Looking back at this year: weeks 6 and 7 of 2021. The story of the environmental concerns in the area reads as one that we have read before in articles about other countries. The leading roles in these plots, from the Amazon to Flint, Michigan, are concerned scientists and local inhabitants on the one side and corporations and government on the other side that ignore their warnings until disaster strikes. Let me rephrase that last part: often until long after the disaster has struck.
Hi Alexander, new subscriber from Sydney Australia, I have been enjoying all your posts, great photos, can’t wait to travel again. Thank you for all you do on behalf of humanity. We certainly need people such as yourself agitating for major change. Unfortunately, our current government is having a hard time moving away from fossil fuels, it’s desperate times for many of us in this country wanting to see genuine climate change policy delivered. We live in hope, cheers.
Hi Maria, I'm happy to see you here and thank you for the kind words. I hope to travel again as well, although I will try to reduce my flying to only the necessary transatlantic flights. Which leaves overland travel as the prefered option in North America and Europe. And on Australian politics: yes, the world watches in shock how little the seriousness and the urgency seems to have been noted by its leaders.
Each time I see photos & videos of dramatic & devastating glacier collapses, it feels almost physically painful. As though we’ve lost a part of ourselves and, of course, we have. I recall this one very well. So sad. If individuals can feel these losses, how could COP26 leaders be so apathetic? It’s impossible to understand.
Likewise, the response from many in the US continues to be blasé, not only to climate devastation, but decency in general. Case in point, yesterday’s vote in the US House. With the exception of two, all Republican Representatives blithely overlooked one of their worst colleagues who displayed an imaginary murder of a Democratic Representative & an attack on the President. All characteristic of a tyrant who still holds them in his thrall and who imperiled the world by withdrawing from the Paris Agreement and promoted denial of climate change. Thankfully, he was defeated in the last election but his evilness is still a very real threat.
I’m grateful for you and your endless work to enlighten the masses at every opportunity of our bleak future if leaders & individuals don’t wake up and take immediate serious action.
Also thankful for your hopeful messages of wonderful photos that help appreciate the beauty we still have on this planet. And sweet Luna too.
Thank you, Lizzie, I feel the same pain and sadness when more nature is destroyed, focussing on the beauty that we still have is a way of coping with that loss. Being active to preserve nature, biodiversity, and a stable climate is another.
Interesting timing of this newsletter and the event(s) mentioned. I spent the last two days in Zermatt. Apart from the Matterhorn (it's as stunning as it looks on pictures), there were a few things I noticed and have been noticing. So much concrete used very high up for dams, to control water coming down the mountain, new roads, just houses being built in the most random places and also, the railway tracks. As much as I liked the train ride - that also struck me. One of the things people in Switzerland seem to ignore is that it's not only our glaciers that are melting, it's also our Alps that are crumbling. Permafrost isn't holding the rock together the way it used to. I took some pictures of weird structures in the ice way up at 10,000 ft.
There's always several factors to such desasters, as you mentioned, but we really often wait "until long after the disaster has struck" to act.
Also glad the US is "back" - they should have never left.
I saw snow as well this week. It even snowed a little on Gornergrat yesterday. I look forward to many more of your snow pictures. Did you ice skate? Must be in your genes. Although, I'm Swiss and I don't really ski - forget I asked ;-).
As for Luna - a well deserved rest, I'm sure. She must have a very busy cat life. I love her little cat bed. And I'm amazed she actually uses it. I grew up with cats and they slept EVERYWHERE but never in their cat beds.
Hi Alexander, new subscriber from Sydney Australia, I have been enjoying all your posts, great photos, can’t wait to travel again. Thank you for all you do on behalf of humanity. We certainly need people such as yourself agitating for major change. Unfortunately, our current government is having a hard time moving away from fossil fuels, it’s desperate times for many of us in this country wanting to see genuine climate change policy delivered. We live in hope, cheers.
Hi Maria, I'm happy to see you here and thank you for the kind words. I hope to travel again as well, although I will try to reduce my flying to only the necessary transatlantic flights. Which leaves overland travel as the prefered option in North America and Europe. And on Australian politics: yes, the world watches in shock how little the seriousness and the urgency seems to have been noted by its leaders.
Each time I see photos & videos of dramatic & devastating glacier collapses, it feels almost physically painful. As though we’ve lost a part of ourselves and, of course, we have. I recall this one very well. So sad. If individuals can feel these losses, how could COP26 leaders be so apathetic? It’s impossible to understand.
Likewise, the response from many in the US continues to be blasé, not only to climate devastation, but decency in general. Case in point, yesterday’s vote in the US House. With the exception of two, all Republican Representatives blithely overlooked one of their worst colleagues who displayed an imaginary murder of a Democratic Representative & an attack on the President. All characteristic of a tyrant who still holds them in his thrall and who imperiled the world by withdrawing from the Paris Agreement and promoted denial of climate change. Thankfully, he was defeated in the last election but his evilness is still a very real threat.
I’m grateful for you and your endless work to enlighten the masses at every opportunity of our bleak future if leaders & individuals don’t wake up and take immediate serious action.
Also thankful for your hopeful messages of wonderful photos that help appreciate the beauty we still have on this planet. And sweet Luna too.
Thank you, Lizzie, I feel the same pain and sadness when more nature is destroyed, focussing on the beauty that we still have is a way of coping with that loss. Being active to preserve nature, biodiversity, and a stable climate is another.
Interesting timing of this newsletter and the event(s) mentioned. I spent the last two days in Zermatt. Apart from the Matterhorn (it's as stunning as it looks on pictures), there were a few things I noticed and have been noticing. So much concrete used very high up for dams, to control water coming down the mountain, new roads, just houses being built in the most random places and also, the railway tracks. As much as I liked the train ride - that also struck me. One of the things people in Switzerland seem to ignore is that it's not only our glaciers that are melting, it's also our Alps that are crumbling. Permafrost isn't holding the rock together the way it used to. I took some pictures of weird structures in the ice way up at 10,000 ft.
There's always several factors to such desasters, as you mentioned, but we really often wait "until long after the disaster has struck" to act.
Also glad the US is "back" - they should have never left.
I saw snow as well this week. It even snowed a little on Gornergrat yesterday. I look forward to many more of your snow pictures. Did you ice skate? Must be in your genes. Although, I'm Swiss and I don't really ski - forget I asked ;-).
As for Luna - a well deserved rest, I'm sure. She must have a very busy cat life. I love her little cat bed. And I'm amazed she actually uses it. I grew up with cats and they slept EVERYWHERE but never in their cat beds.
It took her years to get used to it too, now she loves that spot