Climate Action Needs Better Vibes

It's me, David. You pay me to read the entire web and provide you with a fine selection of the best of the week. This is what I did, for the 490th time.

Two quick things before we get started.

• Over at my real job, I've taken on an additional role this week. If you're working on similar challenges, I'd love to hear from you.
• Final call: What's the next book you want to read? Share it with your fellow Weekly Filet readers.

1. This Scientist Has an Antidote to Our Climate Delusions

She co-created my favourite podcast on the climate crisis, edited one of my favourite books on the climate crisis, and has been an inspiration for many years. Listen to this interview with Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and you'll understand why.

2. Why Gold?

There are 118 known elements in the periodic table. How come gold has claimed a special spot in human's hearts and wallets? This episode takes us on a journey along the periodic table in search of the definitive answer: Which element would really make the best money?

Why Gold? (Classic) : Planet Money

In the past few months, the price of gold has gone way up – even hitting a new high last month at just over $2,400 per troy ounce. Gold has long had a shiny quality to it, literally and in the marketplace. And we wondered, why is that? Today on the show, we revisit a Planet Money classic episode: Why Gold? Jacob Goldstein and David Kestenbaum will peruse the periodic table of the elements with one goal in mind: to learn which element would really make the best money.This classic Planet Money episode was part of the Planet Money Buys Gold series, and was hosted by Jacob Goldstein and David Kestenbaum.This rerun was hosted by Sally Helm, produced by Willa Rubin, edited by Keith Romer, and fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer.Help support Planet Money and hear our bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.Always free at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts.

NPRJacob Goldstein

3. ​​Demography: The ticking time bomb threatening Europe’s democracy

In two weeks, hundreds of millions of Europeans can vote on the next European Parliament. Polls indicate a shift to the right, with anti-democratic forces gaining ground. This might only be the beginning, with surveys showing «younger Europeans to be much less likely to consistently support democracy than their parents and grandparents.»

Demography: The ticking time bomb threatening Europe’s democracy

The question is, what can be done to bolster support for democracy among Europe’s youth before it’s too late?

POLITICOMatthew MacWilliams

4. Lessons From a Mass Shooter’s Mother

I invested the full hour it takes to read this piece to make sure you investing that hour yourself is worth your time.

Lessons from a mass shooter’s mother

A decade after her son committed a massacre, Chin Rodger is on a quest to help prevent the next tragedy.

Mother JonesMark Follman

5. The geopolitical underpinnings of Sudan's collapse

All eyes are on Gaza and Ukraine. Are you aware of what's happening in Sudan?

The geopolitical underpinnings of Sudan’s collapse

The world’s biggest humanitarian crisis involves the UAE, Russia, Ukraine, Iran, and more

Slow BoringMatthew Yglesias

What else?

Instant-gratification links that make you go wow! or aha! the moment you click.

• The difference between data-driven and data-informed. Spot on.
• Tricky, informative game: Get the AI Gandalf to reveal a password it has been told not to reveal. It starts easy and quickly gets quite difficult.
• This week I learned that the MIT has a Lifelong Kindergarten group.
• The most common 4-number PIN codes, visualised.
• The art of handcrafting pastel colours: La Maison du Pastel.
• This trailer makes me watch the full movie: Good Enough Ancestor.

Books for curious minds: The World For Sale

It reads like a thriller, except that all the villains are real and we all live with the consequences of their actions. The rise of commodity traders and how they shaped the world.

In every issue, I recommend one book. Some new ones as I read them, some older ones that continue to inform how I look at the world and myself.

A gem from the archive

Explore the world’s largest known cave, the Son Doong in Vietnam. Stunning.

Fly Through A Colossal Cave: Son Doong in 360°

Son Doong’s caverns can comfortably fit a 747 airplane. Explore them with these unbelievable 360° panoramas.

Martin Edström

This is a randomly picked gem from the archive of the Weekly Filet, going back to 2011. You can also search the archive, shuffle for a gem yourself, or browse this collection of some of my all-time favs.

Thanks for reading. I wish you a nice weekend and hope to see you again next Friday!

— David 👋