the d.c. climate rally “every day counts,” was hosted in collaboration with more than 30 climate advocacy groups. attendees held signs such as “stop oil now,” “green new deal now,” and “off fossil fuels,” while chanting “yolo joe” and “climate justice now.” speakers urged president joe biden to enforce stricter climate regulations and pardon climate activists — and to do it now.

acting at an inflection point

keanu arpels-josiah, a youth organizer with fridays for future nyc, the group founded by greta thunberg in 2018, urged the crowd to demand actions like designating federal lands as off-limits for drilling, canceling new oil and gas projects, and reallocating mass transit funding from the ira and bipartisan infrastructure law. 

hours after the 2024 presidential election was called for donald trump, the biden administration announced limitations to oil drilling in alaska’s arctic national wildlife refuge. although the leasing of land in the refuge for oil is mandated under a 2017 law, signed by then-president trump, biden’s outgoing government moved to lease the bare minimum amount of land before the deadline of the end of the year.

but protestors at sunday’s rally remained anxious about the signals from the incoming administration.

arpels-josiah criticized trump’s nomination of chris wright, an oil and gas executive, to lead the department of energy, calling him a “fossil fuel ceo.” he also condemned trump’s choice for epa administrator, former new york republican representative lee zeldin, describing him as a “deregulatory champion” whose plans would “tear apart” the future of the planet.  

“that ain’t right,” arpels-josiah said. “that’s not the future we deserve.”

in a post on x, wright has defended his appointment to lead the department of energy, claiming he would “better human lives” by ensuring energy is “affordable, reliable, and secure.” in a video posted on linkedin, wright denied climate change: “there is no climate crisis and we’re not in the midst of an energy transition either.” 

zeldin, trump’s pick for epa administrator, pledged in a post on x to restore “energy dominance” while ensuring access to clean air and water. he also criticized biden for canceling the keystone xl pipeline, a proposed extension of an oil pipeline system running between canada and the united states.

trump, through his agenda47 and the republican national committee platforms, has pledged to undo biden’s climate policies. his plans include withdrawing from the paris climate accords again, restarting oil production in recently restricted areas, and pulling away funding from the inflation reduction act. 

charting the path forward

keya chatterjee, executive director of the us climate action network, also spoke at the rally. she warned attendees against participating in “anticipatory obedience,” which she described as abandoning the fight against climate change out of fear that a second trump administration will roll back regulations. 

“we are not going to anticipate in fear and not do things,” chatterjee said. “we’re going to live big and we’re going to do big.” 

among the rally participants, mechanical engineer nick tatnall, 29, said trump’s appointments reflect his self-serving interests. tatnall’s own passion for the environment was sparked by visiting national parks, and he expressed concerns that a second trump administration will weaken regulations and expand drilling on public lands.

“i just hope the next four years are not as bad as we think they will be,” he said.

julia barnes, 30, a podcast producer, said she had hoped vice president kamala harris would win the election but was not surprised by trump’s victory. barnes criticized trump’s track record on the environment. 

“climate is incredibly low on his agenda,” she said, adding that her biggest fear is seeing no progress on climate issues for another four years.

organizers said that through the event more than 470 people signed up to participate in training, movement-building efforts, and continued organizing over the next 60 days, with plans to sustain their actions through trump’s inauguration.

a century ago, tens of thousands of people would swim in its waters on hot summer days. however, since the 1970s, swimming in the river has been illegal due to pollution concerns, and advocates now argue that it is time to change what they call archaic laws.

in 1965, president lyndon b. johnson labeled the potomac a “national disgrace” while also championing its restoration. the clean water act of 1972 aimed to make all american waterways fishable and swimmable, and subsequent efforts, such as dc water’s clean rivers project, have made significant strides in improving water quality. local government officials have expressed optimism that some parts of the potomac will be open for swimming by 2030.

“the ban” focuses on the complex history pertaining to swimming in the potomac river and the debates on how to open it up for swimming again. dean naujoks, a potomac riverkeeper, claims that certain parts of the potomac are currently safe for swimming up to 90 percent of the time. denis crean, an open water swimmer, even defies the ban and runs programs promoting the use of the river for wellness practices such as “wim hof techniques” to address mental and physical health issues. despite push backs from law enforcement, he continues to advocate for change. meanwhile, jonathan champion, the associate director of the water quality division in the d.c. department of energy and environment, expresses cautious optimism about lifting the ban, but emphasizes the need for continued testing, which is often hampered by bureaucratic constraints and budget cuts.

decades of prohibition have left a lingering perception of the river as dirty and unsafe for swimming, despite significant improvements in water quality. the lack of awareness about such advancements, coupled with the enduring stigma of pollution, may deter some people from embracing the idea of swimming in the potomac once more. as discussions about reopening the potomac for those who wish to swim in its waters intensifies, addressing concerns and effectively communicating the strides made in environmental restoration will be crucial in building public confidence.

thayer’s comedic timing and dyed hair may throw some people off who are used to suited pundits or images of scientists in lab coats. but these features are just scratching the surface of why she has struck a chord with nearly 200,000 followers on instagram. 

communicating climate online

across the internet, climate change coverage often comprises dire warnings and complex scientific explanations. while such forms of expression have an important purpose, comedy can also attract attention to the climate crisis.

hazel thayer, a climate activist, video creator, and amateur stand-up comedian, has set out to reshape the narrative on climate issues. her unique approach involves simplifying complex problems by focusing on tangible solutions while also intertwining humor with environmental activism.

thayer’s journey towards environmental activism originated with her frustration in the one-dimensional focus on science in climate communication and her realization that she wanted a different outlet to address climate issues. she was already engaging with friends in conversations on climate aspects, in a manner that combined seriousness and comedy, as she explained when i interviewed her. 

recognizing the difficulties of understanding critical aspects pertaining to the climate crisis, such as government policy or economic implications, thayer embarked on a mission to make intricate climate topics relatable through humor.

she eventually decided to create her own social media accounts focusing on climate change, including a tiktok account that has amassed 128,000 followers. because of her growing popularity on social media, she was approached to create two online web series, namely “the climate breakdown” with the weather network and “unf*cking the planet” with pique action.

when asked how she goes about creating content on climate change, thayer stated that she would look at complex words thinking, “how would a regular person describe this?”

bringing the conversation into the real world

because her work has resonated so well with youth, she has recently partnered with reservoir: center for water solutions in washington, d.c. which has a special interest in youth education. on feb. 8, she served as the keynote speaker for a reservoir event, titled “careers for change: climate action” which was geared towards college students and young professionals. students were later able to network with several industry professionals in attendance including thayer.

according to thayer, getting involved in the climate movement doesn’t require becoming a climate scientist or an environmental lawyer. as she emphasizes, “there’s a lot of different ways to get involved.” she is convinced that the climate crisis can only be addressed if fairness is a key consideration. in her view, “anything that kind of improves living standards and equality will wind up helping the climate as well.”

in her keynote speech, thayer honed in on the intricate connection between economic disparity and climate change. she highlighted the disproportionate contribution of the world’s wealthiest people to climate change, as compared to the global poor and the middle classes.

as thayer stated, the challenge has shifted from having to convince people of the reality of climate change to seeking to foster an agreement on viable solutions. her central argument revolves around the idea that creating a more equitable economy is intrinsic to addressing climate issues.

youth voices come to the forefront

thayer’s journey, from expressing her climate concerns to friends to becoming a prominent figure in online climate activism, while injecting humor into the conversation, showcases the myriad ways in which young people can contribute to addressing the climate crisis.

“already, young people are figuring it out that it’s kind of about speaking up and being annoying about climate,” thayer said in an interview.

thayer’s unique blend of comedy and activism is meant to inspire others to find their own pathways to activism and pursue their own climate action, as she recounts instances in which people credited her for their presence at the 2023 march to end fossil fuels.

by turning serious issues into comedic content, she has effectively captured the attention of a younger audience, injecting new life into the climate change conversation. often times, a good laugh can be a step toward positive change.

on aug. 25, the embassy of the united arab emirates (uae) in washington, d.c., collaborated with the mohammed bin rashid space centre (mbrsc) and the national aeronautics and space administration (nasa) to host a live video call and an audience q&a session featuring uae and u.s. astronauts currently aboard the international space station (iss).

the event, hosted in the jack morton auditorium by uae ambassador to the u.s. yousef al otaiba, and attended by senior officials from mbrsc and nasa, underscored the significance of space exploration and research in advancing climate science.

in recent years, the partnership between the uae and the united states in aeronautics research has grown stronger. uae astronauts are actively training at nasa’s johnson space center in houston, texas, and participating in iss missions.

during the event, uae astronaut sultan alneyadi and nasa astronaut warren ‘woody’ hoburg shared their reflections on their experiences aboard the iss as part of nasa’s spacex crew-6 mission, nearing the end of their sixth month in the orbital laboratory.

alneyadi’s recent accomplishments, including becoming the longest-serving arab astronaut in space and conducting the historic first arab spacewalk in april, have earned international recognition. the uae is among only nine other countries that have conducted a spacewalk from the iss.

prior to the video call, a panel discussion was moderated by american comedian and tv personality steve harvey, delving into the collaborative efforts between the uae and the u.s. in the field of space exploration. the panel featured insights from salem almarri, director general of mbrsc; karen feldstein, associate administrator for international and interagency relations at nasa; and hazzaa almansoori, the uae’s inaugural astronaut.

this event marked the conclusion of the mbrsc’s ‘a call from space’ series, which engaged diverse audiences across the uae and the united states throughout alneyadi’s mission aboard the iss.

following the event, emirati engineer and the uae’s first female astronaut, nora al matrooshi, and adnan al rais, the program manager of mars 2117 at mbrsc, discussed their thoughts on climate change and space exploration, which can be viewed below:

sligo creek, which partially runs through silver spring, maryland, is situated within a densely populated and urbanized region and as a result has experienced a deterioration in water quality. rebecca hale, ph.d., director of the watershed science lab at the smithsonian environmental research center, discusses her upcoming research endeavors pertaining to urban streams and water quality. according to hale, the key to keeping these streams as clean as possible is the equitable distribution of best management practices regardless of the stream’s community.