A sign of the times, but South Korea announced it’s first robot monk, and while I’m paying attention to both the environmental and human costs of AI and all the technology becoming part of our daily life, I also attended an event this week, listening to the Singapore Government’s approach to AI. I finally understood the national approach as AI everywhere, all the time, for all ages and in all places – work, education and life. Then I read this: The Next Generation Luddite | Psychology Today, which brings in another angle on our failing education systems.
I’m sharing this, because no matter where you stand, keeping an open mind is so important, but equally, it’s very challenging when those leading this movement are such a risk to global democracy. Regardless, I do encourage everyone to do something (anything) with AI, because this is not going away, and it will become central to our lives – in some form or another. Making sure that’s a positive is what matters now.
Reminder, one thing I built with AI is my news page. The commercial solutions never truly cut it, so now I finally have a custom-built app that really does what I need it to. I’d appreciate you going to the page, save it to your home screen, and you’ll have an app for daily global news check ins. Please do it now and make the effort worthwhile!!
Before moving on, a very big happy birthday to the wonderful David Attenborough. Let’s make him our role model and motivation to build a better world – Thank you, David Attenborough, for 100 incredible years of life on Earth | Jess Harwood | The Guardian
Extreme heat
If you’re not in Asia, you might not know what’s going on here heat-wise, but let me tell you, it really sucks a big one. It is INTENSE and many countries have been suffering for months, with more regions being pummelled by extraordinary heat. It makes you wonder what is coming in 2027 once El Niño really makes its mark.
Some recent news from the region and remember, the number of deaths reported will be a massive understatement. Watch out for stories of overflowing morgues, that’s how we know it’s much higher.
- Extreme heat takes toll on South and Southeast Asia – Chinadaily.com.cn
- Maharashtra heatstroke cases soar to 229 since March 1 | Pune News – The Times of India
- ‘A calamity’: Why is a record heatwave sweeping South Asia? | Weather News | Al Jazeera
- India’s heat crisis is a labour, health and finance challenge, says white paper
- Karachi heatwave: 10 dead as temperature crosses 44°C amid extreme heat
- India is burning more coal as extreme heat and the Iran war squeeze energy supplies
- Bangkok faces extreme heat alert as heat index exceeds 52°C
- We RUINED India Forever
- 56 heat-related cases, two deaths reported nationwide, says Health Ministry | The Star
Plastic increasing heat
We are, of course, hearing a lot about the forthcoming mega El Niño, but new reporting this week reveals that plastics are considerably adding to global warming – read all about it – The Great Pacific Garbage Patch could be part of a hidden problem | CNN.
New Orleans going under
The implications of our changing climate are everywhere, and this is what’s happening in the real world –‘Point of no return’: New Orleans relocation must start now due to sea level, study finds | New Orleans | The Guardian.
Hantavirus
And cruises, please give them a big Yeah Nah! Eight times more polluting than ALL other forms of tourism, creating environmental and ecological destruction everywhere they land, but of course, then we have the virus risks. Last Chance Tourism sucks a big one – Hantavirus cruise highlights the environmental risks of ‘last chance tourism’, scientists warn | Euronews.
We can’t afford war
While all eyes were on the Met Gala and the criticism consumed the media and social media, let’s remember what really matters. If we don’t want everything to keep getting worse, we must have peace.
This article illustrates the destruction of war (Wars destroy lives and the climate. Why aren’t we counting military emissions?), but it completely underestimates its impacts too – 5.5% military emissions? Tell ‘em they’re dreaming.
When it comes to war, no matter which side you’re on, now is the time for peace and global cooperation on a scale we’ve never seen, or we won’t have a future.
War damages basic environmental systems, but it also contaminates the soil, poisons the groundwater, leaves toxic residues and heavy metals in the environment, unexploded ordnance, sewage leakage, and long-term agricultural damage. We can’t afford war, we never could, but today, it will tip us over the edge into global disaster.
Trump, war and the green President?
And then there is Iran – do we have peace, or don’t we? Who knows, right? Can someone please take Trump’s phone off him?
However, two pieces to consider. One the accidental green President and the other, a strategy detailing how the US is going for global dominance, where, according to the writer, it’s succeeding:
- Cory Doctorow: Comrade Trump is the unwitting hero of a green revolution
- How the US Pulled off an Armed Robbery of the World’s Energy Supply and Created the Petrogas-Dollar
Here’s the problem with the second, in particular.Climate change (and the other eight Planetary Boundaries) are system destabilizers, not a clean backdrop for imperial consolidation. Extreme heat, drought, flooding, crop stress, migration, insurance collapse, grid stress, wildfire, and infrastructure damage all erode state capacity over time. The US is not exempt in this, and as the El Niño intensifies near-term extremes, it will only add more volatility to food, water, energy, and political systems.
So yeah, if the US does gain short-term strategic advantage from energy and naval dominance based on recent actions, at this point in the climate collapse game, it doesn’t automatically translate into durable long-term supremacy. Come back later to check if I’m right here.
Also worth highlighting
Time for working class environmental populism?As household bills soar, is it time for a ‘working-class climate agenda’? | Climate crisis | The Guardian. You bet it is, because honestly, current Democratic governments are not representing the working people. All those people who voted Reform in the UK, good luck with that. Then again, the Green Party victories are even more significant, but you might not have heard as much about that.
AI and the manosphere
This article is a bit of a toe curler. Make sure you’re keeping an eye on your kids with AI? We can’t trust the tech overlords to do the right thing now, can we? – The Partner Who Cannot Refuse: How AI Companions Promote Misogynistic Treatment and Expectations for Women.
In case you missed it, bravo to Meloni – Giorgia Meloni had the very best response to this AI deepfake and even had people who don’t like the Italian PM cheering – The Poke.
And worth a watch – nuts!
Press Freedom Day
It was Press Freedom Day May 3rd, and one of my heroes, Carole Cadwalladr published this important piece – Journalists of the world, unite! – by Carole Cadwalladr.
Some key points
- Gaza is the deadliest conflict for journalists ever recorded
- Israel has killed 232 Palestinian journalists since October 2023, more than in both world wars, the Vietnam War, the wars in Yugoslavia, and the United States war in Afghanistan combined
- Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) reveals press freedom is at a 25-year low. It’s diminishing almost everywhere at an astonishing rate – we gotta turn that around my friends
- America is now a shocking 64th on the press freedom index behind Namibia, Timor-Leste, Montenegro, Tonga, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Samoa, Panama, Botswana, Gabon and Ghana – MAGA!!!
- We know the tech bros are a big part of the media take-over, with CBS gutted from within, and its editorial integrity destroyed after being bought by the Ellison family, a key Trump ally. The Ellison’s also have control of TikTok and is in the throes of an $81bn takeover of Warner Bros that will give it control of, among many other media properties, CNN’s newsroom
Then we have this story – A Dangerous New Attack on Press Freedom – The Atlantic – but then there’s this – Kash Patel’s Personalized Bourbon Stash – The Atlantic. You can’t make it up!
Friends content and my own
We had the wonderful Praveen Gupta on The Sh*t Show this week, talking about the insurance industry, but he also gave us a lived experience from Mumbai India, which is one of the hottest cities on earth right now.
A quick short from last week, discussing food insecurity, and honestly, this is not being reported as the emergency that it is! Pay attention, because no matter where you are, we will ALL be impacted by this.
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Dig into the news
When you go into the daily news app, remember to save it to your home screen and you can check the news anytime, as it’s updated throughout the day – by a real human, me.
This news curation tool covers news and thought leadership across all issues relevant to the polycrisis, as well as some light stuff, because we can’t be serious all the time. To get to the news, click through on the image below, and a reminder, this goes back weeks, so have a scan and read/watch/listen to whatever jumps out at you. The categories are right on top now as well, so you can dig into whatever issue you care about.
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.
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18 Steps to an All-Star LinkedIn Profile
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Are you a Social CEO? The Social CEO: How Social Media Can Make You A Stronger Leader.
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