Currently in Philadelphia — October 5, 2023: Still warm, but cooling down

The weather, currently.

I was stuck at the computer literally all day yesterday, but the weather looked perfect through my bedroom window. Today will be more humid and about 5 degrees cooler than yesterday, topping out at 79˚F. Cooler and humid-er means the possibility of dew and light fog in the early morning, so don’t do what I did at a festival this summer and leave your most expensive musical instrument sitting out all night. Later in the day, we’ll start seeing some clouds roll in, and the wind will start to pick up, a little foreshadowing for some light showers which are expected to arrive tomorrow.

— Abe Musselman

What you need to know, currently.

Pope Francis, the spiritual leader of more than a billion Christians worldwide, has issued a forceful new call for bold climate action.

The document is addressed specifically to the world’s wealthy and privileged, particularly in the US and Europe, to show compassion for people around the world who have done little to cause the climate emergency and who are already feeling its effects profoundly.

“Our responses have not been adequate, while the world in which we live is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point,” he wrote.

The Pope called for a transition away from lifestyles of consumption and extraction and towards a more ecologically-focused society. His message is timely as the world prepares to gather in Dubai for the latest global climate negotiations next month.

In 2015, Pope Francis made a similar appeal in advance of the Paris climate accords, and was widely credited at helping steer the conversation away from the impersonal numbers and scientific debate towards justice and social progress.

— Eric Holthaus

What you can do, currently.

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One of my favorite organizations, Mutual Aid Disaster Relief, serves as a hub of mutual aid efforts focused on climate action in emergencies — like hurricane season. Find mutual aid network near you and join, or donate to support existing networks: