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  • Currently in NYC — October 4, 2023: Turning up the heat

Currently in NYC — October 4, 2023: Turning up the heat

Plus, could a coalition Speaker of the House avoid a shutdown?

The weather, currently.

Summer, is that you?

Let’s turn up the heat even more! We make a run at the mid 80s tomorrow which will feel even warmer in the sunshine. Clouds will be hard to spot as we enjoy a day that is 10-15 degrees above normal for this time of year. It would be a beautiful beach day if it wasn’t a Wednesday. Absorb it all because a week from today we’re looking at temperatures that could be 25 degrees cooler! I’ve been waiting to break out my beanies though, so I’m kind of looking forward to it. Anyway, enjoy the warmth!

Bike Forecast:

9 out of 10

What you need to know, currently.

A US government shutdown just become more likely — again.

On Tuesday, the House of Representatives voted out their leader for the first time in national history. What comes next isn’t readily apparent.

While the House is in a chaos of their own making, no business will get done. And the deal to stop a shutdown last weekend gave only a 45-day window — until November 17th — to formulate and pass funding bills for the entirety of the federal government.

The Washington Post has a good overview (gift link) of all the effects on the environment, climate, and weather operations of the federal government if the government shuts down. Some highlights:

Less enforcement of clean air and water protections. Closure of national parks and other public lands. Interruption of some environmental cleanups. Delays in new federal rules aimed at boosting clean energy.

Those are some of the potential effects of a federal shutdown — consequences that could compound the longer Congress is unable to agree on a way to keep the government operating.

While we are in the middle of an escalating climate emergency, having a functioning federal government is in everyone’s best interest — it helps direct disaster aid, it helps coordinate greenhouse gas regulations, it can stimulate investment in renewable energy.

There’s also a scenario in all this mess that Republicans effectively lose control of the House — and form a coalition government with Democrats — something that has hardly ever been tested in national American politics but is common in other parts of the world. Here’s hoping.

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: