After a year-long week, I hope everyone is breathing easier this morning. I worried the final call would feel anticlimactic after the drawn-out decision, but I can’t express how happy it made me to scroll through my feed and see the streets of NYC, L.A., and other major cities across the country dancing and celebrating.
What I’m reading
Ayana Elizabeth Johnson Is the Climate Leader We Need: The marine biologist has become a leading voice in the movement by deftly communicating what few people understand: that cleaning up the planet requires a commitment to social justice. [Bonnie Tsui for Outside]
Water Is Life: “The story of the Navajo people is written into these landscapes, and we are reminded in our songs of this connection. But we are also living on a warming planet. For the many tribes in the Southwest, the future of the ecosystems and the cultural traditions that depend upon snowpacks and snowmelt is also uncertain. The loss of snow will inevitably impact ceremonial cycles, languages and sacred histories.” [Len Necefer for Alpinist]
DOI Is Already Undermining the Great American Outdoors Act: With a key list of Land and Water Conservation Fund projects missing, political subterfuge threatens the bipartisan legislative achievement. [Wes Siler for Outside]
Biden Won the Election. Now Can He Save the Planet? The stakes have never been higher. The United States is responsible for approximately 15 percent of the carbon dioxide spewing into the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels. Without dramatic action to slash those emissions in the coming years, the globe is expected to face dangerous levels of warming, combined with heat waves, runaway floods, and catastrophic wildfires. [Shannon Osaka for Grist]
How LGBTQ+ Surfers Are Creating a More Inclusive Surf Culture: A look at surfing’s fraught history and those working to change its future. [Todd Prodanovich for Surfer]
Is It Safe for a Woman to Adventure Solo? (Yes.) Feel safe and embrace your time outdoors alone. [Blair Braverman for Outside]
Why Environmentalists Are Reclaiming Patriotism: Taking care of our planet shouldn't be a partisan issue. These activist-athletes think the flag might help bridge the divide. [Adam Skolnick for Outside]
Hunting for Myself in the High Montana Sagebrush: A hunter celebrates a new vision of queerness and rural culture. [Sarah Keller for High Country News]
