Every year, the news tells us it will be the hottest summer ever. Entering June, catastrophic disasters strike us almost every week: flooding in Guangxi, China; typhoons passing through the Philippines again; scorching heatwaves choking cities across Europe; burning fires swallowing forests in Canada. As these deadlines blur together, I am left to wonder: at what point do we stop treating these extreme events as unprecedented surprises and start confronting them as our new normal?
This came up in a recent debate with friends over adaptation versus mitigation. I suggested that adaptation is taking priority because climate impacts feel unstoppable, meaning we have to build resilience just to survive. A friend disagreed, maintaining that mitigation—cutting emissions through technology and policy advocacy—is still the core fight.
Our work and meetings in June and July reflect what we discussed. We were in Guangzhou and Hong Kong for the NbS Summer School; building resilience of Guangxi communities; scoping Krabi’s potential for alternative livelihood; and visiting Indonesian partners for responsible investment.
Truthfully, there is no single right answer. What matters most is that the public realizes climate change is not a future scenario, but an active crisis requiring us to adapt to what is already here while fighting to stop what comes next.
Please read through our 2026 Lonely Nature Newsletter for July!