As I was preparing for the final Sh*t Show of the season yesterday (we’re back first Friday in September) I looked back over the news since the last Weekend Reads and well, it was just stupid! I mean, it’s regularly stupid these days, but some weeks hit a new level of it. The whole discussion around the Texas floods and who’s responsible? STUPID!
The current government cut services that predict and deliver alerts on extreme weather events. What is the outcome of that decision? Little girls die. A terrible tragedy (as a parent, it struck me hard) but not an unexpected one.
The whole politicisation of the event – and sure, we’re used to EVERYTHING being politicized in countries where democracy is breaking down, and we’re used to conspiracy theories too (I honestly don’t know what we can do about it either) – but some truths are self-evident. A decision was made by those in power, and it could only result in this outcome.
Since Trump came to power, we’ve watched the US government destroy so many essential research and weather forecasting services, just as extreme weather events are escalating globally, so of course it’s only a matter of time before a tragedy like this happened. I’ve been waiting for it, and I know many others have as well. Unfortunately, this is just the beginning. Hurricane season hasn’t even started yet.
The decisions being made in the US right now, decisions that impact us all globally, have been outrageous on so many levels, but when it comes to the environment, it’s incomprehensible, because the very people these leaders represent are going to suffer tremendously.
If you’re paying attention, you know it too, so how can so many people in the US not see it? What’s it going to take? And seriously, where are they getting their information to make them keep believing? Because all around them the evidence is in physical form, whether it’s washing their homes off foundations or precious children drowning.
I mean, can you even imagine what it was like for the responders when they found a drowned nine-month-old baby girl?
And Epstein, not even worth the words I’m writing. More stupid. However, maybe this is the event that will bring about the collapse of these very unserious people, who are collectively leading our world towards something very dark?
And things are dark. I don’t listen to Diary of a CEO very often, but I do find these roundtables rather good. Have a listen to some serious people. I liked the former CIA guy especially.
Besides, it’s not only the US experiencing floods or political chaos. Many countries are joining the road to dystopia, but let’s move to another part of the world that experienced crazy floods.
There are many more examples, but this one happened on the Chinese/Nepalese border. At time of writing, at least nine people are dead, with 30 missing, due to flash floods from a glacial lake collapse.
GLOFs
The acronym for a glacial lake outburst flood is GLOF, and Nepal has 2,000 glacial lakes, with more than 20 at risk of collapse, Pakistan has more than 3,000 with more than 30 at risk of collapse, and the Indian Himalayas have an estimated 7,500 glacial lakes, with 189 of these considered “high-risk.” It’s a matter of time before these disasters pile up, because warming is only going in one direction.
Read more about what happened in China and Nepal: ‘Completely unprecedented’: Glacial lake collapse highlights climate threat in deadly China-Nepal flash floods, say experts | Malay Mail.
Eight dead, 31 missing in floods on China-Nepal border – CNA
Continuing with China, the weather has been weird. It’s very challenging to understand the full scope of what’s going on due to information restrictions, but extreme heat is causing surface temperatures to hit 77°C/170.6F – I saw a video of a rat crossing the road and it dropped dead. On top of that, it experienced a typhoon-level storm coming out of nowhere, and crazy floods are impacting huge areas of the country. Check out the storm (and the melting shoes).
Some more on China
- China hit by floods, landslides and heat as extreme weather takes its toll
- Passenger smashes window on boiling hot train in China after AC failure
- China’s gig economy booms as blistering heat leaves workers exposed | The Star – BTW when it’s really hot outside, don’t order a coffee, a sandwich, or an ice-cream delivery, instead, make sure the gig economy workers have a safe place to stay cool in the heat of the day. Extreme heat kills fast AND it kills slow. We need to be mindful of how our behaviours impact others.
Rare earth contamination
You want to bring rare earth processing back to your country? You might want to have a think about that, AND if your government is pushing for it to happen, are they making sure what has/is happening in China, isn’t going to happen in your neighbourhood? I’ll understand the NIMBYs when it comes to this, that’s for sure!
- China rare earths: The BBC visits the world’s mining capital for the metals – BBC News
- China Has Paid a High Price for Its Dominance in Rare Earths – The New York Times
Extreme heat – the numbers
We typically hear death tolls from extreme heat events a couple of years after the fact, which makes us complacent about the threat. Hopefully this is a wake-up call, with a rapid attribution study covering 12 cities in Europe and the UK showing 2,300 heat deaths, with 1,500 directly attributable to human-caused climate change, between 23 June and 2 July.
- Milan saw 317 out of 499 heat deaths attributed to climate breakdown, followed by Paris and Barcelona
- London had 273 heat deaths, 171 attributed to climate
- It’s estimated 44,000 people die from heat in Europe each year
- The conclusion, 2,300 people dying from a single heatwave in just 12 cities could indicate this summer is going to be very challenging
- Going back to China, heat wave-related deaths have nearly doubled compared with 1986 to 2005
- And there were more than 37,000 deaths in 2023 alone, the most recent full-year data
Here’s a write up on the European study: Climate breakdown tripled death toll in Europe’s June heatwave, study finds | Extreme heat | The Guardian.
And here’s a really important video on the science of extreme weather. Important watch my friends.
In other news
More on the USAID cuts and impact – bastards – ‘People Are Going to Die’: A Malnutrition Crisis Looms in the Wake of USAID Cuts | WIRED.
Some great stats on solar energy growth – Billion Years On, the Sun Is Having a Moment | The New Yorker.
We can’t feed people but hey, Nvidia is valued at US$4 trillion – Nvidia becomes first company to clinch US$4 trillion in market value – CNA.
We are still waiting on the Japan megaquake, but there are definitely growing concerns – CHAIN REACTION IN JAPAN’S VOLCANOES. LARGE MOVEMENT OF MAGMA OVER THE REGION.
Japan is also getting hammered by extreme rainfall right now – Historic rainfall triggers widespread flooding across Tokyo, Japan – The Watchers.
Korea too – Intense rainfall after heat may become new normal – The Korea Herald.
Have you noticed how much more we’re hearing about volcanic activity world-wide? Well things might get a whole lot worse – Melting glaciers and ice caps could unleash wave of volcanic eruptions, study says | Climate crisis | The Guardian.
Food security
Three really important articles on food security – please grow a garden and establish a food security community where you live.
- ‘Everything is dying’: Prairie farmers, crops struggling with yearly droughts
- Spain, Morocco and Türkiye: Mediterranean countries ‘canaries in coal mine’ for drought impacts | Euronews
- Droughts worldwide pushing tens of millions towards starvation, says report | Drought | The Guardian
Time for a break!
And finally, it’s time for a break. While I love doing this as an act of service to help my community understand the complexities of this time, it does take a toll emotionally and energetically. It also eats up my Saturdays (often nights too) and that impacts family time, so having a break is important.
I’ll start again sometime late August, but in the meantime, I will continue to update the world news page every day, so if you’re looking for a place that features the main news from around the world, across all forms of media, it’s all here. Favorite this page and check in daily.
I don’t just share what I find, I also make sure the news that’s being discussed is included, AND I work hard to make sure non-Western stories are included too. Sometimes the world feels far too focused ‘up there,’ when ‘down here’ has a lot going on that requires our attention.
Keep the faith, join the fight, and let’s get our world on track. We are the leaders we are looking for. Time to believe it.
Favorite memes, cartoons, Tweets, etc…
The irony of it!
A similar conversation is happening around geoengineering!
Funny not funny
It wasn’t my mum, it was my grandma! Boy she knew how to swing a bat!
And finally, yeah, eat the salt, although high quantities of microplastics in pink Himalayan Sea salt, even though this packaging says otherwise – rippa!
My content and my pals
I loved having Neal Moore on The Sh*t Show yesterday, a pro-human world is definitely where we must be focusing our attention, but we must drive it. We also have to start seeing what isn’t good for us and demand something human-aligned, not profit-aligned, or the latest techbros obsession is what we’ll get – they do not represent us!
Joe, David and Richard, thanks for doing the show with me. It is such a gift being able to come together and discuss what’s going on with people who care. We don’t always agree, but that’s the beauty of it, because we listen, learn, and sometimes even change each other’s minds. Even if we don’t, it doesn’t matter, and that’s the way it should be. Enjoy the break and see you in September.
If you want to join us as a guest, please reach out. As long as it contributes to untangling the polycrisis, we are all in. Here’s how I categorize the big topics – or mega trends – around the polycrisis as a guide.
Dig into the news
Plenty more to read, listen to or watch, so do click through to the reads at the image below, and a reminder, this platform has articles going 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
All my contact information is here.
If you want to support my work, please share my work, subscribe to my social channels, or at least buy me a coffee here.
The Sh*t Show
The Sh*t Show is a Livestream happening every Friday, where Andrea T Edwards, Dr. David Ko, Richard Busellato and Joe Augustin, as well as special guests, discuss the world’s most pressing issues across all angles of the polycrisis, working to make sense of the extremely challenging and complex times we are all going through, plus what we can do about it. Help us move the needle so we can change the name of the show to something more genteel when (or if) it is no longer a sh*t show.
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.
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 One Billion People with Uncommon Courage.
Listen in to the Uncommon Courage, the podcast on Apple, Spotify and everywhere podcasts are published.
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.