A lot happened this week, but the US mid-term shellacking against the GOP was something I never imagined seeing in my lifetime, although I certainly hoped common sense would prevail. Prevail it did, but are we out of the chaos of the Trump years? Almost certainly not, but it felt good to feel a bit of hope, didn’t it?
However, someone I listen to when it comes to Trump, is his niece, Mary Trump, and she says there is danger ahead.
In case you didn’t know, Mary Trump has a PhD in clinical psychology and personally knows her uncle, which is why she is worth listening to. Don’t get me wrong, we can still have hope for the US – the people have spoken in numbers too big to ignore – but we’d be foolish to take our eye off the ball right now.
I mean check out this story on the far right and men going even more extreme…
However, it was the positives this week that got my attention, from the diversity of elected officials to Black Women kicking arse, but I also loved this story. More than 80 percent of congressional candidates backed by the pro-science PAC 314 Action won! Cool huh? The Blue Tsunami Swept Doctors and Scientists Into Office | WIRED. Smart people is a good thing after all.
And we need smart people, because there is too much on the line and who knows where it can lead? I mean, Stephen Miller…. Terrible, horrible human being.
Read: Inside Trump’s Decision to Promote Stephen Miller – The Atlantic
Read: Trump Doubles Down With Stephen Miller – The Atlantic
I’m also looking forward to this guy getting what he deserves and Trump won’t be able to stop that: Republicans quickly turn against Pete Hegseth after midterms rout | CNN Politics.
Tech crash
We woke up in Asia Friday morning to reports of a tech market meltdown, and while it seems to have calmed down a little, the story of fear will continue. That means we get to enjoy the relentless conversation around the impending AI bubble popping. If not today, it’s coming.
Also, I certainly had no tears when it came to this news: Tesla and SpaceX tumble after US midterm elections | The Straits Times. It’s been an expensive time for Elon.
Indonesia
The Indonesian economy has been in the news of late (a good explainer about what’s going on) but then this happened: Indonesia Q3 GDP grows faster than expected at 5.47%.
The important comment is this: manufacturing, including palm-oil processing for biodiesel, helped.
We’ve just finished sucking in the toxic fumes from the haze, but the cause of that smoke is also what’s “saving” Indonesia right now. To me, this is a classic scenario that countries all over the world are facing, not just developing nations.
When an extractive or destructive industry holds up your economy, keeps people in jobs, and right now, stops even more people protesting on the streets, guess what? The government is going to keep it going, regardless of consequences.
And that’s why the true scope of the global and systemic challenges seem so impossible to overcome! It’s big, complex and really really hard. I expect most governments will wait until the whole biosphere collapses before doing anything, because whatever action they take today will be immediately disastrous.
Of course, biosphere collapse will be even MORE disastrous, but maybe someone else will be in charge and they’ll deal with the fall-out? Too many countries around the world have been kicking this can down the road for decades, and they’ll continue to do it until we rise and say enough. We are a long way off from doing that.
The reason for that is, accepting the path ahead – the ‘what we ALL need to do to turn this around’ path – is still only understood and accepted by a tiny minority. Until the majority get it and accept it, we won’t do what’s needed.
Sure, people know we’re in trouble, but the scale of action required to address it is the bit people prefer not to think about. It’s not like we can avoid it, so time to be grown-ups, yes? Watch this from The Great Simplification – how growth ends.
Meantime
- Here we are, destroying the cryosphere: Cryosphere faces permanent damage when world overshoots 1.5C, scientists warn | Climate science | The Guardian
- Makes you proud to be human, doesn’t it? These Seabirds Are So Full of Plastic They’re Starving to Death | National Geographic
- This as well! How about that plastics treaty, huh? The Great Pacific Garbage Patch may now have so much plastic, it’s changing the color of the ocean | CNN
- A big corruption story, but also a warning for the world: Paraguay bank collapses with half of population’s savings | Business and Economy | Al Jazeera
- Good luck Kiwis, although it sounds like you guys are as divided as everyone else: New Zealand election early count shows two main parties near deadlocked
- And Martha Stewart has been a naughty girl, in case you were wondering: Martha Stewart joins ‘TODAY’ to apologize for her Halloween costume
This was big news this week and isn’t it amazing everyone thought he was untouchable? Of course, his conspiracy loving fans are out in force, but I’m just thinking of all the people impacted by his violence, because remember, rape is not sex, it’s violence: The downfall of Russell Brand: from Big Brother and Hollywood to convicted rapist | Russell Brand | The Guardian.
Another interesting story. I thought the Trad Wives movement would take longer to fall apart, so I’m happy to know it’s already unravelling. It’s never a good idea to be completely dependant on anyone ladies: Why tradwives are fleeing the movement: ‘I can’t undo my past – but I can warn other women’ | Women | The Guardian.
This, for me, is a classic example of the polycrisis. Kashmiri saffron impacted by climate change, development, pollution (landfill) which attracts rodents, corruption (not mentioned, self-evident), lack of investment, fraud, failing infrastructure, etc.. Saffron is the world’s most expensive spice. Now this ‘red gold’ is in crisis in Kashmir.
And finally, wishing all my friends celebrating Diwali a beautiful time with family, friends and community. The light shone bright this week. For background: Diwali 2026: Indians celebrate festival with lights and fireworks.
The Sh*t Show: the human experience of the polycrisis
We had the very lovely Anila Rose on the show this week, as we explored the human experience of the polycrisis, which is a critical piece of the story. It’s not just what’s happening, but also how we respond to it – I see this as two halves of the whole story. If you’re looking for work, Anila had some great tips on setting up an AI agent to help you get your next job! Incredibly useful.
What can we do?
As always, if you want to do something, this is some of the action I’ve taken, a couple of tools to help people navigate these times.
First up is The Overshoot Challenge, which provides more than 300 ideas on the actions you can take to live in balance with our earth. It encourages you to start where you are, and build from there – The Overshoot Challenge: What Can I Do?
Also, I believe it’s important to understand the risks based on where you live, so you can get prepared. Preparation is vital – Where You Live – Your Polycrisis Risk Profile.
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 T Edwards, CSP
Making sense of the forces reshaping our world and what we can do about them
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About me
I help leaders make sense of the polycrisis, the interconnected ecological, social, technological, economic and geopolitical challenges shaping our future, and respond with clarity, courage and practical action.
Through strategic advisory, executive coaching, keynote speaking and workshops, I help organizations strengthen leadership, unlock the power of their people and navigate meaningful change.
I’m the author of Uncommon Courage, an invitation and 18 Steps to an All-Star LinkedIn Profile, co-host of The Sh*t Show, a livestream exploring the realities of the polycrisis and what we can do about it, as well as the podcast, Uncommon Courage.
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Andrea T Edwards, CSP | Keynote Speaker, Author & Podcaster
Uncommon Courage – An Invitation
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