Uncommon Courage

Climate Courage: the lure of doom, the power of hope

May 05, 2023 Andrea T Edwards, Steve Johnson Episode 98
Uncommon Courage
Climate Courage: the lure of doom, the power of hope
Show Notes

For decades I’ve been keeping an eye on the climate emergency. It’s hard work and extremely challenging looking it in the eye EVERY SINGLE DAY, not to mention there’s an added intensity because you must continuously check your bias’s – so important! I’ve been able to handle it most of the time because I’m built for this sort of stuff, and it’s also a commitment I made to myself, my family and community a long time ago (whether they wanted it or not 😊). 

I suppose you could say I’ve been ‘keeping watch’ and I’ve always been naturally driven to understand whole stories – in fact, if I can’t understand the whole story, I struggle to understand it at all. And there are so many pieces to this story!! So so many. Once I grasp all the bits and pull them together, I share what I learn, which is intended to help although it often scares (unintentionally), but it also equips me to make the best decisions for my children, which means I can work out how to give them a chance at a future. 

But 2022 was hard. Not just because Russia invaded Ukraine (which is still madness), but after that, both poles experienced 30°C and 40°C above average temperatures on the same day – WHAT!? We also saw the largest body of water ever released on earth in Pakistan following a Glacial Lake Outburst (there’s 33 more at risk of bursting), the 70-day drought in China, and so much more. I personally experienced four extreme weather events on three different continents in 2022, and recently, we’ve been through the worst April heatwave in Asia’s history. Are the Doomers right? Are we totally screwed? 

And that’s what I want to share with you. It’s been a journey of acceptance, but it’s also been an agonizing journey, littered with the clarity of the Doomers, however, the bigger focus we are planning to discuss is the only conclusion I’ve been able to see about a possible way forward – and that is a message of hope, because we need hope or what’s the point, right?

To do this, I’ve asked Steve Johnson, my husband, to join me as the interviewer, because he has witnessed it all, knows all the pain and misery, as well as the good times, and we have both been working hard to navigate what it all really means and what decisions we need to make right now, and in the short-term future for our family. But the biggest message we want to share is what’s next – for all of us. What do we ALL really need to do now. 

Tune in. We’re never boring.

#ClimateCourage #UncommonCourage 

 

To get in touch with me, all of my contact details are here https://linktr.ee/andreatedwards

My book Uncommon Courage, an invitation, is here https://mybook.to/UncommonCourage

My book 18 Steps to an All-Star LinkedIn Profile, is here https://mybook.to/18stepstoanallstar