Welcome back to The Weekend Reads. I kind of had a break last week, but back to work, because it’s time to pay attention to the information that matters. Let’s kick this off with the fact that the climate crisis is a food crisis, and we are certainly pushing the limits here.
Some recent news on crop impacts include avocados, potatoes, and rice, which is a big deal, because 50% of the world’s population relies on rice for 80% of its dietary needs! Oh phytoplankton levels are dropping off too – the base of the food web.
The civil war in Sudan is not getting the world’s attention like the war in Gaza, or the war in Ukraine, but this is an appalling situation, and we need the world’s attention on it to solve it. Please don’t watch this video if you’re sensitive. It shows bodies on the street and while it’s faded out, it’s very challenging to watch.
Two potentially new terms for those tracking the planetary crisis’ – garbage lasagnas and Derecho storms.
Another interesting evolution, economists seem to be finally understanding the impact of the climate crisis, with predictions that economic damage from climate change is six times worse than thought.
We’ve got a lot of challenges on our hands and one of them is human fertility, which is at risk, due to the high level of novel entities in our environment. Here’s two new pieces of research in regard to the testes, one discussing the high levels of fertilizers found in testicles of both humans and dogs, and the other on the presence of microplastics in the gonads. It’s estimated human males (and other living beings) will be sterile by 2060 – perhaps we need to put some attention on this growing risk to human health?
Instead, we’re focused on a moron telling women to get back in the kitchen – do one Harrison. Or the omnipresent Elon Musk, who is having a bit of a meltdown on Twitter, because Reuters have decided to go after him. Check out this article which links to others, and this one, which discusses the mass firings of the Tesla Supercharger staff. That action doesn’t make any sense to me.
If you don’t think you can do anything to make a difference, be inspired by Alok Shukla, the man who took on the coal industry to save a forest in India, and won. Some other human champions are the Brazilian Olympic rowing team, who are staying home to help victims of the floods, rather than represent their country in Paris. Bravo chaps.
Horrific floods have hit Afghanistan, and this video of a small girl being saved made the tears pop! Another country being severely impacted in many ways by climate change is India, which is going through intense heat extremes right now, so it’s hardly a surprise to read that 85% of Indians have been affected by climate change.
Thailand is another country that has gone through months of intense heat, and now the Thai Government has announced it may need to move the capital city, Bangkok, due to the risk of rising seas.
And extreme heat is showing its teeth, with increases in temperature and humidity making the symptoms of certain brain conditions worse, including stroke, migraines, meningitis, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s.
But don’t worry, the US will lead the world in solving these problems, right? Yeah Nah!
The risk to the world if Donald Trump is re-elected cannot be understated. He has offered the oil industry carte blanch if they donate one billion dollars to his re-election campaign and he’s pledged to scrap offshore wind projects on ‘day one’ of presidency. A war game simulation shows that if Trump is re-elected, he will leave NATO in ‘ruin,’ however, in the swing states, it looks like Trump is nudging ahead of Biden…. COME ON AMERICA!!
There is certainly plenty of idiotic stuff going on in American politics and I HATE the fact that I know Donald Trump’s penis is on the smaller side and shaped like a mushroom (sorry, now you do too) but De Santis signing a law that deletes climate change from Florida policy seems to be about as stupid as it gets. That’ll stop the oceans, hurricanes and extreme heat.
We are certainly learning from our mistakes (not) as we have a record-breaking increase in CO2 emissions, but at least here’s something positive – a great piece on the success of EV battery recycling, which shatters many of the prevailing views that EVs are worse for the environment than combustion engine vehicles.
Oh, do you remember that ship that took out the bridge in Baltimore? Seven weeks after this event, 20 Indians and a Sri Lankan national are still inside the ship, unable to disembark, with limited access to the outside world – cruel!
Wisdom gains value as the price of intelligence drops – that’s a good thing. Now we just need all the wise ones to rise and get involved.
Do me a favour and please read this – Orion Magazine – Beyond Hope – so many people say to me , where is the hope!? We don’t need hope, we need action, and trust me, action is what delivers hope.
Watch this – an inspiring story of how when you create alternative, sustainable jobs, people can move from destructive work, like deforestation or palm oil plantations. We need to see this happening globally!
Favorite visual this week
Friends content and mine
The final video from part two, focusing on the waste crisis and what we MUST do about it. This requires all of us to solve it, no one is coming to save us.
Plenty more to read, listen to or watch, so do click through to the reads at the image below, and a reminder, this platform (elink.io) means the articles go back weeks, so have a scan and read/watch/listen to whatever jumps out at you.
Let me know what caught your attention? Or share with me what has your attention now? There’s a lot going on, which means none of us can cover everything. Besides, it’s always great to get feedback so I know I’m delivering something of value.
Cheers
Andrea
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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.
You can buy it on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Booktopia, Smashwords, Kobo, Gardners, Odilo, Indie Bound, BookShop by BookTrib and Scribd.
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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.
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The Know Show
Check out The Know Show. It’s a fortnightly wrap up of the news and we started again for 2024.
Climate Courage
A fortnightly conversation on issues that matter to you and I, focusing on the actions we can all take. I am yet to confirm the return date for this, but it’s coming. In the meantime, I’m doing a three-part series called: We need a new middle-class dream, and one billion people with Uncommon Courage! Check it out.
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
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