Shells, trees and trash.
That’s primarily what you’ll find if you spend any time beachcombing on any of the 370 small islands that make up the San Blas Islands, or Guna Yala, the archipelago off of Panama’s Caribbean coast. Lots of the former and too much of the latter.
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My favorite butterfly loop of 2026. (So far.)
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The UK recorded its highest June day, with temperature of 36.1C recorded in Hampshire. France recorded its hottest day ever, breaking the record set the day before. The country’s national heat index, an average of the day- and night-time highs measured at 30 weather stations across France, hit 30C (86F).
This made me laugh, even though I hadn’t eaten yet.
Continue readingInsightful, smart, entertaining and funny. Because sometimes you just have to laugh. Even at the story about the time when Trump boasted that he’ll be bigger than Mao, Stalin or Hitler.
From the show notes:
New York Times reporters and authors of the new book “Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump,” Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, sit down with Jon Stewart to discuss the surprising revelations they uncovered about the Trump administration, like the president being absent from the room when his own team discussed the Epstein files, as well as the motivation behind controversial moves like the tariff policy rollout and the Iran war. They also speak to how Trump controls the terms when reporters reach him on his cell phone and compare his first term to his second, which they describe as a story of hubris, built on gut feelings and belief from his cabinet that he is someone of destiny – because who else can survive four indictments and two assassination attempts to win the presidency a second time?
Arsalan Bukhari and Naila Tabbasum report from Delhi:
Outside, the temperature has passed 41C (105.8F). Inside Sakshi Katyal’s city apartment, the air conditioner is blasting but it does little to relieve the stress of balancing housework and helping her five-year-old log in on a laptop to online classes. Her daughter’s school closed in May and Katyal is not clear when it will reopen. Probably not till the autumn.
Schools across Delhi and in about half of India’s 28 states have been ordered to close from mid-May until the end of June, when in many places the summer break starts. There is no official record of closures in past years but the Guardian has spoken to school officials who say the number of days schools are shut for because of the heat has risen sharply. The impact on families, especially on working women, has been huge.
And
India is facing increasingly intense spells of extreme heat, with this year’s heatwaves beginning as early as April. Hundreds of thousands of parents in India are struggling with managing jobs and children as lives are disrupted by prolonged school closures linked to the high temperatures. And as childcare disproportionately falls to women, it is women who are bearing the brunt.
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A tale, short and sweet, related to the mythology of this Ecuadorean volcano that pierces the sky nearly 5,000 meters above a village that bears its name.
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Peeking through the veil of mist is Venanson, population 200.
Continue readingThe red alert impacts 26 million people in 35 departments, more than a third of the country. Another 45 departments are on orange alert. From the report:
France issued a red heatwave alert across more than a third of the country for Sunday, June 21, as a ferocious heatwave dug in and the government banned the consumption of alcohol in public spaces in departments under this alert during the annual Fête de la Musique festivities.
The prolonged heatwave, which began earlier this week, has disrupted the country, forcing the cancellation of dozens of trains and the suspension of classes.
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The rain didn’t start until just after we took our first steps into the Kalinzu Forest. As if on cue, it wouldn’t cease until we climbed back out nearly five hours later. In between it was a steady rain, sometimes a loud pelting on large green leaves the size of doormats, other times soft, sensual drops that drizzled the forest floor with a stream of sloppy kisses. Mostly though, it leaned towards the former.
Continue readingThis will be a fun rabbit hole.
Sir David Attenborough just turned 100. In recognition of his brilliant career and life, here’s everything he’s ever worked on, in one place.
Nearly 5,000 episodes across 90 series — from Zoo Quest in 1954 to Secret Garden in 2026. Search by animal, habitat, location, natural phenomenon, or theme to find exactly the episode you’re looking for.
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Via Kottke.org, still on the shortlist of my favorite old skool blogs.
A visit to an island colony that’s the seasonal home for more than 3,000 pairs of mating Magellanic Penguins.
Continue readingThere’s been lots of talk about the impacts of climate change on the insurance industry in the US, but I haven’t seen too much –besides some anecdotal evidence in the agriculture sector mostly — here in Europe. That is changing.
In Europe, concern over the protection gap – meaning the share of disaster losses that insurance does not cover – is rising. According to EIOPA, the EU’s insurance regulator, 75% of economic losses from natural catastrophes in Europe have historically gone uninsured.
In Germany, the national insurance association has warned that premiums could double within a decade due to climate-driven claims. In France, the national natural disaster scheme, known as CatNat, has been running at a deficit since 2016, prompting the government to raise the compulsory surcharge on all property insurance policies from 12% to 20% in January 2025.
In short, traditional insurance is ill-equipped to confront the reality of climate change. There are, however, alternative models that could provide coverage to people most at risk.
And concludes:
As these innovative solutions emerge, one thing is clear: uninsurable areas are no longer some distant future prospect. Weather-related damage has always happened, but the mechanisms we built to absorb climate risk were designed for a more stable climate. As that stability erodes, the question is no longer whether or not the public sector will need to play a larger role, but how quickly it can be redesigned to do so.
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More specifically, a dozen wildflowers blooming on 5 June 2026 at elevations between 2000 and 2400m, near Lac d’Allos, in France’s Mercantour National Park.
Continue readingDone right, fields where solar panels are now being installed are coming back, healthier, and supporting numerous kinds of wildlife, birds included.
For years, the fear around solar farms has been easy to picture. Rows of dark panels, wide open fields, hot metal under the sun, and barely a bird in sight.
New data from Spain is now pushing back against that image. In several solar plants studied in 2025, researchers found more bird species inside the facilities than in nearby agricultural control areas, suggesting that well-managed solar farms can sometimes become unexpected refuges for wildlife rather than empty industrial spaces.
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An introduction to the largest high altitude alpine Lake in Europe, nestled in an impossibly beautiful setting at an edge of Mercanour National Park in southeast France.
Continue readingBravo. This story is about a small community organisation in a small town trying to keep a racist, sexist, war-mongering white Christian nationalist from speaking at what has always been a solemn ceremony, and succeeding, thanks in large part to him just opening his mouth. Comparing the battle against Fascist forces in Europe in WWII to the forces that drive migration today just shows how loathsome and stupid Hegseth is.
“We found it unbelievable that they could send someone who held views and values contrary to democracy, human rights, peace and Europe,” said resident Chantal Richard. To her, the incongruence felt deeply personal. “We grew up going to D-day ceremonies, some of us had grandparents or parents whose lives were affected by this war.”
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Exactly what the headline says.
“When we are aware of what is happening around us there is so much potential to come together and beautiful things can happen.”
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The best public art involves and invites visitors to interact with it even if it’s just a part of a greater background. Here, it acts as a strong reminder that the triple planetary crisis –climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss– is but a quick glance way.
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Capturing the never-ending dialogue between the present and the past in South America largest indigenous market.
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