ICYMI: Highlights to Note, Quotes to Remember, Memes to Share & Reminder to Vote!

For those paying attention, ICYMI: In Case You Missed It, this biweekly compilation of environmental news has been a feature of Sierra’s online offerings for seven years. Dating back a decade, it was a favorite in the print magazine under the heading Up to Speed. This edition, however, is the last one. Why? The earth hasn’t stopped warming:

Sunday, July 21, was the warmest day ever. Monday, July 22, was hotter.

Natural wonders haven’t ceased:

Something at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, unconnected to photosynthesis, is pumping out large amounts of oxygen.

The clean energy transition continues to defy expectations:

The pace of adoption of clean energy technology appears to be exponential.

And animals continue to surprise their human cousins:

A whale capsizes a fishing boat off the coast of New Hampshire.

ICYMI is not ending for lack of material. After 34 years with Sierra, its author is retiring.

Readers can judge its merits, but producing ICYMI brought biweekly joy. Collecting material involved combing through the daily environmental press, especially Politico’s E&E newsletters, The Guardian, and the Associated Press. Press releases were also a gold mine:

A new AI-powered service identifies visitors to backyard bird feeders, even letting you name and track individual birds.

Key to this column’s success was the artwork of illustrator Peter Arkle. His sketches were the highlight of my week, often met with gasps of astonishment and laughter. Without him, ICYMI would not have been possible.

The pleasure of producing ICYMI was counterbalanced by the often dismal subject matter, bearing witness to rapid environmental changes. It used to be extraordinary to note record heat; now it’s almost expected. Did absurdist content dilute the serious message?

Botswana threatens to deport 20,000 elephants to Germany.

Perhaps, but it also made it readable. Sierra once attempted a listing of Bad News events, dubbed Doom & Gloom From the Tomb. No one can subsist on bad news alone. That’s why ICYMI included hopeful items, though reality didn’t always cooperate. Absurdism often carried the burden of balancing tragedy.

“What will I do with these ICYMI items now?” a volunteer asked. The answer: Keep finding them. Take note of what’s happening in the world—the terrible but not inevitable disasters, the happy signs of progress:

A twice-yearly injection provides 100% protection against HIV/AIDS.

And all the ridiculous, unpredictable, hilarious things in between. Pay attention.