I had to share this piece from a wonderful fellow blogger based in Ōtautahi. It makes for heavy reading, but I at least feel a sense of solidarity and feeble hope that there are older generations out there who take the science seriously and want to help, inform and support others.
Heat, Fires and Floods
In my own backyard, here are a smattering of BBC climate-related headlines:
- Heatwaves ‘exceptional’, says meteorological chief (15 August 2026)
- ‘Unprecedented’ heatwave wildlife impact – charities (15 August 2026)
- Renewed fire warning after more gorse fires (16 August 2026)
- …overnight lows of 3C (17 August 2026)
- Heavy showers and thunderstorms bring risk of flash flooding to UK (18 August 2026)
When Younger You Basically Already Nailed It
There’s no sincere way of giving this post a happy ending, especially not in my jet-lag addled brain right now. Next best thing? Quoting my earlier self, because it’s my blog and I do what I like:
– from On Aging, Climate Change and Escaping Nihilism
“I have found myself at times tempted by nihilism. While that’s an easy place to exist from, it’s also highly unfulfilling. Furthermore, how can I hope to inspire and empower my future students if I choose to actively disengage from their futures? It is nothing if not hypocritical for me to stand in front of a classroom and tautoko these up and coming change-makers only to go home and tell myself that nothing we do will ever be good enough to avoid what is coming. Even if it is the truth – which is something none of us can objectively know, living in pointlessness is still the most futile thing there is. It is boring, and for what? To stand there on the sidelines and say I told you so? I don’t want to give any of my finite time and energy to the idea that we’re fucked. I’d rather focus on how I can acquire new skills, learn new things and figure out how we navigate the reality that awaits us. I’d rather use my time to make good, to have fun with the people I love, and to count all the beautiful things in my life. Time is fleeting. Papatūānuku owes us nothing, but I owe her my deepest gratitude.”
Arohanui, and happier, less politically charged blogs are just around the corner, I promise! xoxo
bohemianhumanist.com 