We did the last Know Show of the year, reflecting on all that happened in 2022, and I encourage everyone to do this, because it really adds some context to the news that consumes us. Reflecting back is the opposite of the rapid news cycle that blows by us every day, inciting immediate responses and reactions, very little reflection, and a constant state of overwhelm.
From the celebrity shenanigans, including Djokovic, Will Smith, Johnny Depp, Amber Heard and of course Ye – all of which get far too much attention in a world facing so many challenges! To famous deaths, notably Queen Elizabeth II, tWitch, Christine McVie, Angela Lansbury, Irene Cara, Ray Liotta, Sidney Poitier, William Hurt and many more.
If you think back to this time 12 months ago, we were starting to understand that the new Omicron variant was potentially less lethal than prior variants, which gave us all a little bit of hope moving into 2023. But then, of course, Covid isn’t over and while it’s out of the news, it’s not out of our societies. China is expecting one million deaths now it has opened up.
Although, the moment that really set the world back in 2022, is when Putin decided to invade the Ukraine. As the world’s mental health was already battered, this sent many over the edge – the threat of nuclear war didn’t help matters much. Such a senseless war and the last thing the world needs right now.
From an environment perspective, it’s been a VERY intense year and one wonders if it’s enough for us to finally get the message? Businesses seem to be moving faster in 2022, but governments…. Not in alignment with the emergency at all. What both businesses and governments are doing right now would have mattered 30 years ago, today, it’s nowhere near the scale of action required.
Here’s a flavour of some of the big environment events in 2022
- We passed the 5th of nine planetary boundaries in January, and then we passed the 6th of the nine planetary boundaries in April
- The Arctic and Antarctica hit 30 and 40 degrees above average on the same day at the same time
- Two IPCC Reports were released, which received very limited media coverage, even though the research should have focused all of our attention. Instead, the focus was on Putin/Ukraine
- Extreme flooding in Australia and we’ve seen it all over the world
- Mega droughts in Europe, US, Africa, China
- Rain bombs have become a common thing
- We are facing the potential of global famine, and famine has already started, with the Horn of Africa and Somalia devastated
- Eco-anxiety is on the rise and people are screaming their fear on social media everywhere
- Macron stated it is the end of abundance and he is correct
- Although Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Singles Day were all blockbuster events – yeah, we’re really not getting the message
- Pakistan saw the greatest body of water ever released on earth when a glacial lake burst. There are 33 other glacial lakes at risk of busting, just in Pakistan
- Adaptation preparations all over the world are not even remotely ready, and very few countries are geared up for the extreme weather events that are coming, and they will continue to get worse
- New projections expect we will experience 1.5 by 2024/25 when El Nino returns. It won’t be embedded permanently then, but we’ll sure know what it feels like. Research also indicates that Australia is royally screwed
- Right now, we’re seeing crazy floods in Spain and the Congo, while there is an Arctic freeze in Europe and North America, which is connecting with a heatwave in Spain and North Africa – all perfectly normal ☹
- We had two COPS and very little progress – fossil fuel lobbyists were out in huge numbers
- Environmental protestors around the world are being jailed longer than rapists and murderers – you know, they’re living with existential dread, let’s go hard on them!
- The fossil fuel industry keeps growing and growing and growing, and a new report this week states that we are not facing 2.4-2.8 global warming, it’s looking more like 4C – 10C! Remember even the cockroaches die at 8C.
Add to that, a record number of journalists were killed this year, a jump of 45% to 119, and detentions of journalists rose too, by 13.8%, to 535 cases, which broke last year’s record and has now reached the highest number ever recorded. As a side note, three journalists have died mysteriously in Qatar.
From crypto, to the mayhem in the global economy, to the chaos of global politics, thankfully we have seen some good news in the mix. Labour was elected in Australia (even though Murdoch worked hard to stop it) and Lula is back in Brazil. Let’s hope he can get the environmental destruction under control. Probably the hardest job in the world right now.
A controversial World Cup has consumed our attention these past few months, so has Elon Musk, and Iran is now in a challenging position. If the protestors fail, the crackdown will be harsh. If they win, due to the fact there is no opposition, Iran could become a failed state. Either way, challenging times ahead.
As I look ahead to 2023, for the first time in my life, I know I won’t feel the hope I’ve always felt at the start of a New Year. As a global community, we have enormous challenges to overcome, and we need to design a new world, in alignment with all life on earth.
I know many think we are a hopeless case (and I have my moments of doom, believe me), but seriously, if enough of us get the message that urgent action is required right now, that the only way to ensure we don’t head into terrible misery and an unbearable future is by working together as a global community, and that we must vote for the leaders the world needs at this time, then we have a chance. It’s not easy, but we CAN DO IT! We’ve got to keep the hope alive, we must.
Let’s get to work in 2023 and do this, yes? Our kids deserve all our best efforts now. We can’t let them down.
Let me know if you value this?
If you enjoy or value my Weekend Reads, please drop me a note wherever I’ve shared it and tell me? I’d love to know the articles you read as you scan through the headlines, because I just want to be sure I’m doing something that’s valued.
The Weekend Reads is a labour of love and it’s my way of helping my community navigate the constant news shocks we face every single day, but it’s hard to know if this is worth it, as I’m getting very little interaction when I share this every week. I’d love to know it’s something you do value.
I’m going to have a break from the reads until the New Year. If you’ve been following and supporting my work, thank you, I appreciate it. I wish you a very happy, safe and sustainable festive season, and let’s get focused in 2023 on the work we need to do to ensure a liveable future for ourselves and future generations.
Friend’s content and mine
We are in a devastating waste crisis; don’t we all think it’s time to act? We must get a handle on this. It is getting worse and worse and worse!!
Donation time
If everyone gave #just10percent of their time, talent, money or voice, we’ll change the world. Can you donate? Make it a regular donation to the World Food Programme. Or donate to the UN Refugee Program, Medicine Sans Frontier, PowerOf , Kiva.org , Soi Dog Foundation. It’s a time for giving and taking care of each other.
Content to read
And here’s the content I’ve been reading or watching this last week. Scan the headlines, read the ones that jump out at you, read or watch them all. Knowledge is power, and global knowledge is even more powerful.
Climate crisis
Hurricane Ian left bees starving in Florida. Here’s why they need us tks Vicky Coburn
Global Warming in the Pipeline
Billions projected to suffer nearly unlivable heat in 2070
Climate Change Could Force 1.2 Billion to Move by 2050. Is the World Even Remotely Ready?
Nation’s largest water supplier declares drought emergency
Cop15 half-time report: China prompts fears of new ‘Copenhagen moment’
Interactive: Who wants what at the COP15 biodiversity summit
Canada signs onto global forest restoration challenge at COP15
COP15’s message to the world: Invest $250 billion in nature or risk the consequences
Study explains surprise surge in methane during pandemic lockdown
Bogong’s back: La Niña rains help moth numbers recover from near extinction
Bangladeshi climate expert Prof Saleemul Huq listed among Nature’s 10 scientists
Dismantling Sellafield: the epic task of shutting down a nuclear site
Why scientists are worried about falling numbers of insects being splattered on car number plates
‘Firmageddon’: Researchers find 1.1 million acres of dead trees in Oregon
HSBC announces it will no longer finance new oil and gas fields
Weather tracker: Heatwave sweeps South America as Argentina hits 43C
First sea turtle nest found on Phuket beach
UK weather: Flights delayed and cancelled due to cold snap
Scientists Achieve Nuclear Fusion Energy Breakthrough in the US
Degrowth can work — here’s how science can help
New discoveries in Antarctica shed light on climate change’s impact
Revealed: Brazil goldminers carve illegal ‘Road to Chaos’ out of Amazon reserve
MONBIOSIS with George Monbiot: Ep13 – Don’t Look Up!
What causes mass extinctions? – Understanding Evolution
(PDF) Glyphosate: Destructor of Human Health and Global Biodiversity
Aviation may account for 20% of global emissions by 2050 without action
John Kerry says green energy transition isn’t happening fast enough: ‘Everything has to accelerate’
Climate Scientist Answers Earth Questions From Twitter
Semafor hired a climate writer. Then Chevron ran ads on his stories.
Single-use plastic items to be banned in England
They Fought the Lawn. And the Lawn’s Done
Museletter #356: The Final Doubling – Richard Heinberg
Watered down: why negotiators at Cop15 are barely mentioning the ocean
Today’s Contemplation: Collapse Cometh LXXXIV
Abrupt global ocean circulation collapse. Time to start prepping?
Global politics
What a stupid year tks Phillipa Edwards
Iran’s moment of truth: what will it take for the people to topple the regime?
Putin suggests possibility of settlement to end war in Ukraine
Ukraine war: The Russians locked up for refusing to fight
Jacinda Ardern caught on hot mic calling minor opposition party leader an ‘arrogant prick’
A Royal Commission into Scott Morrison? He sold off the farm, in secret
The Political Scene | The New Yorker: Could Kyrsten Sinema’s Party Switch Be Good for Democracy?
‘Losing the plot’: Trump mocked after announcing superhero card collection
Business and technology
Attacks on Pacific north-west power stations raise fears for US electric grid
The viral AI avatar app Lensa undressed me—without my consent tks Barry Graubart
The rise and fall of peer review – by Adam Mastroianni
Elon Musk Had His Most Absurd, Disturbing 24 Hours at Twitter Yet
Twitter suspends journalists who have been covering Elon Musk and the company
Twitter suspends accounts of several journalists who had reported on Elon Musk tks Sue Adams
Elon Musk Had His Most Absurd, Disturbing 24 Hours at Twitter Yet
Elon Musk Booed by Crowd at Dave Chappelle’s Comedy Show
Elon Musk Sent an Email to Employees. It’s a Master Class in How Not to Motivate Your Team
The Childish Drama of Elon Musk – The Atlantic
Social Media Is for Strangers Now
The Gray Area with Sean Illing: The power of attention in a world of distraction on Apple Podcasts
The secret lives of MI6’s top female spies
Social issues
Stephen Fry: “Lost, alone and I wanted to take my life”
How Stanford Profits Off Addiction
The Gray Area with Sean Illing: Men and boys are struggling. Should we care? on Apple Podcasts
Study: China Covid deaths could reach 1 million
Number of journalists killed in 2022 jumps by 45% to 119, says press group
Rising number of journalists killed, detained in 2022
World Cup: Three journalists have died mysteriously in Qatar
Macron announces free condoms for 18- to 25-year-olds in France
Longtermism: The Future Is Vast—What Does This Mean for Our Own Life?
Pandemic write-up Thread by @brownecfm on Thread Reader App tks Phillipa Edwards
The Economist Podcasts: Babbage: What causes long covid? on Apple Podcasts
Base editing: Revolutionary therapy clears girl’s incurable cancer
NASA Scientists Suggest The Reason We Haven’t Found Aliens Is They All Killed Themselves
Meghan and Harry’s documentary has hit the raw nerve of tabloid prejudice
Harry and Meghan: Strip Duke and Duchess of Sussex of titles, say Tory MPs
Meghan and Harry’s documentary has hit the raw nerve of tabloid prejudice
A widening gender rage gap? No wonder: women have a lot to feel angry about
Billionaire Charlie Munger: World is ‘driven by envy,’ not ‘greed’
Queensland shooting: Two police officers, and member of public, killed at remote property
BBC News presenter in tears reporting news of Solihull lake deaths
Passion, humour, history
Selena Gomez Pops Up As Steve Martin, Martin Short Shred Each Other
Saudi Arabia stone camels: older than Pyramids, Stonehenge
How “The Daily Show” Squandered the Opportunity That Was Trevor Noah
Want funny animal pictures? Look at the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards.
Berlin’s giant AquaDom hotel aquarium containing 1,500 fish explodes
Greta Gerwig ‘Barbie’ Trailer Shows Margot Robbie as First-Ever Barbie
Let me know what jumped out at you? Or share with me what you’re reading? I love that!
Cheers
Andrea
Environment education
Three environment resources to help navigate this challenging territory. 1. Knowledge, constantly updating. 2. Individual action and awareness, so we do our part. 3. Resources for those struggling with eco-anxiety. Please share with your community.
Uncommon Courage: an invitation – my latest book
Uncommon Courage is an invitation to be your courageous best self every day. It’s also an antidote to the overwhelm, fear, and rage rolling around the world. But it’s more than a book; it’s an invitation to join an inclusive community that wants to better understand humanities challenges – both global and personal – in order to take courageous action and create a better world for everyone. If Covid19 has given us the time and space to reflect, Uncommon Courage gives us the nudge we need to create lasting change.
You can buy it on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Booktopia, Smashwords, Kobo, Gardners, Odilo, Indie Bound, BookShop by BookTrib and Scribd.
Better yet, order it from your local bookstore, so you can #SupportLocal.
You can read the reviews, including a new five-star review on Book Commentary, another five-star review on ReaderViews, a review on BookTrib, and three more on Booklife, another on Book Commentary and Blue Ink Reviews. I’m also collating reviews on my Website too. Have a look and grateful to everyone who has written or recorded one.
Come and join the conversation in my new Facebook Group Uncommon Courage.
Uncommon Courage, the podcast – Apple, Spotify and everywhere podcasts are published.
The Know Show
Check out The Know Show. It’s a fortnightly wrap up of the news!
Climate Courage
A fortnightly conversation on issues that matter to you and I, focusing on the actions we can all take.
18 Steps to an All-Star LinkedIn Profile
Listed by Book Authority in the 100 Best LinkedIn Books of All Time and 22 Best New LinkedIn eBooks To Read In 2021 and 2022 categories. Grab it today if you want to take your professional presence to the next level! When it comes to LinkedIn, it really is time to ask — can you really afford not to have this book in the hands of every employee?
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