We sure do live in interesting times. There are a lot of people offering visions of the future that are truly miserable (unfortunately with far too many believers, e.g. the Manosphere, Trad Wives, racists, etc..) but climate deniers, who are sweating it out in extreme heat laughing at people committed to doing everything possible to ensure a live-able future? Well, that feels like the great irony of our time.
- Climate sceptics cheering as they melt in record temperatures? This heatwave is where satire has come to die | Jonathan Freedland | The Guardian
- Stewart Lee: It’s not been a great week for denying climate change. But the global far-right tried anyway!
The extreme heat battering Europe has been front and centre in our news feeds this week and all-in-all, it looks grim. It is definitely not a region designed to cope with this level of heat, and another case of irony was Climate Action Week had to cancel events because of it. I also heard Christiana Figueras and team had to cancel recording their climate podcast (Outrage + Optimism) in Bath for the same reason.
Then again, maybe it isn’t irony and is instead a case of The Cassandra Complex: a situation where valid warnings or arguments are ignored, only for reality to later confirm those warnings exactly as predicted (often with tragic results). That certainly resonates with me.
Heat headlines from the week
- European heatwave is worst ever and impossible without climate crisis, scientists say | The Guardian
- Heatwave kills hundreds of thousands of poultry in France | Reuters – the climate emergency is a food emergency
- Well-prepared countries like France have collapsed under the recent heatwave. What does this mean for us? | LinkedIn
- Too hot for work: why extreme heat is a threat to Europe’s productivity | The Guardian maybe the economists are starting to get the message?
- Britons will struggle to put food on table as heatwaves become the norm, scientists warn | The Independent
- Hospitals in England declare critical incidents as machines and IT fail in heat | The Guardian
- It’s Too Hot In Europe–Again – Inside Climate News
- London heat adaptation event cancelled as heatwave grips – ironic, no?
- What is the ‘omega block’ causing Europe’s intense heatwave? | The Straits Times
- Please, do not leave children or pets in the car anytime, but especially during a heatwave – Two children found dead in car in France as heatwave hits Europe | The Guardian
Oh, and for all those arguing that nuclear energy will be critical in the future – and yes, there are advances being made in China to cool nuclear reactors with sand – but in the meantime, it’s not doing too well in this heatwave.
France heatwave: Rising river temperatures trigger shutdown of nuclear reactors | Euronews
Europe’s nuclear power plants buckle under climate extremes
Of course, all the attention is on Europe as the heatwave expands, but Bangkok’s heat index reached 51.9°C this week (it’s not the hot season right now), and of course, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and more countries in the region continue to bake. The poorest, as always, suffer the most: Workers Are Dying in the Heat in India.
The polycrisis
Finally, putting two and two together! Yes both events combined are a disaster and it’s something we will come to appreciate in the coming months as food shortages start to escalate. This is the combination of fertilizer shortages AND extreme weather events (like heat) impacting crops – ‘Compound shock effect’: why the Middle East crisis and El Niño could spell disaster in south-east Asia.
“Super El Niño” Is Terrible News for Farmers Around the World – Mother Jones
Not linked but a worthwhile read: We Are Drinking the Earth—and Eating It – Mother Jones.
Other news
The death toll from the earthquakes in Venezuela could be anywhere from 10,000 to 100,000 people – Venezuela’s Powerful Earthquakes Were a Rare ‘Seismic Doublet’ | WIRED.
You know all those geniuses in Silicon Valley who keep promising us they’re going to change the world for the better? Do you trust their long-term strategic thinking skills? Majority of datacenters are vulnerable to climate threats like floods and fires, study finds | Datacenters | The Guardian.
Think emissions from flying aren’t worth worrying about? Think again – Your flight emissions are way higher than carbon calculators suggest | New Scientist.
The world’s largest database of climate change research is now online! Project Cosmos – the world’s largest database of climate change research.
This is a crazy story – Exclusive: Downed US pilot reported seeing Iranian drones swarm in ‘jellyfish’ formation | CNN Politics.
The spin master is losing his skills – Trump Can’t Spin His Way Out of His Two Latest Crises – The Atlantic.
Just get plastic out of your life wherever you can – More microplastics found in the brain than in liver or kidneys alarming discovery – Futura-Sciences.
Planetary Domino Effect
We had Jan Omsonst on The Sh*t Show a couple of weeks ago and he’s published this article with Tom Harris. It’s complicated and many may struggle to understand it, but definitely worth a read: The Planetary Domino Effect – Global Climate Teleconnections & Feedback Cascades.
In essence, it discusses the fact the climate is starting to behave like a row of dominos. When one big system breaks, it raises the chance others will break too, and those failures add up quickly to make the world hotter and the weather more extreme.
Their advice to all of us
- Support policies that cut emissions quickly and protect forests and peatlands
- Push for local planning: better flood defences, water storage and emergency plans
- Back nature restoration and climate‑smart farming
- Prepare family emergency plans for heat, flood or crop disruptions
- Reduce personal emissions where practical, but the biggest focus needs to be on collective and political action
Spend some time with Johan Rockström
Friends content and my own
We had the fabulous Jessica Figueras join us on The Sh*t Show this week, to talk British politics and cyber security. If you didn’t catch it live, you can watch the replay anytime. We cover as much of the world’s news as we can squeeze in and never get through it all.
Your daily dose of courage
Dig into the news
When you visit the daily news page, remember to save it to your home screen and you can check the news anytime, as it’s updated throughout the day, every 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, it goes back weeks, so have a scan and read/watch/listen to whatever jumps out at you. The categories are right on top 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
If you want to support my work, please share this blog, 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.