Welcome back, Shit Givers.

In brief: Democracy on the brink; Two different kinds of killer heat; Delta’s COVID prognosis; CRISPR’s brand new day; Feeding America; Twitter goes HAM on AI ethics

This Week

It’s been a rough week.

For folks who fear losing a reliable, temperate climate, and for defenders of democracy, the least bad form of government discovered thus far.

The Venn diagram of these two groups is more entwined than ever, and there’s about zero chance we get transformational action on the climate crisis without an overhaul of the democratic process in the United States.

With all the infrastructure bullshit, and after the Supreme Court dissected the Voting Rights Act just little bit more on Thursday morning, everything feels kind of FUBAR.

But despite the near-success of fascist, minority rule in the US, and a crippling heat wave and floods crushing the US and Canadian west coast -- this thing's not over yet.

Thus, I’m proud that INI’s signed on as an official partner with groups like Indivisible, 350, Sierra Club, and Vote.org in the Deadline for Democracy project.

The For the People Act is a comprehensive piece of legislation that will transform the very foundation of our democracy -- if we let it.

If passed, it would protect every American’s freedom to vote, end partisan gerrymandering, curtail the dominance of big money in politics -- and help slow the climate crisis, too..

My allegiances aren't to any one party. I'm dedicated to irrevocable human rights, to equity in access and participation, to the progress of the human race through empathy and science, and the protection of the natural ecosystems with which we share this single habitable planet.

For the moment, the party most likely -- though certainly not guaranteed -- to fight for these values, and to extend them, is the very big tent Democrats.

That's suject to change at really any moment, but the clock's ticking, and that's why we’re participating in a mass mobilization June 28th - to July 10th (the Congressional July recess, which, frankly, should be held in one of America’s finest redlined city blocks), asking activists across the country to host and join national, local, and virtual events in their communities.

The goal?

To show massive grassroots support of the For the People Act.

The moment is now, Shit Givers.

We’ve got one year to get major climate action done. One year. And while the “green vortex” has made huge strides in clean energy over the past decade, this week’s climate news proves we’ve got a long, long way to go.

We don’t slow the crisis by cancelling oil. We do it by dismantling the power structures that keep fossil fuels and the politicians paid by them in power, and using the unmatched scale of government in procurement, in creating marketes, and in outcome-based budgeting to decarbonize and go negative.

There’s a Deadline for Democracy, and it’s right fucking now. Let’s Do Better Better.

Climate Change & Clean Energy

What’s a dew point, anyways?

Understand this: A devastating, historic “heat dome”, exacerbated by (this very early moment in) the climate crisis, has crushed the west coast of North America, leading to fires, worsening drought, further crop loss, toxic smoke, and death.

Fun fact: the only reason it didn’t get hotter than it did this week is because of the (again, stupid toxic) wildfire smoke itself.

To paraphrase meteorologist Eric Holthaus: the Canadian heat wave was so strong it created wildfire conditions, and when the inevitable fires started, they created thunderstorms, and those are so strong, they created 700,000 lightning bolts that’ve SPARKED MORE FIRES (and here’s what that looks like).

So that's the west coast.

Not to be left out, New York City’s facing its own heat and blackout conditions, and sent citizens an emergency text to please conserve power -- most notably, A/C.

Great news: It worked.

This is adaptation in practice. Like the leaked next IPCC report details, the climate hay’s in the barn, for at least the next few decades.

We have to fight the fight, heal this planet, and simultaneously adapt in a real way.

And that means also understanding the other kind of deadly heat.

To simplify: We don’t cool down by sweating. We cool down when the sweat on our skin evaporates.

And if it’s too humid because the dew point is too high, the sweat doesn’t evaporate, our inner core temp climbs, our salt gets out of whack, and bad things happen.

There’s more good news, outside of learning how to adapt.

• Fossil fuel companies are being exposed for their lies and crimes, and losing board seats, court judgements, and profits
• Methane, now exposed as one of the most powerful contributors to warming, is easier than ever to identify, and cancel
• With increased heat, more humans will want air conditioning. A/C, is unfortunately, no bueno for the atmosphere. Thankfully, we already have a fantastic replacement: heat pumps.

To make a serious dent, we need more Shit Givers.

Often, and unfortunately, people come to us after recently and personally being affected by the climate crisis, ready to pull every lever available to slow it.

And a large study showed that hot, dry days “significantly increase individuals’ perceptions that they have personally experienced global warming”.

These dry extremes have become more common in the US southwest.

To be clear: this is bad. Millions are suffering. Entire towns are gone.

I'd rather never do this job again then gain more folks who've lost someone, who been personally affected by the crisis, or COVID, or hunger.

But this is all real: if you do know someone who's been recently affected, wherever they live (because global climate action isn’t going anywhere with the US accomplishing our fair share), who’s ready to drive systemic change -- you know where to send them.

⚡️ Action Step: We won’t make generational, definitive change without saving democracy first. Find or host an event with Deadline for Democracy right here.

COVID

Delta force

Understand this: The Delta variant is very much here.

Let’s clear some things up, by way of the invaluable Ed Yong at The Atlantic:

• If you’re vaccinated with any of the EULA-approved vaccines, you’re fine.
• “Fine” means two-doses of Pfizer is still 88% effective at preventing symptomatic infection, and 96% effective at preventing hospitalization.
• If you’ve got AZ? Consider an booster.

On the other hand: There’s never been a more dangerous moment for unvaccinated (whether by choice, discrimination, or because you’re immunocompromised) people than this very moment.

The unvaccinated in the UK, India, Australia, and Africa, where just 1% of the population has been vaccinated, are getting crushed.

And there lies our biggest problem: like the climate crisis, COVID-19 knows no borders.

Every potential human host is an opportunity to not only infect, but to mutate, and possibly, eventually, infect the vaccinated.

There’s never been a better time for countries and localities to improve contact tracing, rapid testing, and ventilation.

⚡️ Action Step: Traveling this summer? The US-Canada border is still closed, but domestic travel is an option -- for now. Here’s how to do it -- safely.

Medicine & Biotech

And then there were six

Understand this: It’s a big (big) week for CRISPR.

From Nature:

“Preliminary results from a landmark clinical trial suggest that CRISPR–Cas9 gene editing can be deployed directly into the body to treat disease.

The study is the first to show that the technique can be safe and effective if the CRISPR–Cas9 components — in this case targeting a protein that is made mainly in the liver — are infused into the bloodstream. In the trial, six people with a rare and fatal condition called transthyretin amyloidosis received a single treatment with the gene-editing therapy.

All experienced a drop in the level of a misshapen protein associated with the disease. Those who received the higher of two doses tested saw levels of the protein, called TTR, decline by an average of 87%.”

What it means: We’re suddenly in a brand new era.

“Previous results from CRISPR–Cas9 clinical trials have suggested that the technique can be used in cells that have been removed from the body. The cells are edited and then reinfused back into study participants.

But to be able to edit genes directly in the body would open the door to treating a wider range of diseases.”

⚡️ Action Step: Go deeper on CRISPR with our fan-favorite conversation with Professor C. Brandon Ogbunu (“Big Data Kane”), one of the world’s most vital researchers on disease and evolutionary biology.

Food & Water

SNAP’d

Understand this: Because America is addicted to work, 25 states are cancelling increased SNAP benefits and expanded unemployment insurance months before they’re scheduled to end.

What it means: More people will go hungry -- in May alone, 19 million Americans said they didn’t have enough food for the week.

All because some governors believe (incorrectly) these meager allowances are keeping people from working -- forgetting the jobs they left are the brutal, underpaid frontlines jobs we clapped out the windows for just a few months ago.

⚡️ Action Step: Google claims searches for “food bank near me”, “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)”, “food stamps application” and “school lunch pick up” all peaked last year, which is a great sign for a country theoretically committed to life, liberty, happiness, etc.

So Google -- in partnership with the excellent No Kid Hungry, FoodFinder, and the US Department of Ag -- launched a “Find Food Support” tool, to more easily source your nearest food bank, pantry, or school lunch program.

Share it with your city council, school board, church, swim team, NextDoor, and work.

AI

Twitter’s new leaf

Understand this: Social media can be...how to put this...an unpleasant place to be.

Twitter’s attempting to change that.

An all-female ethics Avengers of sorts is assembling into machine learning engineer Ari Font’s new META (Machine Learning, Ethics, Transparency and Accountability) team.

On board:

• Dr. Rumman Chowdhury, beloved for her commitment to algorithmic auditing, will bring own startup to the party
• Dr. Kristian Lum, a University of Pennsylvania professor who builds machine-learning models to reshape criminal justice
• And Dr. Sarah Roberts, co-director of the Center for Critical Internet Inquiry at UCLA

What it means: If this all sounds weird it’s because Google has done the complete opposite, and Facebook’s still recommending political groups to users, despite pledging to stop.

Let's be real:

Twitter can alternate between cesspool and invaluable tool on an hourly basis, so they’ve got a long way to go. We’ll keep an eye on it for you, and report back.

⚡️ Action Step: AI (or at least, machine learning) will touch every industry, and soon.

Your company can get ahead on AI ethics by embracing transparency (inside and outside your org) and building a methodological, values-driven approach. Here’s one playbook from the founder of the Montreal AI Ethics Institute to read, annotate, and share.

The Round Up

Does Grail’s magical cancer blood test finally, actually work?

Here’s the latest on vaccine passports in every US state.

The world has land use issues. America really has land use issues, including eight parking spaces for every car.

Scratch that, California won’t spend nearly as much on wildfire prevention as advertised

The long-advertised Pacific Northwest megaquake will come, some day. Can this little ship predict how bad it’ll be?

If you want to electrify (and harden) your house against overheated grids, make a plan with Electrify Now and see if Electrum’s services are live in your area

An Indonesian mapping platform is turning social media chatter into life-saving information during natural disasters

Honda’s dropping two new EV’s

Controversial deep sea mining is a go

A new African oilfield threatens 130,000 elephants -- or fully 1/3 of remaining African elephants.

Allbirds published their net-zero plan. And not surprisingly, it’s an actual plan!

Important Jobs

Every week, we share Featured roles from Important Jobs right here in the newsletter.

Our friends at HotHouse wrote a piece on how to re-career for climate, among others.

Also: LinkedIn’s job-matching AI is biased AF. I curate every one of these myself.

Hiring and want to get your open role in front of our incredible community? Submit a Featured role here.

• AI/ML Data Scientist, GiveDirectly
• Country Director, GiveDirectly
• US Senior Program Manager, GiveDirectly
• Full Stack Software Developer, Joro

Browse 40+ open roles, or add your own at ImportantJobs.com.

Important Pod Guests - In The News

Dr. Beronda Montgomery was named a fellow of the American Society of Plant Biologists

Akshat Rathi on Volkswagen’s efforts to catch Tesla in the EV race

Yesim Sayin Taylor explains DC’s heat islands

Leah Penniman and Soul Fire Farm were featured in the Washington Post

Dr. Julia Steinberger co-published a new paper describing how we can provide decent living standards for all while reducing global energy use

Bren Smith was featured in The Economist for his work to bring kelp farming to American shores

Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson has answers for how to buy sustainable seafood

Thanks for reading, and thanks for giving a shit.

-- Quinn