The wedding of the century happened last night, so congratulations to the newlyweds T&T. No, I’m not cynical and wish them nothing but the best, because love is the greatest energy in the world and we need a lot more of it. Ironically, this love fest occurred in record breaking heat, and while I was happy no Swifties suffered heatstroke on the off chance they’d get a peak of the bride, there was a mass casualty incident declared in Pennsylvania.
Extreme heat is the talk of the world right now, which is why we spent a LOT of time talking about heat on the show yesterday. We also discussed how it’s so obvious events of this magnitude would be upon us, and yet everywhere we look, governments are underprepared. Even the countries which did prepare (like France) underestimated potential impact.
Apparently, this would be a once every 26,000 years event if it happened 20 years ago, but today it’s a once every 20 years event. Yep, that’s how fast things are changing and our governments are not keeping up at all. Maybe it’s time to listen to the people who are actually understanding the risks we face?
The whole conversation happening right now is on the immediate impacts, but we have many future scenarios we’ll be facing in the months ahead, like food scarcity, inflation and famine due to the long-term damage. For now, we are tallying the numbers of humans who have died.
Estimates are 2000+ in France, 1,000 in Spain, and Zenodo released a report suggesting more than 20,000 have died in Europe due to heatwaves this June. This article also said there were more than 20,000 deaths, but went on to attribute 5,210 deaths in France, 4,543 in Germany, 3,163 in Spain, and 2,709 for Italy. Regardless, we will never know the true number of deaths because with extreme heat, we never do, and that’s why we are not alarmed enough.
Meanwhile in the US, today marks 250 years since Independence (in case you somehow missed that fact) and celebrations across the country have been cancelled or are opening later, due to extreme heat. No problem though, Donald Trump is going to give “a really long speech, just to show that I can do anything” later today. I mean, an 80-year-old man, in 107°F heat, what could possibly go wrong? Listen to him say it himself here.
The Overshoot Challenge
This week I launched The Overshoot Challenge, which answers the question – What Can I Do? This is something EVERYONE asks me all the time, and if I answer that question, they don’t like it.
The reason they don’t like it is because the answer stirs up very strong emotions – and of course it does. It doesn’t make it less true that we need to get out of Overshoot – which basically means we’re taking more than the planet can provide, and we’ve been in Overshoot as long as I’ve been alive! So not only do we need to get out of Overshoot, we also have a debt to pay too.
Once you get this message, you really start to see how you are contributing to the problem, and the truth is, if you’re reading this, you’re on technology, and that almost certainly guarantees you are in Overshoot, so we’re all in this together.
When you go into the deck and see the options I’ve suggested, there will be actions you just don’t want to do, and there will be actions that are easy to do. Start with the easy, because once you start, you’ll want to do more. The Overshoot Challenge gives you more than 300 ideas, across 14 categories, and it’s all about starting where you can, no guilt, no perfection, just action.
The real focus behind the challenge is to recruit one billion people into action and collectively, we take the reins to build our future, from the middle-class up. There are more than 4.3 billion middle class people on this planet, and it’s time we used that power. It starts by all of us massively reducing our energy and material consumption and regenerating nature around us.
Join me on The Overshoot Challenge and let’s mobilize one billion people into action, and together, we change the direction of humanity. We are the only ones who can lead this change, so I ask you – are you in?
More news
Because we didn’t get to talk much beyond heat on the show yesterday, I wanted to share articles from that, as well as others we didn’t have time discuss. Then, as always, go and check out the reads.
- An alarming fact I was unaware of – Rising summer heat linked to higher US youth suicide rates, especially ages 15 to 24
- A slightly more nuanced conversation Vs the politicisation we’re seeing in the media – As Europe braces for a second heatwave, the EU’s Green Deal faces crucial summer test | Euronews
- This is the news that really scares me – World’s oceans experience hottest June ever, scientists say more heat ahead | Climate News | Al Jazeera
- The anti-datacentre and AI movement is sure to get stronger momentum if people start dying because of grid pressure from these beasts – As Heat Wave Spreads Across the US, Data Centers Strain Electrical Grids | Truthout
- One of my spinouts is watching the tech industry – which used to be the greenest industry of them all – turn its back on its commitments. Check this growth at Google – Google’s exponential path to climate-wrecking digital bloat – Ketan Joshi
- The impact of the Venezuela earthquake has been devastating, with a few moments of joy following miracle rescues, but I keep scratching my head about why the Venezuelan Government is not being truthful about numbers of dead? Estimates are predicting 68,000 missing, what benefit is there in not admitting to that? More than 68,000 people still missing in Venezuela after devastating earthquakes | Euronews
- If you didn’t watch this interview, do! Bizarre – Exclusive: The whistleblower silenced by Facebook hits back | The News Agents
- This is an important read on all the ways climate change impacts the body – all organs covered – Here’s how climate change is affecting every system in your body | Grist
Plenty more on the world news the polycrisis site. Check in often, it’s updated every day.
Friends content and my own
We discussed cybersecurity insurance on The Sh*t Show yesterday with Alessandro Lezzi, Group Head of Cyber Risks at Beazley, and if you haven’t watched it, go and watch it. This was such a fascinating conversation, because it’s not just governments and businesses at risk, it’s all of us and the speed of risk is down to seconds. Understanding this so we can protect ourselves is vital, and if you think governments are going to do it, check out how they’re preparing for extreme heat!
Interestingly, this article popped up, which is something we talk about all the time. The so-called geniuses driving these changes are missing fundamental risks to their businesses – weather impacts AI data centers face heatwave and severe weather climate risks.
I published this, after seeing a lady using manosphere terms within the context of personal growth (it was ironic really). Anyhoo, I’d been writing the blog for a while but realized I had to get this out. Know the language of the manosphere and then never EVER use it. This is important – Why we can’t afford to use the language of the manosphere – Andrea T Edwards.
If you haven’t checked out The Sh*t Show before, Joe’s summary nicely encapsulated the week and gives you a flavour of all the topics we cover – if we don’t run out of time!
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.