Hurricane Beryl
Hurricane Beryl underscores why low-income nations need immediate access to climate reparations.
Disaster & Desecration
The deaths from extreme heat in this year's Hajj pilgrimage underscore the ways climate disaster will taint sacred rites of passage.
Hot & Bothered
During the heat wave this Juneteenth, I wonder what will become of the people without roofs over their heads?
Short x Sweet
It's been a year since I launched this newsletter. Ready for year two?
An Endless Nightmare
President Joe Biden just moved to shut down the southern border. The timing couldn't be worse.
Bloody Sunday
Bay Area activists protested outside Chevron to highlight its involvement in the Israeli genocide of Gaza.
City of Angels
After a trip to L.A., I reflect on the Salvadoran diaspora and the ways we face discriminatory burdens.
Sometimes, I Just Sigh
Did you hear about the pipeline protester calling for a free Palestine?
Tap In
For storytellers, emotions are a necessary tool to do this work well.
Voices From the Congo
Cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo can be real dirty, but locals don't want to see it gone.
Confrontations
We're in an age of revolution. Will it be enough?
No Justice, No Peace
We're entering an age where First Amendment rights to protest are under serious attack.
Only Together
Investing in climate journalism is one of the easiest ways to take climate action.
Party Like a Journalist
Let's unpack the tragedy of the commons myth.
Beneath the Bridge
The tragic Baltimore bridge collapse underscores who remains among the most vulnerable in the U.S. when disaster strikes.
Car Culture
The president is going hard on EVs. What about mass transit?
Silence & Supply
One topic was sorely missing from the conversation: the genocide in Gaza.
For the Ladies
What women do you honor this Women's History Month?
Flames & Fury
I can't get Aaron Bushnell's burning image out of my head.
When Fossil Fuels Fund LGBTQ+ Attacks
The death of non-binary teen Nex Benedict in Oklahoma underscores the insidious ways fossil fuel dollars fund anti-LGBTQ+ policy.
In Denial
A new study finds climate denial remains strong, but what about the Black and Brown communities who can't ignore the reality at their doorsteps?
Black Excellence
Let's honor a few Black climate leaders I look to for guidance.
The Weight We Carry
Sometimes, our own uphill battles are what fuel us to keep going.
Climate Fiction Needs More Romance
An interview with Jamie Liu, this year's winner for the Imagine 2200 competition from Grist, featuring an excerpt from their winning piece.
No Peace in a Freeze
As the U.S. plunges into a deep freeze, not everyone gets to stay warm.
Seeking Shelter
During extreme weather, not everyone is given the same comfort and safety.
Where the Wind Blows
The time for clean energy is now. Are we ready to do it right?
In 2023, Over 11,000 Gone Too Soon
Climate change is already killing people. This year proved especially deadly.
2023 Showed Us We Can Win
Despite some dark days, 2023 still showed us glimmers of a world rooted in equity, justice, and liberation.
Can I Count on You?
We all need tools to save our planet. Storytelling is one of them.
Hold Onto Wonder
With so much disappointment in the air, wonder reminds me of how much we have yet to experience.
Climate Nerd Prom Returns
Will leaders at COP28 finally offer financial assistance to the countries least responsible for climate change?
Thankful to Be Free
I interview a Palestinian environmental activist living under Israeli occupation.
The Mountain Snake's Bite
I went to see the aftermath of a deadly cyclone in Malawi. I found tales of a mythological snake that sleeps under the mountain.
Pump It Up
More people need heat pumps. One group is doing what it can to make the technology more accessible.
We Deserve More
After a few days in Amsterdam, I reflect on U.S. bicycling culture.
Train Thoughts
I share quick thoughts after a high-speed rail trip in Europe.
Unintended Consequences
As the conflict in Israel-Palestine rages on, I wonder what past climate failures sold as solutions can teach us.
On Palestine and Israel
What's happening in Palestine-Israel begs a climate justice analysis. Histories of colonialism always do.
Honoring Indigenous Activist Jacob Johns
Jacob Johns, an Indigenous activist, was shot last week. Gun violence is yet another threat to the climate movement.
The Labor Movement's Power
After the successful Hollywood strike, what can the climate movement glean?
When Covid Ruined Climate Week
Covid-19 is in New York during Climate Week. Anyone else worried?
If Animals Could Talk
What would they say? I pose the question through the lens of Libya's deadly floods.
NYFW: ‘Party With a Purpose’
Here, New York Fashion Week is all about garment workers' rights. And the inaugural Africa Climate Summit kicks off.
Hurricane Idalia & Hard Truths
Hurricane Idalia offered us many lessons. The most important? Fossil fuels gotta go.
Where the Money Flows
For the anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act, community experts share their concerns about where federal funding is going.
Long Live Lahaina
In Maui, wildfires have left little behind. Shameless developers are already looking to buy up the scorched land.
The Amazon's Oil Problem
Amazonian countries came together this week to discuss the future of the rainforest. They walked away with little to show.
When a Farm Is a Forest
In Brazil, small-scale farmers are re-learning the ancient ways of agroforestry, which may be the answer to protecting the Amazon.
How We Were Made
Disabled people face some of the greatest risks from the climate crisis — but what does "ability" really mean?
Climate Heartbreak
Is it climate anxiety or climate grief you're feeling? Or is it actually climate heartbreak?
A Climate Message in Pixar's 'Elemental'
The new animated Pixar film 'Elemental' centers around a family that leaves their homelands after a devastating storm — and the struggles of immigration.
Finding Liberation in Nature
For the Fourth of July, I reflect on the nature gap — and what independence actually means.
Eco-Lessons From Trans Teen Girls
As Pride comes to an end, what lessons can we learn from two trans teen girls and their joy?
What's Going on in Paris?
No, not Louis Vuitton. World leaders have converged in Paris to discuss debt reform in the face of the climate crisis.
The Youth Won't Let Us Burn
In Montana, kids are suing their government over climate change. A reporter who was in the courtroom shares some insight.
My First Smokey Skies
Thoughts on New York City's orange skies — and an exclusive interview related to my latest story for Atmos
Possibilities x Pride
A creative newsletter on the possibilities that lie where the climate crisis meets community