No. 98, Sept. 19, 2019

Hello Revelator readers,

As people across the country prepare to take to the streets tomorrow for the Youth Climate Strike, we spoke with best-selling author and activist Naomi Klein about how the political landscape is changing and what's at stake for our climate. Read the interview here.

The effects of climate change vary by location. This week we looked at how the loss of sea ice in Alaska means new threats for Pacific walruses and new challenges for Alaska Native artists.

For the tokay gecko, trafficking is the biggest threat to survival. But that could improve after a ruling at last month's CITES meeting on international trade in endangered species, which is expected to benefit both the gecko and the countries where it lives. Here are the details.

Often the fate of a species comes down to politics. Efforts have been underway for years to restore grizzly populations in the North Cascades, but how will Trump's rollbacks to the Endangered Species Act complicate these plans? Here's what we found.

Words matter, too. That's the message of this new essay that explores why the language we use is central to the battle to save our rivers and waterways.

Subscriber bonus: The Wild 5

Let's go a little deeper. Here are five additional stories we're watching this week.

1. The Trump administration rescinded California's authority to set stricter auto-emissions standards — a move that will have sweeping consequences across the country if California's expected legal challenge is defeated.

2. Who killed the electric car … again? Oil-industry-backed groups are waging a battle to upend efforts by utilities to build electric-vehicle charging stations.

3. Representatives for the University of California system announced that its $13.7 billion endowment fund and $70 billion pension fund will be free of fossil fuel investments, citing these assets as a "financial risk."

4. An internal National Park Service report revealed that border-wall construction in Arizona's Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument could destroy 22 archaeological sites.

5. As a week of climate activism begins, here's a look at the young faces leading the way.

In case you missed it:

Environmental activism can be galvanizing — but at times it can also be dangerous. Here's a sobering reminder.

What should we cover next?

Our stories rely on insight from experts and readers around the world, so we always welcome your ideas and inside scoops. Drop us a line anytime.

Coming up:

We're hard at work on new articles and essays, including a look at the unexpected downsides of conservation success, the legal limbo of climate refugees, and what the border wall means for desert water and wildlife.

Look for our latest links in next week's newsletter — or follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the headlines as they go live. We share other news there, too, so please join us and keep the discussion going.

As always, thank you for reading.