Are you becoming numb to all the terrible news? I know many are, and worse, young people, are completely switching off. This spells trouble ahead, because now is the time to rise and say: we do not agree with the direction we are taking as a global society and we demand change. It is time to fight with everything we have for peace.
Because if we don’t do this, what do you think will happen? When we are silent, we are still participating, even if we believe we’re saving ourselves. When you look back through history, collective silence and numbness is what has always led us down paths we do not want to tread. Let’s not do it again, because today, with our ecology on the brink of collapse, war will hasten our demise.
The news is harrowing. We are watching widespread destruction and suffering in Palestine, with the death toll now well over 11,000, but we also know of the Israeli families dealing with the “unknowing” of what is happening to the hostages, their families, one just a baby, less than 12 months old.
We are also seeing a rise in antisemitism (something I never thought I’d witness in my life) and hatred towards Muslims again – we must not allow this to continue. Please say no to ALL racism, it can have no role if we hope for a future. We are one species, one family, and we need peace if we are going to overcome the enormous challenges we face.
Russia and Ukraine? We’re barely hearing anything about it in the media now, as the other war takes centre stage, but it is still happening, and many continue to suffer.
Beyond war, there are many shenanigans afoot that require our attention and active participation to solve these challenges. One example is data centres draining aquifers and fresh water sources across the world, but especially in the Global South, where the people living have no access to clean drinking water at all. How can the businesses behind this continue? How did they even think it was OK to start?
Did you know 50 questions on your favorite AI tool devours the equivalent of a bottle of drinking water? Every time I read stories like this, I can’t help but wonder why we continue to create environmentally destructive industries in this day and age! It cannot go on, especially when we are facing massive water shortages everywhere.
A new report was released on global food shortages, with this stand out quote:
“Very little is known about how shocks in agricultural inputs would impact crop yields and food availability on a large scale.”
Wait, what, how don’t we know the answer to this VERY critical question?
And a final WTF – in Africa, thousands are dying, because of a lack of weather stations, which means families are flooded and dying in their homes while they sleep, with no warnings issued at all.
In the US and the EU, with a total population of 1.1 billion, there are 636 weather radar stations. Whereas in Africa, with a population of 1.2 billion, there are only 37 weather stations. How can we possibly know what’s going on with global weather patterns when we have such an imbalance? This is something we CAN and must address.
I know it’s hard, but we must face this time and we need to act, raise our voices and be the leaders the world needs right now. If we don’t, who will?
Onto the reads….
Friend’s content and mine
A huge thank you to Andrew Buoy, Vice President of Group Sustainability for SingTel and Optus, who really shared from the heart, inspired me with the action the telecom industry collectively is taking, and shared how we are ALL in climate jobs today. Make sure you have a listen.
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.
Planetary emergency
Greenhouse Gas concentrations hit record high. Again. (wmo.int)
Some ultra-processed foods are good for your health, WHO-backed study finds | Health | The Guardian
How climate change affects life in the U.S. : NPR
If it keeps on raining the levee’s gonna break | BusinessGreen Blog Post
What the Melting of Antarctic Ice Shelves Means for the Planet – Inside Climate News
Climate resilience in the face of bad global warming (corporateknights.com)
EU agrees to ban exports of waste plastic to poor countries | Waste | The Guardian (ampproject.org)
‘We’re not doomed yet’: reasons for climate hope, by a climatologist – Positive News
Indigenous Consent: Essential for Climate Action | Duke Global
Israeli private detective targeted climate activists in hacking campaign : NPR
How could global food production break down? (ampproject.org)
Africa: Without Warning – Africa’s Lack of Weather Stations Is Costing Lives – allAfrica.com
EU strikes deal on new ‘ecocide’ rules to put polluters in jail – EURACTIV.com
School Strike 4 Climate: Australian students use ‘sick note’ to demand climate action – BBC News
Q&A: Warming of 2C would trigger ‘catastrophic’ loss of world’s ice, new report says – Carbon Brief
The 100 Most Influential Climate Leaders in Business 2023 | TIME
Publisher’s Note: Slow and steady will not win the climate race | Corporate Knights
Himalayan glaciers melting 65 percent faster than previous decade: study (france24.com)
Offshore carbon capture next frontier of ‘ocean abuse’ (yahoo.com)
El Niño reaches ‘strong’ intensity, pointing to a scorching 2024 ahead for the planet – ABC News
CHANGE OR WE ARE FUCKED – by Rachel Donald (wewillbearwitness.org)
National Climate Assessment: 5 takeaways on the US climate report | CNN
Just 5% of public feel prepared for climate change, poll suggests | The Independent
It’s not yet summer in Brazil, but a dangerous heat wave is sweeping the country | AP News
Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon falls 22% in 2023 (mongabay.com)
Georgia, Southeast among the most at-risk from climate change, report finds (ampproject.org)
Climate-heating gases reach record highs, UN reports | Greenhouse gas emissions | The Guardian
Brazil: Health warnings as country gripped by ‘unbearable’ heatwave – BBC News
Polluting Industries Say the Cost of Cleaner Air Is Too High – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Michael Mann: Yes, we can still stop the worst effects of climate change. Here’s why. | Live Science
I Want a Better Catastrophe · Flowchart
Delhi AQI: Toxic haze in India capital after Diwali festival – BBC News
The Climate Contradiction That Will Sink Us – The Atlantic
How to Collapse: Mass Starvation (collapse2050.com)
The Crash to Come | Jonathan Mingle | The New York Review of Books (nybooks.com)
Fossil fuels: the hidden ingredient in our food chain | NationofChange
Weather tracker: Fatal floods in Somalia and record heat in Tokyo | Extreme weather | The Guardian
Revealed: Mistakes that blocked Maui wildfire escape routes – BBC News
‘It’s sad waving goodbye to a dying glacier’ – SWI swissinfo.ch
Global politics
Hostages’ fates haunt Israel as war intensifies – BBC News
Israel-Hamas war: Heavy fighting rages near main Gaza hospital with people trapped inside | Euronews
French march against antisemitism shakes up far right and far left – BBC News
Putin Wants the West to Give Up on Ukraine – The Atlantic
Zimbabwe declares state of emergency in Harare over cholera – BBC News
When Apec ‘family photos’ used to be fun – BBC News
Biden calls Xi a dictator after carefully planned summit, Global Enterprise – THE BUSINESS TIMES
Xi Jinping arrives in US as his Chinese Dream sputters – BBC News
China’s matchmaking mums have a powerful ally: The Party – BBC News
The lying game: Australia’s political landscape to come – The Shot
UK economy flatlines as higher interest rates bite – BBC News
Joe Biden May Have Crossed Fatal ‘Red Line’ (newsweek.com)
White House criticises Elon Musk over ‘hideous’ antisemitic lie – BBC News
Trump crosses a crucial line – The Atlantic
Trump’s Speech Mirrors Dictators Mussolini and Hitler (esquire.com)
The alarming news progressive groups delivered to the White House – POLITICO
What the Supreme Court’s New Ethics Code Lacks – The Atlantic
California farmers are reeling from loss of powerful congressional allies – POLITICO
Donald Trump: Legal experts see uphill battle in fraud case – BBC News
A must watch and very nuanced – critical messages in the mix we must learn! The canary in the coal mine is the rise of antisemitism. We cannot allow it to grow and consume our world.
Business and technology
Data centers ‘straining water resources’ as AI swells (phys.org)
With antisemitic tweet, Elon Musk reveals his ‘actual truth’ | CNN Business
IBM suspends ads on X after they appeared next to Nazi posts – BBC News
F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix: Practice sessions chaotic with track problems – BBC Sport
Musk’s X launches court fight with Australian watchdog (techxplore.com)
PepsiCo sued by New York state for plastic pollution – BBC News (ampproject.org)
Inside the World’s Only Vegemite Factory – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Mounjaro weight loss jab authorised in UK – BBC News
The AI Bias That’s Often Overlooked: Speciesism (sentientmedia.org)
This futureproof e-bike has no battery and never needs charging | Advnture
Social issues
Major medical breakthrough eliminates kidney stones with little to no pain (ampproject.org)
Covid
National Geographic did a series on Covid, so I’ve collected it all here, with one other.
What causes long COVID? The answer might be in your gut (nationalgeographic.com)
COVID-19 can ruin your sleep in many different ways—here’s why (nationalgeographic.com)
Why does COVID-19 cause brain fog? Scientists may finally have an answer. (nationalgeographic.com)
Now we know how COVID attacks your heart (nationalgeographic.com)
COVID-19 can interfere with your period in many ways. Here’s how. (nationalgeographic.com)
We’re in a new COVID wave. What can we expect this time? (theconversation.com)
Passion/humour/history/celebs
Top 22 artifacts from the Stone Age (thetravelbible.com)
Lee Friedlander’s Intimate Portraits of His Wife, Through Sixty Years of Marriage | The New Yorker
Courteney Cox Talks About Her ‘Friends’ Love Story With Matthew Perry (insider.com)
So, what did you read? What jumped out at you? Or share with me what you’re reading? I love that!
Cheers
Andrea
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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
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?
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
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