I know everything feels very VERY dark in the world right now and many have lost hope completely, but I really want to encourage everyone to see this time as an opportunity we must embrace. We had an opportunity for profound change during the pandemic, and we didn’t take it, which was a massive disappointment. I think a lot about that, but maybe our societies just weren’t ready? We do seem to be getting closer now, which really gives me hope, and luckily, we’ve been given the gift of another opportunity. Let’s embrace it?
It’s an opportunity to radically transform how we live on this planet, and it is long overdue we get to work. However, we must ALL recognize that this is not a moment for small, incremental change (we had that back in the 80s), and so it will come with a cost, which can’t be avoided. The cost is very high and a critical pillar of understanding the changes required is appreciating the true costs.
A core area is knowing what the future holds and finding your acceptance of this truth. There is no other way. Extreme weather events will continue to escalate and get worse, including heat, fire, floods, more powerful hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones, rising sea levels due to melting glaciers and water expansion, ecosystem breakdowns and mass extinction events will continue to ramp up, as well as war, conflict, rising authoritarianism, social breakdown, economic hardships, famine, and the list goes on. That IS the time we are in, regardless of how we wish it were different.
We are in the polycrisis, and it will continue to hit us harder and harder every day, until we recognize the radical shifts required of all of us if we want a future. Pain is part of this story too, we can’t escape it, but building a better, fairer world is what we must be aiming for with all of our energy.
Right now, we have many leaders – especially in the US – defining a direction for our global society and it is as dystopian as anything we’ve known. I know many still can’t quite get their heads around what is happening, finding it hard to believe what is before their eyes, but my friends, it is happening, and it’s worse than you can imagine.
BUT here is our chance, because who says they get to define our future? It’s time for us to stand up and say NO! We’re seeing some of this emerging already, especially the massive loss of value in Musk’s companies, and the anger at townhalls in GOP areas across the US. People are rising, and it is time for all of us to join them. It is time for all of us to understand the challenges we face, work out the solutions, and get to work. I’ll be talking more on this in the future.
In the meantime, please read this excellent piece by Nate Hagens (worth following) which explains very nicely the concept of overshoot. People ask me what this means all the time, and essentially overshoot is our species extracting and consuming Earth’s natural resources at a rate faster than Earth can regenerate – The 7 Fundamental Drivers of Overshoot – by Nate Hagens. Important issue to understand.
The Theory of Stupidity
I also want to encourage everyone to watch this video, discussing Bonhoeffer’s “theory of stupidity.” Some key discussion areas:
Core insights into stupidity
It discusses stupidity vs. evil and most would believe evil is worse. However, he says evil operates intentionally, whereas stupidity spreads unintentionally, often enabling greater harm as people blindly follow without critical thought. Stupidity thrives under corrupt leadership as it creates unquestioning, obedient individuals.
The mechanisms of spread
- Group mentality: independent thinking erodes in larger groups – social media isn’t helping here
- Blind loyalty: beliefs align with group allegiance rather than facts
- Illusion of strength: confidence often masks ignorance, amplifying misinformation
Manipulation by power structures
- Us-vs-them narratives foster division, making groupthink more appealing – always remember, if “them” is powerless in your society, they are NOT the enemy, those who say they are the enemy are the ones you should pay attention to
- Simplistic, repetitive messages overwhelm nuanced truth, which gets an amen from me
- Media distractions fuel outrage and suppress deep reflection – please, take the emotions out. If you are reacting emotionally, buying into the outrage, guess what, you are letting algorithms control your life!
- Information overload creates the illusion of knowledge without true understanding – this also covers topics like celebrity scandals. Don’t pay attention to nonsense
- Social pressure discourages dissent, reinforcing irrational consensus
Breaking Free from Stupidity – the important part
- Personal experience: reality’s contradictions can inspire self-reflection and change – this is happening in real-time in the US. You can’t convince people; they need to experience it themselves. Go easy on those who see the light again
- Encouraging reflection: thoughtful questioning leads to self-realization without provoking defensiveness – i.e. why do you think that?
- Independent thinking: having the courage to embrace social rejection is essential to challenging group norms. Do you prefer to be liked and are willing to accept that which is not true?
Anyhoo have a listen. It’s great and a fundamental issue we must address.
The heat is coming
Extreme heat events is an issue that concerns me the most. I live in Asia, and for the last couple of years, the level of heat extremes scared the shit out of me. Many people have died from these heat events, but the numbers reported are way below what is happening on the ground. When morgues are overflowing in countries, as we saw in India last year, reporting 219 deaths from heat is definitely an understatement. That’s a big problem with heat, we never have the true numbers.
Sadly, the heat is back, and it started in February with India, Pakistan, Thailand, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Indonesia, among many other countries in this region, reporting records already. May is when it usually gets hottest, and with El Nino conditions already brewing, we can expect extreme heat to consume the region.
I wrote this blog a couple of years ago on how to get ready – 34 actions to prepare for a heat index that hits unliveable territory – The Digital Conversationalist – in the meantime, paint your roof white, plant trees, get solar to protect against the GRID going down, stock up on water – especially in areas where it runs out, and take care of the poorest in your community.
Some other reads
Australia’s whole economy would crash without fossil fuel exports, and it’s done nothing to change that path. From the article:
Australia has worked to establish itself as “a fossil fuel behemoth” over the past three decades since the International Panel on Climate Change released its First Assessment report in 1990, with the country exporting increasing amounts of fossil fuels even as its domestic emissions have fallen.
In the fifteen years after the release of the First Assessment Report, the burden of Australia’s fossil fuel exports doubled. It doubled again between 2005 and 2020, driven by a massive increase in coal and gas exports.
Worth a listen, yes we do need to be speaking about adaptation – We have to talk about Adaptation – Wicked Problems – Climate Tech Conversations – Apple Podcasts
A comprehensive overview of what Musk and DOGE have been up to. I encourage you to subscribe to Wired if you’re not already. They are doing great work – Inside Elon Musk’s ‘Digital Coup’ | WIRED
Just revolting Bangladesh: Fierce protests as eight-year-old rape victim dies
Monica Piccinini is doing great work Methane emissions of 20 biggest supermarkets not all they seem
This is why people like me are VERY concerned for our future – have we already gone too far? Canada is opening the floodgates on one of Earth’s greatest living reservoirs of CO2 | Canada’s National Observer: Climate News
Another potential for headline of the year Opinion | Democracy Dies in Dumbness – The New York Times
I used to work in the aerospace industry back at the start of my career. It’s a fascinating industry, and today, a classic example of how business has lost its way – profits are all that matters – The Worst 7 Years in Boeing’s History—and the Man Who Won’t Stop Fighting for Answers | WIRED
Probably the best graphic to really capture the risk of capitulating to Russia.
Lots to catch up on. Get stuck in and keep the faith. Yes, things are breaking down, but this is when we get the opportunity to build something new. Time is not on our side though, so let’s skip to it.
Favorite visual or meme
Fair
St. Upid – love it!
Good point, no?
And well, a fairly obvious outcome some would say
My content and my pals
I really loved the conversation on Climate Courage this week, talking about marketing’s role in the climate emergency. If you are in marketing, have a listen. Alexis Eyre and Paul Randle are terrific, and one BIG take-away for me was the idea of the duty of care for marketing professionals. That is such an important insight and necessary change.
Here’s a quote from their book Sustainable Marketing: The Industry’s Role in a Sustainable Future – nails it!
Great article by Karen Leong on how to stand up to a bully. I think so many of us resonated with that moment in the Oval Office when Trump and Vance attacked Zelensky, because we have all experienced something similar. Karen lays out really effective strategies to deal with it. Take these lessons on board. They are great Navigating Power Plays when the Odds are Against You | LinkedIn
Miguel Bernas really nails how I feel about AI on platforms like LinkedIn. It’s been overrun, adding so much more nonsense to the platform, and there was already so much noise already. If you don’t write it, you don’t know it, so please, resist using AI or you will lose credibility with your audience. I can see an AI pitch a million miles away. For me it’s all in the sentence structure. Two types – all sentences are the same and there are usually three/paragraph, OR it starts with a short sentence and then a long sentence. My eyes glaze over reading anything written by AI and I know many others feel the same. How AI is ruining LinkedIn | LinkedIn.
A thought for International Women’s Day 2025
And let’s take some inspiration from Bernie Sanders. We must rise to this moment. All of us.
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
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