Aug. 14, 2026
Editor: H.R. Moody
“Somebody has to do something and it’s pathetic that it has to be us.”
-Jerry Garcia, The Grateful Dead
(about loss of Amazon forest)
“In 2000, the Hopi Elders issued a prophecy for the challenging times that are now upon us. ‘There is a river flowing now very fast,’ they said. ‘It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They will feel they are being torn apart and will suffer greatly.’
The modern world is very good at showing us vividly how we’re hooked, stuck in fixed mind, habitually riding the wheel of suffering. These times are making the option of clinging to the shore more and more unpalatable. Therefore, the Hopi Elders advise us to ‘push of into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above water.’ Once there, we’ll be able to see our companions in the river and ‘celebrate.’ The Elders don’t lament what is happening. On the contrary, they say, ‘This could be a good time.’ “
From Pema Chödrön, When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times, Afterword to the 20th anniversary edition (2016).
I recently had the good fortune to meet in person Robert Hubbell, editor of “Today’s Edition” newsletter, to which I’ve subscribed for several years. I read him every day for guidance on our struggle on climate advocacy. Hubbell was speaking to a crowd of several hundred activists in a Unitarian Church near where I live (Redwood City, CA).
In the middle of his talk he suddenly looked at the crowd and asked us: Are you grateful to be alive right now? At first people in the audience didn’t know how to respond. Most of us were distressed by climate change and angry at the leaders, political and economic, who made it happen and don’t do much to repair the problem.
But Robert Hubbell took a different approach. He went on to remind us of all the people in previous generations who had faced struggles: of economic depression, world war, upheavals of all kinds, mostly worse than what people in the audience face in their daily lives. Hubbell wanted us to take action but he also wanted us to be grateful that we are at a moment when we, the activists, are able to work.
When I heard his words, I thought of the message from Clarissa Pinkola Estes: “We Were Made for These Times:”
“I have heard from so many recently who are deeply and properly bewildered. They are concerned about the state of affairs in our world now. Ours is a time of almost daily astonishment and often righteous rage over the latest degradations of what matters most to civilized, visionary people…
Yet, I urge you, ask you, gentle you, to please not spend your spirit dry by bewailing these difficult times. Especially do not lose hope. Most particularly because, the fact is that we were made for these times. Yes. For years, we have been learning, practicing, been in training for and just waiting to meet on this exact plain of engagement…
Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach. Any small, calm thing that one soul can do to help another soul, to assist some portion of this poor suffering world, will help immensely. It is not given to us to know which acts or by whom, will cause the critical mass to tip toward an enduring good.”
From Clarissa Pinkola Estes, “We Were Made For These Times”
Robert Hubbell was speaking nearly 10 years after later, at time today when many of us feel engulfed by MAGA and climate crisis. But Clarissa Pinkola Estes’ message is exactly right for our historical moment when we need the wisdom of the Hopi Elders: “Especially, do not lose hope.”
See also: “Late Freedom” a message from the late environmental leader
David Brower, head of the Sierra Club and late founder of Earth Island Institute
See also: Future Generations: a 30 second video worth looking at.
“Where there’s smoke, there’s fire…”
“When we debate social institutions and programs, almost inevitably we get caught up in administrative technicalities and budgetary minutiae. How will the program be run? How much will it cost? Who will pay? Distracted by these details, it is easy to overlook the fact that every system has a moral core -- a soul that animates its daily life. Even when we devise institutions by way of confused debate, somewhere inside that debate there are ethical commitments that derive, not from research or statistical analysis, but from living experience.”
(From Theodore Roszak, The Making of an Elder Culture)
EVs. Electric vehicle sales and charging stations are booming in states you might not expect.
Solar in Europe. The top energy source in Europe now generates 25% of its power from solar. “Solar is having its best summer yet in Europe”
IRA is still OK. About 71% of the clean electricity generation and 67% of the power sector emissions reductions projected to arrive thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 are still on track to be realized as of mid-2026.
Heat Pumps. Heat pumps may soon outsell air conditioners in US
Climate Action is the top focus for a new report countering Project 2025
No Fossil Fuels. Big College Savings Fund will exclude fossil-fuels from its portfolio
Gain in Solar Power. “California produced over half its May electricity from solar, a world record”
Climate: Getting Worse. “Is climate change unfolding faster and fiercer than scientists expected?”
Heat Wave. “Heat wave brings record-breaking temps, heightened wildfire risk to parts of Western US”
Extreme Heat. “How extreme heat is changing Americans’ lives”
Just discomfort? No, it’s a mortal threat: “A 2025 study blamed the summer of 2023 wildfires in Canada for 33,000 premature deaths in the United States,” (From Yale Climate Connections)
Is nuclear power the answer? Well, there are more than 400 nuclear power plants globally generating energy. Many are in Europe where there is a greater demand. To run the nuclear generators the rods must be cooled to prevent fire and worse. Due to the heat wave and out of control fires, a number of the plants are in danger. There simply isn’t enough water to meet the needs due to the continuing climate crisis, fires, and climbing heat. (Thanks to Libby Traubman, a subscriber to this newsletter).
Heat is a Nightmare. “Le Corbusier’s social housing was meant to be the dream. In a summer of extreme heat, it is a nightmare”
Also drought: “Europe’s dry riverbeds and scorched earth – in pictures”
“What’s causing Europe’s deadly heat waves?” Yes, just what you thought: climate change.
Not just Europe: “Lake Mead hits lowest water level on record as Colorado River crisis deepens”
Yes, it’s all about the climate crisis.
Trump Is a Crook. He always has been. My own bank found out: “Capital One Closed Hundreds of Trump Bank Accounts for Anti-Money Laundering Reasons”
“Liar, Liar, pants are on fire.” “I don’t care, I don’t care, I can buy another pair.”
Watch Out for Lies. “The AI ‘news’ accounts hyping a blue-state dystopia“
No, you can’t find out who wrote the AI. So how to find out if it’s true?
AI Costs? Environmentalists Are Rolling Their Eyes at Trump’s “Ratepayer Protection Pledge” It’s a pledge to insure US consumers will not bear the cost of the AI data center build-out. But Trump won’t come through on it.
Trump’s Assault on Science. “With their assault on science, Trumpists aren’t just harming America – they’re harming themselves”
It’s 81 days until the midterm election. What’s the big issue for the election this year? How about all of them?
(From Robert Reich)
But don’t be discouraged: Climate Can Bring Votes. “Bidenomics Was More Successful Than People Think” “Conventional wisdom holds that Joe Biden’s bet on climate investment was a bust. The data suggest otherwise. The law did, in fact, deliver votes for Democrats. And key components of it are still on the books—still growing the clean economy and cutting pollution.” (The Atlantic, Aug. 5, 2026)
Carbon Capture. Do we need it? Does it work? Here are some answers.
See also: “Addressing climate change through carbon dioxide removal”
Data Centers. “7 in 10 Americans Oppose Local Construction of AI Data Centers” Some believe that “The Data-Center Panic Is Overblown” See also: “The One Town That Wants a Data Center” (The Atlantic) This editor does not agree and most Americans do not agree.
Local Action. There is widespread local opposition in this country to both AI Data Centers and ICE detention centers. The late Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill made popular the saying “All politics is local.” He was right. In San Mateo County (California) where I live local government has made it clear: no detention centers will be built here.
Ecospiritual Knowledge. “Himalayan Ecospiritual Knowledges and Ethics of Sustainability in the Anthropocene”
Retirement & Climate. “The Heatwave Shows That Your Next Retirement Risk Isn’t Your Portfolio”
Oil Profits. “Major oil firms make $93 billion profits amid war and climate crisis”
Eco-Grief. “We know how to mourn other humans – but what about ecological grief?”
SENDING POSTCARDS. “Post Carding Orientation” (Aug. 14, 2026, 9 am PT)
Focused on Texas but practices are relevant for all states. Midterms are 88 days away. Hosted by the Environmental Voter Project.
DEMOCRACY: “Elders for Sound Democracy Community Meeting” (Aug. 19, 2026, 10 to 11:30 am, PT). Sponsored by Elders Action Network.
THIRD ACT: “Welcome to Third Act” (Aug. 24, 2026, 7:30 pm ET). Register to join Third Act’s volunteers and learn about campaigns, Working Groups, and how to plug into its growing network.
CARBON PRICING: “Carbon Pricing and Why it Matters for the Climate” (Aug. 25, 2026, 7 pm ET). Monthly Call, Elders Climate Action. Register to receive Zoom link.
DATA CENTERS. “Data Centers & the Elections” (Aug. 26, 2026, 3 pm PT) Sponsored by Third Act.
LIVING EARTH CONFERENCE. “The Living Earth Community” (Aug. 26, 2026 – Oct. 28, 2026) A 5-day webinar Speaker Series, sponsored by the Garrison Institute, Pathways to Planetary Health, and the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology. On Zoom with donation requested.
EMBRACING ELDERHOOD. “Embracing Elderhood on Behalf of All Life” (Sept-Oct., 2026) This is not a free offering. It’s an on-line offering on a sliding scale and it is offered by someone I know personally: Constance Washburn. It is guided by the “Work That Reconnects” and inspired by the late Joana Macy.
For more background on the Spiral Process behind this work, see:
https://www.constancewashburn.com/
Fielding Graduate University
Program on Creative Longevity and Wisdom
Gray Is Green, the National Senior Conservation Corp
Thanks for reading. If you found some of this helpful, please leave a comment below.
From Harry (Rick) Moody
For more about this book or other newsletters, contact H.R. Moody at hrmoody@yahoo.com
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