FROM this week’s news ON: society generally, the climate crisis, environmental issues, and nuclear threats/issues [Note: Content Warning - may be links to distressing reports on this topic. Reader discretion is advised]

Note: CONTENT WARNING - some of this content is about upsetting, disturbing or triggering events & attitudes. Seek competent help - including professional - if you need it. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that linked articles may contains names and/or images of deceased people. READER CAUTION IS RECOMMENDED! For anyone distressed by anything in this post, or for any other reason considering seeking support, resources are available in Australia here, here, and here. In other nations, you will have to do an Internet search using terms such as “mental health support - <your nation>” (which, for instance, may lead to this, this, and this, in the USA, or this, this, and this, in France [biased towards English-language - my apologies]), or perhaps try https://www.befrienders.org/. 

Note: in my “from the news” posts, quotes are shown italicised and blue, my comments are in a different shade of blue, and “good” items are (when I remember) shown in green. I have loosely grouped the posts where such seemed reasonable, but that is subjective (i.e., my opinion - others are free to disagree), and challenging, as some posts belong in multiple “groups”.

 

Frrom this week’s news on society generally, the climate crisis, environmental issues, and nuclear threats/issues (please note: this is a cut down and/or combined version of what I used to do):

• “Big tech has distracted world from existential risk of AI, says top scientist”   https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/may/25/big-tech-existential-risk-ai-scientist-max-tegmark-regulations   “Max Tegmark argues that the downplaying is not accidental and threatens to delay, until it’s too late, the strict regulations needed”     
  

on society generally:

• “‘Everybody has not won’: trickle-down economics was an [amathiac] idea. How do we fix the inequality it causes?”   https://theconversation.com/everybody-has-not-won-trickle-down-economics-was-an-[amathiac]-idea-how-do-we-fix-the-inequality-it-causes-223296      

• “A social media ban won’t keep my teenagers safe – it just takes away the place they love”   https://www.theguardian.com/media/commentisfree/article/2024/may/27/australia-social-media-facebook-ban-children-under-16   “Even with a ban, gen alpha will find a way to connect with people online. It’s up to the platforms – and grownups – to ensure a safer internet”      

• “Cate Blanchett was pilloried for saying she’s ‘middle class’. Here’s why she’s right on the money – in Australia at least”   https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/may/26/cate-blanchett-was-pilloried-for-saying-shes-middle-class-heres-why-shes-right-on-the-money-in-australia-at-least   Yes, social class is a real thing in Australia *eye roll*      

• “~CREEP~”   https://memrjoe.substack.com/p/creep   “Understanding the Gradual Transformations in Consumer Services, Quality, and Societal Structures”      

the climate crisis: 

 

• “Delhi temperature hits 52.9C as India’s capital records hottest day”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/29/delhi-temperature-hits-499c-as-indias-capital-records-hottest-day   “Authorities warn of water shortages as temperatures reach nine degrees higher than expected”      “Climate Emergency: India’s Massive Heat Wave Signals extreme Danger for an Ageing Global Population”   https://www.juancole.com/2024/05/massive-signals-population.html     
  

• “‘Termination shock’: cut in ship pollution sparked global heating spurt”   https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/may/30/termination-shock-cut-in-ship-pollution-sparked-global-heating-spurt   “Sudden cut in pollution in 2020 meant less shade from sun and was ‘substantial’ factor in record surface temperatures in 2023, study finds”   What?!!      

 

• “We know the seas are rising – so why are Australian governments not planning for it?”   https://theconversation.com/we-know-the-seas-are-rising-so-why-are-australian-governments-not-planning-for-it-230944      

• “Climate groups say Australia must advocate for loss and damage finance for Pacific at Bonn Climate Change Conference”   https://theaimn.com/climate-groups-say-australia-must-advocate-for-loss-and-damage-finance-for-pacific-at-bonn-climate-change-conference/   “Civil society groups from across Australia and the Pacific are calling on the Australian Government to champion loss and damage finance for Pacific Island countries at the upcoming Bonn UN Climate Change Conference, saying there is an urgent need to support frontline communities grappling with the escalating climate crisis.”      
  

environmental issues: 

• “Nature’s ghosts: how reviving medieval farming offers wildlife an unexpected haven”   https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/may/23/natures-ghosts-excerpt-sophie-yeo-the-vile-national-trust-aoe     

• “Wars cause widespread pollution and environmental damage − here’s how to address it in peace accords”   https://theconversation.com/wars-cause-widespread-pollution-and-environmental-damage-heres-how-to-address-it-in-peace-accords-214624     
  

• “‘It’s a barbarity’: why are hundreds of families asking to be moved away from this Dominican Republic goldmine?”   https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/article/2024/may/21/its-a-barbarity-why-are-hundreds-of-families-asking-to-be-moved-away-from-this-dominican-republic-goldmine   “Communities around the Pueblo Viejo mine complain of serious health problems and a diminished environment and have spent years campaigning to be relocated”      

nuclear threats/issues: 

• “Coalition’s brave nuke world a much harder sell after new CSIRO report”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/may/26/coalitions-brave-nuke-world-a-much-harder-sell-after-new-csiro-report   “The agency’s GenCost analysis says a first nuclear plant for Australia would deliver power ‘no sooner than 2040’ and could cost more than $17bn”     
  

My links for activism post may aid any activism you may decide to do on any/all of these. If you do, don’t get too fixated on specific instances of problems - important though they may well be: take a moment to also consider the broader issues these incidents and groups of incidents may suggest/reveal. Also, consider this poem of mine.

 

Assumptions / basis 

In writing this, I have assumed / started from the following:

• this blog states quite clearly that it is about political and human rights matters, including lived experience of problems, and thus I will assume readers are reasonable people who have noted the content warning in the post header;
  

Possible flaws 

Where I can, I will try to highlight possible flaws / issues you should consider:

• there may be flawed logical arguments in the above: to find out more about such flaws and thinking generally, I recommend Brendan  Myers’ free online course “Clear and Present Thinking”; 
  
• I could be wrong - so keep your thinking caps on, and make up your own minds for yourself.
  

 

If they are of any use of interest, the activism information links from my former news posts are available in this post. 

 

If you appreciated this post, please consider promoting it - there are some links below. 

Note that, as with my main blog [see here], I am cutting back on aspects of my posts.

Remember: we need to be more human being rather than human doing, and all misgendering is an act of active transphobia/transmisia that puts trans+ lives at risk & accept that all insistence on the use of “trans” as a descriptor comes with commensurate use of “cis” as a descriptor to prevent “othering”.

Copyright © Kayleen White 2016-2024     NO AI   I do not consent to any machine learning aka Artificial Intelligence (AI), generative AI, large language model, machine learning, chatbot, or other automated analysis, generative process, or replication program to reproduce, mimic, remix, summarise, or otherwise  replicate any part of this post or other posts on this blog via any means. Typo’s may be inserrted deliberately to demonstrate this is not an AI product.     Otherwise, fair and reasonable use is accepted under Creative Commons 4.0 on an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike basis   https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/