Recent Reading: Lawns Are Really Bad For The Environment

Welcome back to another reading roundup. Before we dive into a range of topics, I first wanted to draw your attention to the current crisis in Sudan. The situation really isn’t getting the media attention it deserves (compare it to something like Notre Dame, where no one was hurt at all), but I’ve managed to find a few things online. Whether you’ve seen some headlines or have no idea that something is going on in Sudan, I urge you to look through these resources and to seek out further information too:

• Al Jazeera has been updating the latest news here
• The BBC gives a basic rundown of the political situation and reports on a recent attempted propaganda trip that ended up revealing the real situation
• The Observer’s view on the crisis in Sudan
• The Guardian talks about some of the horrors carried out by paramilitaries (TW: sexual assault)
• How Congress can help end the killing in Sudan

Other things I’ve been reading recently include:

White supremacy, the patriarchy, politics & privilege

The Hong Kong protests explained – Vox

Botswana decriminalised homosexuality – The Guardian

But anti-LGBTQ sentiment is rising around the world – Harper’s Bazaar

What it’s like to be intersex – The Atlantic

Jonathan Van Ness identifies as nonbinary – Out

How one man became radicalised by the far right because of YouTube’s algorithm – New York Times

While Twitter has started looking into whether it should remove white supremacists from its platform (it’s ridiculous that it has taken them this long) – Vice

Why don’t we learn about colonialism in school? – Gal-Dem

How to truly decolonise the study of Africa – Al Jazeera

Grenfell: two years on and people still aren’t safe – New York Times

A National Enquiry into the disappearances and murders of Indigenous women and girls has found it amounts to ‘Canadian Genocide – Common Dreams

More people in the US were shot to death by March 6th of this year than died on D-Day – Washington Post

George Monbiot talks about how changing land ownership laws will tackle inequality – The Guardian

Minorities in the US breathe in more air pollution caused by white people – The Guardian US

Boris Johnson is going to court over lies told during the Brexit campaign thanks to a crowdfunded court case – Wired

The richest 10% of US households hold 70% of US wealth – Market Watch

What actually happens when a country bans abortion – Foreign Policy

Men are also trying to figure out how best to show up for abortion activism – The Atlantic

Two transgender activists are getting a monument in New York – The New York Times

Rachel Cargle talks about why posing nude isn’t brave – Harper’s Bazaar

It’s been 50 years since Stonewall, and the fight is far from over – Vogue

Maz Halima talks about being a queer Muslim, watching the school protests in Birmingham – Gal Dem

Why are some people more outraged by milkshakes than racism? – Gal Dem

A complete history of Nigel Farage’s political sins (spoiler alert: he’s a colossal dick) – Gal Dem

Tan France talks about his history with skin bleaching – Refinery29

What you need to know about the Central Park 5 – Refinery29

Sharon Frazer-Carroll discussed how to talk to Caribbean grandparents about their Windrush immigration stories – Gal Dem

Climate

Why the hell is the UK trying to remove pesticide bans? – The Guardian

Campaigners urge rewilding a quarter of the UK to fight climate crisis – The Guardian

What’s actually in the Green New Deal – Vox

Decarbonisation is cheaper for Europe’s big business than ‘business as usual’ – Energy Storage News

Natural gas is not a good energy option, it needs to go with the rest of fossil fuels – Vox

Lawns are really not good for the environment – Grist

Why we need to stop thinking about individual action and focus on fossil fuels – Vox

Slow and steady climate policy is not good enough, we need radical action – The Guardian

There’s a growing wave of climate change lawsuits – Vox

Canadian farmers believe kelp farming is a sustainable future food system – The Guardian

The Opioid Crisis Is Killing Trees – The Atlantic

A major US utility is moving towards 100% clean energy faster than expected – Vox

Too many people want to travel, and it’s hurting the environment – The Atlantic

Fashion

Billy Porter upcycled the curtain from Kinky Boots for his Tony Awards outfit! – Vulture

Why people should break those plus size style ‘rules’ – Man Repeller

Do we really need any more sustainable fashion brands? – Fashionista

Culture

Ali Stroker became the first wheelchair user to win a Tony – Vulture

Sesame Street created a muppet in foster care and found new ways to talk about trauma – The Atlantic

Kenyan author and gay rights activist Binyavanga Wainaina has died – BBC

 Tajana Bunton-Williams talks about their experience dancing for Beyonce – Gal Dem

Bong Joon-ho became the first Korean to win Palme d’Or at Cannes – BBC

French-Senegalese director Mati Diop became the first black female director to win an award at Cannes – BBC

Fisher-Price invented a popular baby sleeper without medical safety tests and kept selling it – The Washington Post

The rise of meatless meat, explained – Vox