If Shein were a country, it would be the 100th biggest emitter in the world.
Plus thoughts on LA and authoritarianism.
Your Monday, Wednesday, and Friday briefing on global affairs, human rights, environment, social innovation, business, culture, and design—offering fresh insights through the lenses of sustainable development, women-centered perspectives, and emerging global trends. The aim? To keep you informed, curious, and always ready with a compelling conversation starter at the dinner table.
In today’s letter: a big Italian vote, Barcelona is breaking from Israel, the importance of menstrual care in emergency response situations, the UK bans disposable vapes, a centuries-old Indian tradition is adapted for climate change, a new sustainable beauty initiative, bitcoin has entered the slums of Africa, a stunning digital cover for Pride month, and much more.
In the midst of a really lovely weekend, I was continuously checking for updates coming out of LA and from the Madleen, the civilian ship that was trying to deliver aid, including baby formula, food, and medical supplies, to Gaza. Things don’t seem to be going well in either situation, with the forces that be cracking down in the only way they know how, devoid of any speck of humanity.
In regards to LA, the party that allegedly stands for free speech and states rights:
does not like the content of the free speech in these protests;
bypassed the authority of the state’s governor;
and sent the military to target their own citizens (this one we have been predicting).
“For the federal government to take over the California National Guard, without the request of the governor, to put down protests is truly chilling,” said Erwin Chemerinsky, the dean of the law school at the University of California, Berkeley. “It is using the military domestically to stop dissent.”
In what world can an American look at this situation and not see the realities and the future implications of what this response means? I know supporters will have excuses (and a very limited number of real facts), but this is authoritarianism.
au·thor·i·tar·i·an·ism
noun: authoritarianism
the enforcement or advocacy of strict obedience to authority at the expense of personal freedom.
lack of concern for the wishes or opinions of others.
There is much more I want to write about on this topic, but a significant part of it is that members of a community are supposed to care about one another. The protesters in LA were doing the right, moral thing. The thing that the United States was not that long ago supposedly championing elsewhere around the globe.
Sending care and compassion to our sisters and brothers in LA.
Italians headed to the polls this weekend for a two-day referendum that could reshape the country’s immigration and labor landscape. At the heart of it: a proposal to halve the time it takes for non-EU residents to apply for citizenship (from ten years to five), potentially granting nearly 1.5 million foreigners, including 300,000 minors, immediate access to Italian nationality. Backed by unions, activists, and progressive parties, the vote also seeks to restore job protections and improve worker safety. Italy does not have birthright citizenship, which means that children born in Italy to parents without Italian citizenship are not citizens and cannot apply until they are 18 years old. Yet the referendum faces an uphill battle: for any result to count, turnout must surpass 50%, which seems a rather high bar in today’s climate of voter fatigue. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing coalition has remained conspicuously silent, with Meloni herself saying she’ll abstain and allies telling people to go to the beach instead. Critics accuse the government of suppressing debate to keep contentious issues, such as immigration and labor rights, off the agenda. Meanwhile, with Italy’s population aging rapidly and its economy in need of fresh energy, supporters argue that the reforms aren’t just about fairness, but also about future-proofing the country.
UPDATE: The referendum has been declared invalid due to low voter participation, with only around 30% of voters casting their ballots.
British MPs are turning up the pressure on Egypt over the continued imprisonment of Alaa Abd El-Fattah, a British-Egyptian pro-democracy activist sentenced to five years for resharing a social media post about torture. Detained since 2019 and recently declared unlawfully held by a UN panel, Abd El-Fattah's case has become a flashpoint for UK politicians demanding a firmer stance from Downing Street. In a joint letter, cross-party MPs urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to signal that it cannot be “business as usual” with Egypt until he is freed, suggesting travel advisories, sanctions, and even legal action at the International Court of Justice. The call comes as his mother, British citizen Laila Souief, was hospitalised in London following an eight-month hunger strike. The UK Foreign Office insists it remains engaged at the highest levels, but for Abd El-Fattah’s supporters, words are no longer enough.
“Feminist joy and feminist rage keep me going.” Ilayda Eskiter-Schoğlu is a menstrual justice advocate and human rights lawyer from Türkiye, whose activism began after a devastating earthquake in 2011 highlighted the often-overlooked importance of menstrual health in emergency response situations. Since then, she’s emerged as a leading voice calling for dignity, education, and access. From challenging the taboo that still shrouds menstruation to pushing for tax reform on essential products, her work is rooted in a firm belief: menstruation is a human rights issue.
This weekend, in Chicago, we absolutely felt the effects of the record-breaking Canadian wildfires that are currently blazing. Wildfire season has arrived early across the country’s prairie provinces due to… you guessed it, climate change! Massive blazes in northern Manitoba, including the uncontained Bird River and Border fires, have already scorched more than 200,000 hectares, triple the province’s average for an entire year. Thousands are being airlifted out of danger zones, and both Manitoba and Saskatchewan have declared states of emergency. First Nations communities have been hit particularly hard, with evacuations made more difficult by impassable roads. Meanwhile, intense smoke drifted south all weekend, triggering air quality alerts from Minnesota to Washington, DC.
<3 Weekly reminder: climate change does not care about borders <3
As of yesterday, the UK has banned the sale of disposable vapes, joining a growing list of European nations attempting to tackle the mounting environmental and health concerns posed by single-use e-cigarettes. It is estimated that 8.2 million are discarded weekly in the UK (about 13 every second), with many ending up in landfills or sparking fires in waste facilities. The new law targets retailers rather than users and aims to curb youth vaping, as over half of underage users prefer disposable models. They are very hard to quit, so this will likely benefit the black market. However, considering the significant amount of plastic waste, it may be the boost needed for some to give them up.
The Trump administration has terminated more than 100 climate research grants, abruptly halting studies on topics ranging from methane emissions to clean energy innovation and environmental justice. Altogether, it’s more than $100 million in funding now gone. Scientists say it’s not just about diversity programs or “woke” research, as the administration claims, but part of a broader effort to dismantle climate science altogether. Universities like Harvard and MIT are suing, and researchers are scrambling to continue their work amid ongoing projects. Meanwhile, the proposed federal budget doubles down, with deep cuts to clean energy, climate monitoring, and even the NOAA labs that help track carbon dioxide levels, jeopardizing decades of crucial data. Some researchers say they're now limited to what they can do with just a laptop and old datasets. Others are leaving the field entirely. The fear? The US is on the brink of losing a generation of climate scientists and, with them, its global edge in innovation.
In Odisha, India, where forest fires have intensified due to rising temperatures, a centuries-old tradition is undergoing a climate-conscious update. Women in villages like Murgapahadi are stepping into the spotlight as members of sankirtan mandalis (once male-only devotional song-and-dance troupes) to deliver fire safety messages in their communities. As mining and polluting industries expand in the region, these grassroots performers are spreading environmental awareness through poetry set to local rhythms, urging villagers not to burn leaves in vulnerable forests. Though critics argue it's no substitute for structural reform, the initiative supported by forest officials has already helped reduce fires in some areas by up to 30%. For the women who are a part of it, the mandalis are more than a communications tool; they're a path to self-worth, leadership, and visibility in a world where climate and gender are increasingly intersecting. (Stories such as this are why The Guardian is my favourite.)
L’Oréal is putting €100 million behind the future of sustainable beauty with its new Sustainable Innovation Accelerator. Over the next five years, the global beauty giant plans to partner with startups and innovators to pilot and scale breakthrough solutions, such as low-carbon tech, alternative ingredients, water resilience, and plastic-free packaging. I’m interested to see if anything actually comes out of this. There are a growing number of beauty brands that already use plastic-free packaging and clean ingredients, especially in small, local batches, so I’m curious whether L’Oréal will work with that scale of business or will focus on larger companies.
For example, the beauty brand Disruptor London recently won the “Net Hero” award at Small Business Britain’s 2025 awards. It honours “a trailblazing company that’s placing net-zero goals, sustainable supply chains, and eco-friendly innovation right at the core of their success.”
I’m not entirely convinced, but H&M and Eileen Fisher have topped a new environmental scorecard by climate group Stand.earth, which graded 42 fashion brands on their progress decarbonizing supply chains from 2021 to 2023. The fast fashion giant and the sustainably minded label earned a “B+” and “B-” respectively, better than most, though still not ideal. The main reason H&M came out as the top performer is that it provides the most active financial support to its suppliers to reduce their emissions. I’m still not convinced. No brand received an “A,” highlighting the fashion industry's slow shift away from fossil fuels and underscoring concerns that the sector (responsible for an estimated 4% of global emissions) is still dangerously off track. Some brands have yet to even set basic climate targets (Abercrombie & Fitch, Aritzia, and Columbia), while others continue to increase pollution at staggering rates. If SHEIN were a country, it would be the 100th biggest emitter in the world, emitting almost as much pollution as the entire country of Lebanon. Staggering. There is still so much further to go.
In the heart of Kibera—often dubbed Africa’s largest slum— small roadside vendors and young garbage collectors are embracing bitcoin as a form of payment. Introduced by the Kenyan fintech firm AfriBit Africa, the initiative aims to bring digital wallets to an underbanked population, thereby sidestepping the need for traditional documentation and banking infrastructure. Advocates see it as a step toward financial inclusion; critics warn it exposes a vulnerable community to bitcoin’s notorious volatility. Still, some locals are leaning in, with up to 80% of their net worth stored in crypto, enticed by low fees and the allure of rising prices. It seems a little too risky for me.
From Vogue India, a fascinating read that explores India’s textile conservators, who are restoring everything from Mughal velvets to temple kanthas. Working invisibly behind museum glass, these women treat each fragile piece with reverence, navigating delicate decisions about what to preserve and what to release. Their stitches don’t just mend fabric—they reveal caste legacies, environmental shifts, and disappearing craftsmanship, positioning them as the unsung keepers of history. Whether uncovering a maharaja’s name hidden in a coat collar or preserving the fading brilliance of a 200-year-old jama, these modern-day “dress doctors” are threading together artistry, memory, and social truth.
Congratulations Coco!!!! What a comeback.
For its June digital cover celebrating Pride Month, Atmos partnered with photographer Camila Falquez and writer-activist Raquel Willis on a striking tribute to the trans community—a creative, defiant response to the escalating efforts to erase trans rights around the world. Shot in New York City, a long-time haven for queer expression, the story features 22 trans, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming leaders, including Jinkx Monsoon, Chelsea Manning, and Ceyenne Doroshow who are styled in upcycled garments and metallic armor by designer Zoe Gustavia Anna Whalen (I also recommend this article about her work). It’s such a beautiful shoot.
Thank you for reading! Please share with an interesting and interested person in your life. xxx