Hoping for a Miracle – Audio Version

Welcome to New World Same Humans, a weekly newsletter on trends, technology, and society by David Mattin. If you’re reading this and you haven’t yet subscribed, join 19,000+ curious souls on a mission to build a better shared future 🚀🔮 Human activity is causing deep, irreversible damage to the Earth. A mountain of good science tells us so. But what is our knowledge of all this doing to the collective human psyche? How is the climate crisis affecting us psychologically, and spiritually? This week saw a new report on attitudes to climate change. The report celebrates the idea that most people still believe we can solve global warming. At first glance, that seems sensible enough. It’s great – and useful – that people still have hope, right? I wonder if things are a bit more complicated. Sounds a strange thought? Hit play! And if you’d prefer to read this week’s instalment, go here for the text version of Hoping for a Miracle. Links in this week’s instalment 1. Working with global market research firm Ipsos, creative agency Futerra Solutions Union published The Solutions Survey, a report that asks, ‘does the world still believe we can solve climate change?’ 2. Modelling in the wake of this week’s new emissions pledges shows that they put us on track only to keep warming under two degrees. 3. The reality is that the 1.5 C target is slipping out of reach. The UN admitted as much in a 2018 analysis. 4. I’m intrigued to hear what the NWSH community thinks about our prospects for managing climate change, and on the question of hope verses realism. If you’d like to have your say, then join us in the NWSH Slack group. Strange Dreams Thanks for listening this week. In the 2020s, impending ecological collapse will produce strange new collective psychological and spiritual deformations. It’s yet another case of new world, same humans. This newsletter will keep investigating. And there’s one thing you can do to help with that mission: share! So if this week’s instalment resonated with you, why not take a second to forward this email to one person – a friend, family member or colleague – who’d also find it valuable? Or share New World Same Humans across one of your social networks, and let people know why it’s worth their time. Just hit the share button! I’ll be back as usual on Wednesday; until then, be well. David. David Mattin sits on the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Consumption. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.newworldsamehumans.xyz