I haven’t been able to get my hands on a copy of Jeff Goodell’s The Heat Will Kill You First, but I will, because the heat is here and it’s going to get hotter, especially as El Niño grows in intensity over the next 6-9 months – right when the Global South moves into its hot season.
This new reality is causing me so much alarm, especially in the Southern Hemisphere, because we are watching what is going on up north, and there is very little discussion or action to prepare for the fact WE ARE NEXT.
After I published my little video earlier this week (see below), and after writing two blogs on preparing for wet bulb temperatures, as well as doing a podcast on it, I’m doing all I can to raise awareness, and I ask for your help to raise the alarm too. My biggest concern is always for the poorest people in the world, because honestly, when the hot seasons strikes across the equator from next February, I am expecting millions of people will die if we aren’t ready.
All around where I live in Thailand, people live in tin shacks – which is a reality across the Southern Hemisphere. There are also slums, massive refugee camps, and the majority of people in this part of the world can not afford air conditioners or solar panels, so the risks they face are HUGE. Governments have got to get on top of this and protect all people NOW.
The good news is Australia is FINALLY talking about people needing to prepare for fire and heat. Perhaps it was the early arrival of fire in August that’s been the wake-up call needed? But boy, they need to move now.
The heat is coming and it’s going to be harsh, so even if you don’t want to face up to climate change, at least face up to what you and your family need to do to get ready for its impact.
We all need to be in serious adaptation mode now, preparing our homes and communities for all the risks we face depending on where we live, but getting ready for heat has to be the number one priority for all of us right now.
And once we are ready, if we have wealth, we must then help those who are not able to afford it. We also need to push our governments and the media to speak up about what is necessary and put big budgets behind helping people get what they need, as well as making sure the infrastructure in in place before the temperatures go into wet bulb territory. I’m talking medical infrastructure, emergency services preparation, grid reliability and risks, cooling centres open 24×7, school preparedness, and on I could go. Is it happening where you are?
I was speaking to my sister in Melbourne the other day and she told me landlords have no obligation to provide air-conditioning. Heating yes, but not air-conditioning. Don’t you think it’s nuts that a law hasn’t been ratified making it mandatory at this stage in the climate change game? I was gobsmacked.
Because it is the poor who will suffer here and most poor people rent, because they cannot afford to buy homes. My sister teaches at a school in a deprived area of Melbourne, and she told me heartbreaking stories about what her students went through during the pandemic. I asked Phillipa: who is helping these families get ready for the heat? No one is. They will be left to cook.
Our world needs to massively change. I am so sicking of watching those who contributed the least to our global crisis suffer the impacts. We need a new society, with love, compassion, dignity and respect for all life on earth at the centre of our priorities.
Onto the reads.
Friend’s content and mine
As I said above, after I published this little video, I was relieved to see, at last, some Australian media speaking about the coming heat and fire crisis. Everyone in the Southern Hemisphere should be getting ready now. Have you seen the heat records in South America, in the winter? Don’t delay.
Sharing my blog again on what you can do to prepare for the heat 34 actions to prepare for a heat index that hits unliveable territory – The Digital Conversationalist (andreatedwards.com)
Donation time
If everyone gave #just10percent of their time, talent, money or voice, we’ll change the world. Can you donate? Why not make a regular donation to the World Food Programme. Or donate to the UN Refugee Program, Medicine Sans Frontier, PowerOf, Kiva.org, Red Cross, and so many more, including urgent fundraising and those supporting animals, like the Soi Dog Foundation. A fabulous organisation I support is B1G1 – check it out and set up an account. It’s a time for giving and taking care of each other.
Content to read
And here’s the content I’ve been reading, listening to or watching. Scan the headlines, read the ones that jump out at you, read, listen to or watch them all. It’s time to pay attention to the information that matters.
Climate crisis
Spend some time watching this, very powerful insights!
Fossil Fuel Subsidies Surged to Record $7 Trillion (imf.org)
Saudi Aramco Targeted in UN Human Rights Probe Tied to Climate Change – Bloomberg
The sobering reality of glacier tourism in Chilean Patagonia (nationalgeographic.com)
Risk of heat-related deaths has ‘increased rapidly’ over past 20 years – Carbon Brief
Anger found to be the primary driver of climate activism (phys.org)
Growing number of countries consider making ecocide a crime | Environment | The Guardian
Texas Cancels School Over Concerns Extreme Heat Not Safe Environment For Shootings (theonion.com)
“We are killing this ecosystem”: the scientists tracking the Amazon’s fading health (nature.com)
Climate change could bring year-round heat waves: UN researcher (phys.org)
Emperor penguins are failing to breed | Popular Science (popsci.com)
Humpback whale spotted off coast of Phuket (thephuketnews.com)
China’s Addiction to Coal Deepens in the Heat – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Chinook Salmon released in Spokane River as part of conservation | krem.com
Heatwave descends on the Midwest, generating extreme temperatures (nbcnews.com)
Opinion | I Lived Through Canada’s Summer Wildfire Smoke – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
We Are Witnessing the First Stages of Civilization’s Collapse | The Nation
Scientists unearth warning about climate change, extinction (spectrumnews1.com)
Australia braces for ‘harsh summer’ as ocean temperature warms – ABC News
Culture Wars Are a Symptom of Earth System Crisis (ageoftransformation.org)
How Heat-Shattering Ocean Temperatures Impact Fisheries – Mother Jones
What the climate saboteurs at the Business Council want (crikey.com.au)
Oil industry sees a vibe shift on climate tech – POLITICO
Italy reports 11 extreme weather events per day in the third-hottest year since 1800 | Euronews
Harold: Second US tropical storm in a week drenches Texas – BBC News
Rethinking tactics to fight wildfires and save lives – DW – 08/25/2023
Record-setting U.S. heat dome places 126 million under alerts (axios.com)
Greece wildfires: Eighteen bodies found in Greek forest – BBC News
Europe is heading into another heatwave. Here are all the areas affected | Euronews
IAG boss Nick Hawkins explains why your insurance bill is only going one way: Chanticleer (afr.com)
‘Urgent warning’ in Australia as unusually high temperatures spark early start to snake season | CNN
Ecuadorians vote to halt oil drilling in biodiverse Amazonian national park | Ecuador | The Guardian
NSW fire crews work through weekend to contain more than 70 blazes across the state – ABC News
We’re Not in This Together | Ajay Singh Chaudhary (thebaffler.com)
Rich countries ‘trap’ poor nations into relying on fossil fuels | Global development | The Guardian
Paris When It Sizzles: The City of Light Aims to Get Smart on Heat – Yale E360
The Daily: How a Paradise Became a Death Trap on Apple Podcasts
I’m a climate scientist. Here’s how I’m handling climate grief (nature.com)
Hundreds of migrants killed by Saudi border guards – report – BBC News
Shifting to EVs is not enough. The deeper problem is our car dependence | CBC News
Scientists sound alarm over ‘unheard of’ ocean conditions: ‘We could see mass mortality’
China’s Abandoned Electric Cars Pile Up After EV Boom Fueled by Subsidies (bloomberg.com)
Climate change puts Australia credit rating at risk (smh.com.au)
In Arctic Dreams. A vivid account of a climate and oceans…| Medium
A Long Way to Venus – resilience
Storm Hilary hits California after lashing Mexico – BBC News
Leading scientist’s climate call-out – ABC listen
There are Too Many Damn Cars! (substack.com)
Devastating floods in Slovenia – DW – 08/17/2023
No more billionaire free-rides! Tax private jets (eko.org)
Gulf Coast officials are scrambling to prepare for a hurricane and extreme heat | CNN
The climate appeasers are leading us towards catastrophe (prospectmagazine.co.uk)
Global politics
Brics summit: Is a new bloc emerging to rival US leadership? – BBC News
Arevalo wins Guatemala presidency in landslide amid hopes for change | Elections News | Al Jazeera
Thaksin Shinawatra: Former Thailand PM jailed after return from exile – BBC News
Pheu Thai struggles to exclude military as political vacuum hits 3 months – Nikkei Asia
Wagner defied Putin and now its leader Prigozhin may be dead – BBC News
Putin takes his revenge against Prigozhin – The Atlantic
Russian general who ran Ukraine war fired – report – BBC News
Mar-a-Lago IT manager implicates Trump in classified files case – BBC News
Combative Vivek Ramaswamy emerges as surprise focal point of GOP debate | Republicans | The Guardian
The GOP’s Dispiriting Display – The Atlantic
Trump’s Mug Shot Gives His Haters Nothing – The Atlantic
Rudy Giuliani and other Trump co-defendants surrender in Georgia election case – BBC News
Business and technology
The media’s failure on Elon Musk – by Paris Marx (disconnect.blog)
Microsoft’s AI momentum shows how Satya Nadella restored its swagger (fastcompany.com)
Twitter rebranding to X: Jack Dorsey urges calm | Fortune
Social issues
What People Misunderstand About Rape – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Are your hormones unbalanced—and what does that even mean? (nationalgeographic.com)
Will the New COVID-19 Vaccine Work Against BA.2.86 Variant? | Time
Hollywood studio Lionsgate brings back mask mandate amid Covid spike | Film | The Guardian
Coles posts $1.1bn profit amid grocery price surge and cost of living crisis | Coles | The Guardian
Pakistan cable car: How horror story came to a dramatic end – BBC News
You Are Not So Smart: 267 – Do Your Own Research – Sedona Chinn on Apple Podcasts
How to Strengthen Your Friendships | Time
Opinion | A Ruth Bader Ginsburg honoree calls for a rule of justice – The Washington Post
A Kiss After Spain’s World Cup Win Prompts Many to Cry Foul – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Olga Carmona told after Women’s World Cup final that father has died – BBC Sport
Europeans make love but not babies, says demography expert (phys.org)
Passion, humour, history
Who wrote the Dead Sea scrolls? Science may have the answer. (nationalgeographic.com)
India successfully lands Chandrayaan-3 near the moon’s south pole | AP News
Opinion | Why the Indigo Girls Are So Popular Right Now – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
What really caused the collapse of the Mayan civilization? (nationalgeographic.com)
So, what did you read? What jumped out at you? Or share with me what you’re reading? I love that!
Cheers
Andrea
Want to get in touch?
All of my contact information is here on Linktree.
Environment education
Four environment resources to help you navigate this challenging territory.
- Knowledge, constantly updating
- Individual action and awareness, so we do our part
- Resources for those struggling with eco-anxiety. Please share with your community.
- Finally, more than 100 mini-videos on many topics regarding the multiple crisis’ we face. Feel free to download and use as your own. No credit necessary.
Uncommon Courage: an invitation
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 Facebook Group Uncommon Courage.
Listen in to the Uncommon Courage, the podcast on Apple, Spotify and everywhere podcasts are published.
The Know Show – we’re back next week, September 1st
Check out The Know Show. It’s a fortnightly wrap up of the news!
Climate Courage – back on September the 8th, talking about fire
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?
Are you a Social CEO? The Social CEO: How Social Media Can Make You A Stronger Leader.
Want to claim your stage? Unleash Your Voice – Powerful Public Speaking for Every Woman
Feedback
Have I done a great job for you? Can you write a reference on my LinkedIn profile or on my Google Business page? If not for me, why not write one for someone else who inspires you or has helped you? Join the #GivingEconomy.