Here's my plan for tonight's debate

I’ll be honest: I’m not going to watch tonight’s presidential debate. I’ve been anxious about it for weeks, and finally decided today that I’m gonna do this on my own terms this time.

What I am going to do is read the transcript once it’s over, watch the clips of the sections on climate, and hyper-analyze the possible meanings and implications for the climate movement — and do all of that without being subjected to commercial breaks and incoherent rambling from a certain ex-president. I have enough stress in my life as it is.

As a service to y’all, I’ll be sending my thoughts out to subscribers of The Phoenix tomorrow (as well as some thoughts collected from across the climate movement), particularly focusing on perspectives from women and people of color and frontline communities fighting this crisis every day.

I will be brutally honest — with crude oil production at an all-time record and global temperatures accelerating upward, Biden’s climate record is mixed at best. And obviously if Trump gets back in office, things for the planet would get much, much worse.

So there’s not going to be any savior here. Least of all an old white man sitting in an office in Washington, D.C. This is a moment when it really, truly, is up to us — to create visions of a future that will actually work for people and planet, and then join together to make it happen.

That’s the energy that powered the Fridays for Future school strikes. That’s the energy that powers Just Stop Oil’s orange paint campaigns. And that’s what’s it’s going to take to create catastrophic success on climate.

The Phoenix is Currently’s newsletter for climate revolutionaries — it’s where we discuss what’s happening in the world with people right in the mix of the action, and then plot together about what actions could help best advance justice, equity, and climate resilience — and how each of us can participate.

If that sounds like you, I invite you to sign up. I’ll see you there.

May you have good weather,

Eric

Just another friendly reminder that Currently is publishing our free daily weather newsletters in New York City, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, and Minneapolis/Saint Paul. We’d love to scale that list up, and we have plans to do just that.

It’s our pleasure to provide these climate-forward updates for free so folks in these communities can stay informed and stay safe — especially as we get into the heat of the summer and hurricane season.

We want to do this in as many cities as possible, around the world — but we can’t do that without your help. Our writers are paid entirely from our readers’ membership dues. Supporting Currently literally helps your neighbors prepare for extreme weather and climate change. That’s the whole point of why we exist.

In short, we need your help to keep doing what we’re doing, and to reach even more people as this year’s weather continues to intensify.

We are in this together, and since the corporate media isn’t doing it — it’s up to us to tell the climate stories and highlight the helpers working to build a system that works for everyone.

Thank you for supporting our work,

Eric

P.S. We’re still looking for newsletter writers in Washington, D.C., Austin, TX, and Sydney, Australia — if you’re a weather nerd living in one of those places and love talking about it (or you know someone in those cities who is), you’d be a perfect fit! Email me: [email protected] to apply!