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Dear Reader,

The air in New York City carried the telltale sign of an impending storm. This weekend, a gusty nor’easter is sweeping across the East Coast, bringing the threat of flooding, heavy rain and strong winds to the city and millions of people along the coast.

The storm arrives as New York Climate Week draws to a close, with researchers, scientists, artists and policymakers gathering to discuss the climate emergency and the increased frequency and intensity of disasters — ironically, much like this one.

Alongside topics such as the expanding footprint of data centers, energy and food security and disaster preparedness, especially for local and marginalized communities, were featured heavily in the talks. Speaking at an event, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani highlighted the unequal burden of extreme weather.

“We've been in office for close to 10 months. And in that time, one out of three days, we have been in a flash flood emergency. And that is staggering to me because it is a distillation of the fact that the climate crisis is fundamentally changing our day-to-day realities,” he says. 

As we have highlighted in our reporting, marginalized communities are often among those most vulnerable to climate shocks. In New York, that disproportionately means communities of color, particularly Latino and Black communities, as Mamdani put it. Stories on climate change don’t paint a complete picture if they fail to illustrate how discrimination often exaggerates the impacts of a disaster. 

Follow us for more reporting that unearths more than what meets the eye.

Warmly,
Pragathi Ravi
Editing and Fact-Checking Intern

⛓️ THE XYLOM SYNDICATES: The ‘Lionesses’ Who Sued To Get Air Conditioning in Every Texas Prison — And Won

A group led by formerly incarcerated women spent years advocating for those trapped inside prison walls during Texas’ hot summers. This week, a federal judge ruled that the state must air-condition all Texas prisons by the end of 2029.

This story was first published by The 19th. Read more here.

🌞 NEWS BEHIND THE NEWS

• ✏️ Zoe Beketova, our Summer 2026 Editorial Intern, is returning as our Editorial Fellow. Welcome back, Zoe!

• 🟢 Congrats to our contributor Saugat Bolakhe for being elected to the board of the National Association of Science Writers! Joining him on the board will be our Advisory Board member, Priyanka Runwal, who will start her second term.

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