Welcome to Dispatch #43! It’s shaping up to be quite the hot summer this year with record-breaking heatwaves sweeping across Europe and a “Super El Niño” that could potentially warm the planet up even more. The climate crisis is here and addressing this crisis requires us to radically reimagine how we think about nature, urban spaces, and our communities.
This week, we want to highlight a piece by Mattia Acerbo for the Ecosocialist that breaks down why even staying cool during summer becomes political and why we must move past the notion that urban spaces and nature are opposed to one another. Comparing trees to living infrastructure is a fascinating way to look at something that many don’t give a second thought, but it’s an important reminder of how urbanism and industrialism have separated us from our natural roots and why we must return to those roots if we want to navigate the world’s changing climate.
In addition - we’ve got a big rewrite on our last Deep Dive essay about sports & fandom as a tool for political organizing, a primer on Anarchism, and the story of an architecture firm that’s working to build more sustainable cities in Singapore. Let’s get into it!
🤓 Did you know 96% of our subscribers are free readers? If you like what we've been sharing, consider uplifting us–even if just for a bit! To keep this project alive we need mutual support from a group of like-minded people (like you!) to help us out! Every contribution, no matter how small, makes a big difference.
You can become a paid member for as little as $2 USD/mo ($24/year), or contribute a one-time donation here.
Easy Actions to Take
Why: On June 29, 2026, Israeli forces shot dead Saleem al-Ashqar, the 32 year old goalkeeper for Khadamat Khan Younis, in al-Qarara, according to the Palestinian Football Association. He is one of 1,009 people from Palestinian sport the Palestinian Football Association says Israel has killed since October 2023, 567 of them from football. Article 64.2 of the FIFA Statutes says no member association may play on the territory of another without its approval but at least six Israeli league clubs are based in settlements on occupied Palestinian land. Though Israel isn’t in the world cup, they still play in FIFA. Demand that FIFA apply its own rules and its own human rights commitments consistently. Organized by Newscord
⏱~3min | (US Only) Tell Fidelity, Schwab, and Vanguard: Stop blocking donations to the Southern Poverty Law Center
Why: The SPLC is famous for monitoring and exposing domestic hate groups and winning landmark legal cases against white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and the Ku Klux Klan. The US Justice Department has accused the SPLC of criminal fraud, claiming it lied to banks and donors about its reliance on confidential informants inside extremist groups. These claims are unproven but Fidelity, Schwab, and Vanguard are prohibiting customers with donor-advised funds from making grants to the center, sabotaging the SPLC’s ability to withstand this existential attack by the Justice Department. Fidelity, Schwab, and Vanguard cannot be the judge, jury, and executioner before the SPLC even gets its day in court. They need to face pressure from the public to reverse course. Organized by The Intercept Voices
⏱~3min | (US Only) Tell Your Representative to Help Free Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya From Israel's Torture Prisons
Why: Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya is a renowned pediatrician and acting director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza who has been illegally held captive for no reason and tortured by the Israeli military since December 2024 — more than 500 days! In his last visit with his lawyer, Safiya said, "This is the last time you will see me. They brought me here to kill me. I don't see myself surviving. This is the end." Doctors should not be tortured for saving lives. Act now to secure Dr. Abu Safiya's freedom. Organized by IMEU Policy Project
