And to add insult to injury, our governor’s administration in Michigan just granted permits to Enbridge for a tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac - infrastructure whose purpose is to perpetuate the use of fossil fuels for another 99 years. She ignored the science, 70,000 public comments from her citizens, trod over indigenous treaty rights, went back on her own promise that helped get her elected, … either because she was bought off or she has higher political ambitions and this was the way to go not to ruffle major donors. It makes you sick, especially when we are already sick from the smoke from a burning planet.
Apparently a court just ruled against that tunnel - do I have that correct? just saw it on X. And yes it is very concerning that she turned her back on her campaign promise.
Yes! The Michigan Supreme Court made a momentous decision regarding the Great Lakes and the people who care for them. They cancelled the tunnel permit and remanded it back for a more comprehensive assessment, taking into account the public trust doctrine and the impact of a de-facto 99-year extension of the existing 73-year old pipeline’s life.
Eloquently ranted! I feel the same. Looking at pics of northern Ontario ablaze reminds me of driving out west in 1988; my first year tree planting. I learned about the mountain pine beetle outbreak that summer…and the reasons this endemic beetle’s numbers exploded.
It was my first summer job in university…taking environmental studies…writing letters, occupying politician’s offices, blockading forestry roads, learning about Indigenous Peoples’ rights and history, joining more protests, “acting locally”, “being the change you want to see”, getting solar panels, eventually an EV, making the “lifestyle changes”, “being FOR things rather than always against…”, “investing for good”, etc. etc. And I can only conclude: it has made no notable dent in our trajectory. Now I and my co-strugglers are trying to stop a friggin’ GENOCIDE being live streamed every day and even that is considered by the average person “too political”. FFS, is ranting all we have left???
I have to be honest, my climate engagement has really collapsed over the last year, and I feel so much shame about it. But I'm just so tired, and angry, and heartbroken. I made so many calls to my state reps and to the governor in New York earlier this year, pleading to not roll back the climate law here. Hochul did it anyway, and the legislature let her do it. At a certain point I just don't know what to say to people who'd rather have money and power than, idk, a planet to live on. I know I'll get back to taking action soon - I want to - but it's a LOT right now. I want to spend my summer picking berries and going to the beach and whale-watching. Instead it's either too hot, too smoky, or both, to go outside. I would like to stop being robbed blind of my time, money, and beautiful home planet, thanks!
I totally understand the discouragement. We feel the same way in Canada having elected a Prime Minister (Carney) who understands the climate crisis and even talked about keeping oil in the ground in his book from 2015 on Values. But he's a banker, and he wants to keep Canada together, and so has caved on the pressure from Alberta to approve a new pipeline. Not only approve it, we will have to pay for it (90% public finance) which he promised he wouldn't do. But we carry on. In September we will be challenging him and doing a program on what we need to finance in order to Build Canada Better. But yes, take some time to savour the beauty of life- then you'll be renewed to be back in the struggle. I would say the midterms offer a real opportunity to change politics for the better in the US, and here in Canada we will keep on trying to influence the PM. We recently had a success in getting a proposed jet airport for our beautiful waterfront cancelled due to public pressure, so I know public pressure can make the difference.
Anyone who cares about the planet is bitter…I am flat out angry. So I get your frustration and anger…you are not alone. I keep hoping we can turn it around when tRump is gone…🤞🏻
I had to leave Russia for France in 2022, and I thought, hey, this was never the plan, but I can make it work. But now I look at my toddler struggling with tropical freaking nights in Paris and I *know* I have to move again because summer heat here may well be unliveable by the time she’s a teenager. But what if there’s nowhere we can move? Tomorrow I turn as old as the IPCC (born in 1988) and I am so angry my teeth hurt.
I'm in Michigan, too, like the last commenter, and have already written my "are you kidding me?" email to Whitmer and the head of EGLE. Meanwhile, our weekend "up north" with our kids has been ruined by air quality so bad we shouldn't be outside at all. Emily, we hear you, we're with you. Your bitterness is not inappropriate. I've been shouting through every megaphone I can (metaphorically), with a nice smile of course, and I'll keep shouting.
So maddening and so true about the specious and bad faith nature of the "debate" around the climate crisis. But maybe we will soon get to the point, as we have with public opinion around the utter brokenness of our health insurance system, where people's own visceral, daily experience overcomes the manipulation by oligarchs who think they can keep enriching themselves with impunity.
Beautifully stated, and ranted...feel it TOO!!! This is all hitting me hard, the arguments that Canadians haven't 'managed' their forests enough....ARGH. The second-biggest landmass country on Earth and this BS?! I'm enraged. The David Suzuki quote hitting especially hard right now.
I’m already seeing “blame Canada”. I don’t think that the climate change deniers scolding us for poor forest management have any idea of the vastness, remoteness, and inaccessibility of our forests. Given that at least half of wildfires are started by lightning, Smokey the Bear, with his “only YOU can prevent forest fires”, has been proven wrong.
Excellent work... "what are we still waiting to learn?" nails it. But also, putting it in real terms like summer days stolen is the kind of "connecting the dots" that you/we have to do to get people motivated in actually trying to do things to slow and someday maybe reverse climate change. Keep it up!!
Yes, a "stolen day." This smoke is pumping tons of CO2 back in the air, making progress even harder to achieve. We're like the Red Queen in "Alice Through the Looking Glass," running faster and faster just to stay in place.
Thank you so much for expressing what we all feel. I live in Ontario, and our Premier Doug Ford is now promising to buy helicopters and water bombers, having slashed the firefighting budget for this year, and having completely axed our climate plan and climate targets. He is throwing fuel on the fire constantly but getting in the way of our municipal efforts to enforce green buildings (off gas) and retrofits to existing buildings, buildings being our biggest source of emissions in Toronto (meaning fossil gas). We also have a gas plant, our biggest polluter in Toronto. We want to build renewables to cut down on the gas plant and ultimately phase it out. But what does our premier want to do? He wants to expand an airport on our beautiful Toronto Island to bring jets to invade our waterfront, even though we have a new direct train line to the Pearson int'l airport that has lots of jets there. So we have to fight this jet expansion while at the same time we fight all his other stupid ideas, and while we try, through petitions, to get pressure on Ford to introduce a new and more ambitious climate plan. Keep working everyone, its worth it to get back beautiful summer days, for us, and for our kids. Thanks for keeping us informed and motivated!
I also live in Ontario and it’s obvious that Doug Ford and Steven Lecce don’t care about climate change nor protecting the residents of Ontario from its effects.
I wish I could attach a picture here of the orange sun in Boston on Tuesday night while trying to enjoy the tall ships at SailBoston. It was shocking, yet sadly beautiful, and then Wednesday followed up with the whole city smelling like smoke. It's one of those wild moments when the climate havoc from thousands of miles away feels incredibly apparent.
Emily—just reading Heated is so anger and fear-inducing. Writing it must make those emotions a hundred times stronger.
A lot of people—myself included—want to fight fascism and the other ills of our society but in reality don’t end up doing much about it. Your work is actively making a difference. Informing people and continuing to focus on climate matters. Thank you for doing this work, this is the only newsletter I pay for and I do it because I believe in your mission and execution. You’re not alone! 💪
Always here for it, Emily. I appreciate your candor and willingness to keep it real. We had a nice three-day sailing cruise planned this weekend but have postponed and may cancel altogether. Who wants to cruise around the Chesapeake Bay when the AQI is 200? It is sad. And infuriating. To value money over life. Power over a livable future.
Thanks for channeling all the anger and frustration and fear and loathing so many of us fear. To quote the great Yogi Berra, "It's deja vu all over again." And here's another for the cherry on top: "The future just ain't what it used to be." I remember so vividly blogging and protesting and organizing Die-Ins at my college (I'm a retired prof) during the Smokepocalypse in San Francisco on September 9, 2020, which struck mid-covid-pandemic. When it seemed the entire State was feverish with choking lungs and on fire. But Americans (Californians included) have desperately short memories. And short attention spans. So now we watch our brothers and sisters in the Midwest and East suffering much the same fate. And the endless churning cycle of denial and manufactured doubt continues. So true to the spirit of Yogi Berra, I'm organizing die-ins all over again.
You recently sought feedback about the good and meh of your content. This. This is the anger we need more of. You are a prophetic voice. Keep it up! 💪🏾💯
And to add insult to injury, our governor’s administration in Michigan just granted permits to Enbridge for a tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac - infrastructure whose purpose is to perpetuate the use of fossil fuels for another 99 years. She ignored the science, 70,000 public comments from her citizens, trod over indigenous treaty rights, went back on her own promise that helped get her elected, … either because she was bought off or she has higher political ambitions and this was the way to go not to ruffle major donors. It makes you sick, especially when we are already sick from the smoke from a burning planet.
Apparently a court just ruled against that tunnel - do I have that correct? just saw it on X. And yes it is very concerning that she turned her back on her campaign promise.
Yes! The Michigan Supreme Court made a momentous decision regarding the Great Lakes and the people who care for them. They cancelled the tunnel permit and remanded it back for a more comprehensive assessment, taking into account the public trust doctrine and the impact of a de-facto 99-year extension of the existing 73-year old pipeline’s life.
Eloquently ranted! I feel the same. Looking at pics of northern Ontario ablaze reminds me of driving out west in 1988; my first year tree planting. I learned about the mountain pine beetle outbreak that summer…and the reasons this endemic beetle’s numbers exploded.
It was my first summer job in university…taking environmental studies…writing letters, occupying politician’s offices, blockading forestry roads, learning about Indigenous Peoples’ rights and history, joining more protests, “acting locally”, “being the change you want to see”, getting solar panels, eventually an EV, making the “lifestyle changes”, “being FOR things rather than always against…”, “investing for good”, etc. etc. And I can only conclude: it has made no notable dent in our trajectory. Now I and my co-strugglers are trying to stop a friggin’ GENOCIDE being live streamed every day and even that is considered by the average person “too political”. FFS, is ranting all we have left???
😤😤
I have to be honest, my climate engagement has really collapsed over the last year, and I feel so much shame about it. But I'm just so tired, and angry, and heartbroken. I made so many calls to my state reps and to the governor in New York earlier this year, pleading to not roll back the climate law here. Hochul did it anyway, and the legislature let her do it. At a certain point I just don't know what to say to people who'd rather have money and power than, idk, a planet to live on. I know I'll get back to taking action soon - I want to - but it's a LOT right now. I want to spend my summer picking berries and going to the beach and whale-watching. Instead it's either too hot, too smoky, or both, to go outside. I would like to stop being robbed blind of my time, money, and beautiful home planet, thanks!
I totally understand the discouragement. We feel the same way in Canada having elected a Prime Minister (Carney) who understands the climate crisis and even talked about keeping oil in the ground in his book from 2015 on Values. But he's a banker, and he wants to keep Canada together, and so has caved on the pressure from Alberta to approve a new pipeline. Not only approve it, we will have to pay for it (90% public finance) which he promised he wouldn't do. But we carry on. In September we will be challenging him and doing a program on what we need to finance in order to Build Canada Better. But yes, take some time to savour the beauty of life- then you'll be renewed to be back in the struggle. I would say the midterms offer a real opportunity to change politics for the better in the US, and here in Canada we will keep on trying to influence the PM. We recently had a success in getting a proposed jet airport for our beautiful waterfront cancelled due to public pressure, so I know public pressure can make the difference.
Anyone who cares about the planet is bitter…I am flat out angry. So I get your frustration and anger…you are not alone. I keep hoping we can turn it around when tRump is gone…🤞🏻
I had to leave Russia for France in 2022, and I thought, hey, this was never the plan, but I can make it work. But now I look at my toddler struggling with tropical freaking nights in Paris and I *know* I have to move again because summer heat here may well be unliveable by the time she’s a teenager. But what if there’s nowhere we can move? Tomorrow I turn as old as the IPCC (born in 1988) and I am so angry my teeth hurt.
I'm in Michigan, too, like the last commenter, and have already written my "are you kidding me?" email to Whitmer and the head of EGLE. Meanwhile, our weekend "up north" with our kids has been ruined by air quality so bad we shouldn't be outside at all. Emily, we hear you, we're with you. Your bitterness is not inappropriate. I've been shouting through every megaphone I can (metaphorically), with a nice smile of course, and I'll keep shouting.
So maddening and so true about the specious and bad faith nature of the "debate" around the climate crisis. But maybe we will soon get to the point, as we have with public opinion around the utter brokenness of our health insurance system, where people's own visceral, daily experience overcomes the manipulation by oligarchs who think they can keep enriching themselves with impunity.
Beautifully stated, and ranted...feel it TOO!!! This is all hitting me hard, the arguments that Canadians haven't 'managed' their forests enough....ARGH. The second-biggest landmass country on Earth and this BS?! I'm enraged. The David Suzuki quote hitting especially hard right now.
I’m already seeing “blame Canada”. I don’t think that the climate change deniers scolding us for poor forest management have any idea of the vastness, remoteness, and inaccessibility of our forests. Given that at least half of wildfires are started by lightning, Smokey the Bear, with his “only YOU can prevent forest fires”, has been proven wrong.
Excellent work... "what are we still waiting to learn?" nails it. But also, putting it in real terms like summer days stolen is the kind of "connecting the dots" that you/we have to do to get people motivated in actually trying to do things to slow and someday maybe reverse climate change. Keep it up!!
Yes, a "stolen day." This smoke is pumping tons of CO2 back in the air, making progress even harder to achieve. We're like the Red Queen in "Alice Through the Looking Glass," running faster and faster just to stay in place.
Thank you so much for expressing what we all feel. I live in Ontario, and our Premier Doug Ford is now promising to buy helicopters and water bombers, having slashed the firefighting budget for this year, and having completely axed our climate plan and climate targets. He is throwing fuel on the fire constantly but getting in the way of our municipal efforts to enforce green buildings (off gas) and retrofits to existing buildings, buildings being our biggest source of emissions in Toronto (meaning fossil gas). We also have a gas plant, our biggest polluter in Toronto. We want to build renewables to cut down on the gas plant and ultimately phase it out. But what does our premier want to do? He wants to expand an airport on our beautiful Toronto Island to bring jets to invade our waterfront, even though we have a new direct train line to the Pearson int'l airport that has lots of jets there. So we have to fight this jet expansion while at the same time we fight all his other stupid ideas, and while we try, through petitions, to get pressure on Ford to introduce a new and more ambitious climate plan. Keep working everyone, its worth it to get back beautiful summer days, for us, and for our kids. Thanks for keeping us informed and motivated!
I also live in Ontario and it’s obvious that Doug Ford and Steven Lecce don’t care about climate change nor protecting the residents of Ontario from its effects.
I wish I could attach a picture here of the orange sun in Boston on Tuesday night while trying to enjoy the tall ships at SailBoston. It was shocking, yet sadly beautiful, and then Wednesday followed up with the whole city smelling like smoke. It's one of those wild moments when the climate havoc from thousands of miles away feels incredibly apparent.
Emily—just reading Heated is so anger and fear-inducing. Writing it must make those emotions a hundred times stronger.
A lot of people—myself included—want to fight fascism and the other ills of our society but in reality don’t end up doing much about it. Your work is actively making a difference. Informing people and continuing to focus on climate matters. Thank you for doing this work, this is the only newsletter I pay for and I do it because I believe in your mission and execution. You’re not alone! 💪
Always here for it, Emily. I appreciate your candor and willingness to keep it real. We had a nice three-day sailing cruise planned this weekend but have postponed and may cancel altogether. Who wants to cruise around the Chesapeake Bay when the AQI is 200? It is sad. And infuriating. To value money over life. Power over a livable future.
Thanks for channeling all the anger and frustration and fear and loathing so many of us fear. To quote the great Yogi Berra, "It's deja vu all over again." And here's another for the cherry on top: "The future just ain't what it used to be." I remember so vividly blogging and protesting and organizing Die-Ins at my college (I'm a retired prof) during the Smokepocalypse in San Francisco on September 9, 2020, which struck mid-covid-pandemic. When it seemed the entire State was feverish with choking lungs and on fire. But Americans (Californians included) have desperately short memories. And short attention spans. So now we watch our brothers and sisters in the Midwest and East suffering much the same fate. And the endless churning cycle of denial and manufactured doubt continues. So true to the spirit of Yogi Berra, I'm organizing die-ins all over again.
You recently sought feedback about the good and meh of your content. This. This is the anger we need more of. You are a prophetic voice. Keep it up! 💪🏾💯
Thank you!