El Niño, Prepping, and a Beautiful Autumn
We planted these hornbeams in our front garden about 8 years ago, because I loved this UK native tree’s bright autumn colours and they tend to grow straight up rather than out so I could fit a little hornbeam wood in my front garden. But I feared for their lives in the heat and drought of this past summer. I lost at least one of my young silver birch trees in the back garden and I saw other trees in the village that were clearly struggling. Here we are at the end of October, though, and they look just as I hoped they would - on fire with eye-catching yellows and oranges. And isn’t it amazing how quickly the green returned once we got a bit of rain - proof of the resilience of nature, which has been through many climactic changes in Earth’s long history!
But the news continues to be worrying. Some good news - the far right defeated in Brazil and Serbia, an Olympic bid for the North of England, UK renewable electricity generation reaching a new record share of 55.8 percent of generation, according to the government’s June 2026 Energy Trends Report. But also some horrifying news, especially from Palestine, Ukraine and Yemen. And lots of confusing news. Whose ally is the US now? How at risk are our pipelines and national grid? Should we be prepping? And how is this Super El Niño thing going to pan out?
On that last question I have some information. Last month I attended a seminar on the effects of the El Niño led by Professors Hayley Fowler and Paul Behrens and learned a lot.
It’s OK to Grieve…
Guest blog by Elisabeth Goodman Spain:
“At a stone setting ceremony for a cousin earlier this year, I was standing to one side silently crying. Tears streaming down my face. A relative asked me whether I was OK, and actually, I was.…
Tree Planting in a Warming World
Why tree planting presents special challenges in a warming climate, and what we can do about it.
Optimism is Hope with a Purpose
I will be part of a panel at a screening of the People’s Emergency Briefing film this Thursday at Barrington Village Hall. This will be my third time seeing the film, but the first time seeing it in the context of what seems to be a Northern Hemisphere inferno the like of which we haven’t seen before. It’s hard to figure out what to say in a context like this. People want reasons to have optimism – and if optimism means motivation to do something there are loads of reasons to have that. If it means thinking everything is going to be fine, though, I’m not onboard. I’m convinced that what it will be, at least at local scales, is what we allow it to be.
Reflections on Our Screening of the People's Emergency Briefing on 5 July 2026 (During a Heatwave)
A personal response to the group’s screening of the People’s Emergency Briefing Film.
Podcasts and Substacks I Recommend
What co-chair Michelle Golder has been listening to and reading…
The Visible Catastrophe
Something happened yesterday morning that deserves more attention than it will probably get. In the pre-market hours in New York, before any public announcement had been made, someone placed two enormous bets on the financial markets. One — worth $1.5 billion — wagered that stock prices would rise. The other — $192 million — wagered that oil prices would fall. Fifteen minutes later, President Trump posted on Truth Social that the United States had been holding "very good and productive conversations" with Iran, and that planned military strikes would be paused for five days.
The markets moved exactly as those bets had predicted. The oil position alone generated an estimated $100 million in profit within twenty minutes. The equity gains pushed the total considerably higher.
This is the moment to stop and ask ourselves a question: are we simply choosing not to see what is directly in front of us?
Greater Cambridge Development Corporation Consultation Response
A response to the Greater Cambridge Development Corporation Consultation which argues that growth must be within our planetary boundaries now and must contribute to more and better democratic engagement, not less.
Click on the title to read.
Our Jumble Sales Article in Church and Village
We were delighted to collaborate with Little Owls in writing this article for our village magazine, March 2026 issue. Editor Melissa Fu made it even better with her excellent and careful edits.
Taking a fresh look at Christmas
There are good reasons for all of us to think actively and freshly about how we “do Christmas”.
Nature Friendly Farming in Shepreth!
Two gorgeous fields in Shepreth are benefiting nature.
We’re on the road to…Where?
The evidence is pretty clear. When people have to, they are very good at organising themselves out of trouble. Problem solving is our superpower, and since our systems are preventing us from exercising that as a joined-up population, we need to exercise it in smaller groups - at the street, neighbourhood, parish, county, town or city level. But we can’t do that while we’re on the motorway, pedal to the metal, and all our energy focused on keeping that bus on the move. Some energy needs to go into inventing a future that avoids the road and cliff at the end of it.
We welcome submissions from group members and others but reserve the right to refuse or edit them. Unless otherwise stated, blogs are by Michelle! Write to HnHeco@gmail.com if you have a blog idea or proposal.
NB: some posts were migrated here from our previous site (hence two dates!)