In a World on Fire, Stop Burning Things

Plus: classical music’s Iron Curtain; vlogging the war in Ukraine; and Verdi’s political masterpiece. View in browser | Update your preferences Friday, March 18, 2022 In today’s newsletter: • Classical music’s Iron Curtain • Vlogging the war in Ukraine • Revisiting Verdi’s political masterpiece In a World on Fire, Stop Burning Things The truth is new and counterintuitive: we have the technology necessary to rapidly ditch fossil fuels. Illustration by Álvaro Bernis At the end of February, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a report so dire that the Secretary-General of the United Nations called it “an atlas of human suffering and a damning indictment of failed climate leadership,” and said that “the world’s biggest polluters are guilty of arson of our only home.” But, for many people, the report quickly joined the frightening and overwhelming mass of news they are confronted with about the climate emergency. As Bill McKibben writes, “Even people trying to pay attention can’t really keep track of what should be the most compelling battle in human history.” And so he proposes a way to reframe the fight—offering an urgent, precise, and practical analysis of what we can be doing right now to stop the burning of fossil fuels, and how we can keep track of our progress. The challenges the world faces in reaching what McKibben calls “an end of fire” should not be underestimated. But the battle is far from hopeless, and this piece lays out the steps we can take to win it. —Ian Crouch, newsletter editor Read the story From the News Desk Q. & A. Classical Music’s Iron Curtain Two musicologists discuss national identity in the performing arts and the politics of blacklisting sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. By Isaac Chotiner Ukraine Postcard Vlogging the War With the help of a database launched by Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, a YouTuber from Kyiv is calling strangers in Russia and telling them just what their boys in uniform are doing across the border. By Katia Savchuk Get the in-depth analysis and on-the-ground reporting you need to understand the war in Ukraine. Subscribe today » Culture Dept. Musical Events Revisiting Verdi’s Political Masterpiece The Met débuts a new production of the darkly magnificent “Don Carlos.” By Alex Ross Culture Desk Rosalía Levels Up as a Global Pop Superstar Her new album, “Motomami,” jolts us out of a prescribed comfort zone and transforms the avant-garde into something populist. By Carrie Battan The Current Cinema “The Outfit” Is Made to Measure for Mark Rylance Graham Moore’s crime drama about a Savile Row tailor in gangland Chicago has not a stitch out of place, but it rarely achieves the claustrophobic menace it aims for. By Anthony Lane Editor’s Picks Anand Gopal and Ian Urbina were both named winners of Overseas Press Club Awards today, for reporting that was published last year in The New Yorker. Gopal was awarded for his story on women living in rural Afghanistan, which the judges described as “a brave and beautifully wrought tale, written with clarity and humanity.” Urbina earned recognition for his reporting—done “at great personal risk,” the judges noted—on brutal migrant-detention facilities in Libya. A Reporter at Large The Other Afghan Women In the countryside, the endless killing of civilians turned women against the occupiers who claimed to be helping them. By Anand Gopal A Reporter at Large The Secretive Prisons That Keep Migrants Out of Europe The E.U. has created a shadow immigration system that sends migrants to brutal Libyan detention centers run by militias. By Ian Urbina Video Dept. Screening Room An Oscar-Nominated Short Film About Illness, Loss, and Karaoke Shot inside a Danish bar during a period of heavy coronavirus restrictions, “On My Mind” mixes memoir and fiction. This is one of two New Yorker films that will compete at the Academy Awards on March 27th. Film by Martin Strange-Hansen Text by Nathan Burstein Fun & Games Dept. Name Drop Play Today’s Quiz Can you guess the notable person in six clues or fewer? By Matt Jackson Daily Cartoon Friday, March 18th By Ali Solomon Daily Shouts A Zodiac Chart for Babies The Gemini baby dislikes being alone. Luckily, there are two of them. By Grace Farris and Eugenia Viti Daily Shouts New MasterClass Sessions Vehicle registration with Olivia Rodrigo, acting with Kamala Harris, and more. By Meghana Indurti and Karan Sunil P.S. The editorial board of the Times declared that “America Has a Free Speech Problem,” which got people talking. But such claims—and the criticism of those claims—are nothing new. In 2015, Kelefa Sanneh considered the state of speech and social norms, writing, “Taboos discourage some speech, but the system of taboos is also maintained through speech. If you say the unsayable, you might well be shamed—and that shaming can have consequences—but you will not be arrested. Mostly, what inhibits speech is the fear of being spoken about.” Today’s newsletter was written by Ian Crouch. Thanks for reading. Let us know your thoughts about today’s edition. Plus, browse more newsletters and invite a friend to sign up for The Daily. You’re receiving this e-mail because you signed up for The Daily from The New Yorker. Manage your preferences | View our Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2022. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.