I’m not surprised at the failure of Cop29, although the depth of failure is a surprise (no one wants to lead a failed Cop these days) but here we are, and a pathetic amount of money has been offered to the developing world, or the Global South. The message coming out of Cop29 worth listening to right now is Indian climate activist, Harjeet Singh. Have a listen and support his voice.
If wealthy countries and individuals do not support the developing world, it will result in
- Higher emissions globally, as poorer countries cannot afford to transition to renewable energy, so they will keep pumping out fossil fuels long into the future
- Mass migration as the climate worsens, because it will force millions, if not billions, of people to move and well, that’s not going to go down well
- Mass migration will cause immense suffering, and war will increase as we fight each other over natural resources – like water
- Ecosystem and biodiversity collapse will accelerate, because we are not tackling the climate crisis everywhere
- The collapse of global civilization
- A much shitter life for everyone on this planet
Too much? I’m only getting started. A global finance deal that does not put developing countries further into debt, is absolutely CRITICAL for all our sakes. This is not just about helping people in the Global South, this is about addressing the crisis at the level it needs to be addressed, and the result from this year’s Cop29 is a total failure for all humankind. There is no safe place on a planet moving into climate breakdown.
So we need to sort it out, and there are plenty of ways to finance this – here’s one article discussing it – Billionaires, frequent flyers, oil and gas: Who could fund COP29’s $1tn finance target?
Great article this week from Julian Cribb – The gods look on aghast, as human calamity unfolds… – Pearls and Irritations.
It all feels delusional from where I’m sitting, and then you watch what’s going on in the US, and we seem to have hit peak delusion.
Want to know why all this matters?
Here’s my lucky 13 – all presented to illustrate why action on a scale most of us can’t comprehend yet is required. A lot of these outcomes individually are game-over, together? Well… we’ll certainly soon understand the idea that we reap what we sow. It’s time to understand the direction we are heading in, and I haven’t even added war in the mix here, just the planetary stuff…
- Climate-driven extreme heat may make parts of Earth too hot for humans – I’d suggest this has already started, having lived through two extreme deadly heat seasons, with lethal wet bulb temperatures. We just don’t know how many people really died
- The planet’s largest inland sea is shrinking fast as temperatures rise
- ‘The land is tearing itself apart’: life on a collapsing Arctic isle
- Plankton may not survive global warming with “devastating effects” – Oceanographic – this is game-over, the basis of ALL life
- Trump’s science-denying fanatics are bad enough. Yet even our climate ‘solutions’ are now the stuff of total delusion | George Monbiot – anyone who believes in the end of times should not be allowed to enter public office
- The climate crisis in charts: how 2024 has set unwanted new records – not looking good my friends
- Five firms in plastic pollution alliance ‘made 1,000 times more plastic than they cleaned up’ – say NO to all plastic, especially single use
- New study: Plastic pollution worsens the impacts of all planetary boundaries – Stockholm Resilience Centre – for years we’ve been led to believe plastic is harmless, now we know
- How climate change is putting lives at risk in the ‘Third Pole’
- Falling human fertility can’t be reversed by cheerleading for motherhood – resilience – human sterility is predicted by 2040, not far away now
- Meltwater from Greenland and the Arctic is weakening ocean circulation, speeding up warming down south – game-over when this happens, but it’s impacts will emerge slowly – maybe
- Parts of Great Barrier Reef record worst coral loss in 39 years, early AIMS survey results show – we’ve already lost the corals, we just haven’t admitted it yet. Sure, the corals are still here, but with emissions going up every year, it’s a matter of time
- World’s 1.5C climate target ‘deader than a doornail’, experts say – we just don’t seem to grasp the implications of what happens when we pass 1.5C, or hit 2C warming, or even higher
For those paying attention, keep sane if you can. I know it’s all completely crazy, but what I did long ago is understand the paths we were on, and I moved into acceptance. This means I could see all the possible outcomes and as awful as those outcomes looked, I accepted whatever it was to be.
It wasn’t an easy place to get too – in fact, it was the most harrowing inner journey of my life – but there was great peace once I reached acceptance. It didn’t mean I gave up; in fact, it resulted in having even more fight in me to do everything I could to make sure the worst doesn’t come to pass.
Acceptance is the only place to find any peace in a delusional world. Dark humour helps a lot too. Happy to speak to anyone who is struggling here. Just reach out, OK?
After my Weekend Reads last week, where I discussed the dominance of right wing media and influencers, it seems that is escalating – The End of Left-Leaning News? Is Progressive Journalism Being Systematically Destroyed?
If you want to move your money away from planet destroying industries, check out this site: The World’s Largest Media Platform for Climate Action #MoveTheMoney.
Favorite visual or meme
Here’s two this week, there are so many great memes, but these spoke to me.
Friends content and my own
It was an absolute delight to have Robert Redmayne Hosking on Climate Courage this week to discuss the politics of climate. Robert is passionate and not afraid to look the truth in the eye. Really enjoyed the conversation with Robert, David and Richard.
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 (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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