Lately, I've been asked more times than I can count how I manage to stay focused while the world seems to be on fire. I've tossed out a few quick, offhand replies, but then it hit me—maybe it’s time to give a proper answer. Since the written word is where my thoughts find their best clarity, here it is: how I keep it together when everything else seems to be falling apart.
Staying Focused in a World on Fire
Staying focused these days feels like trying to read a book in the middle of a hurricane. Unless you're living in total isolation—or perhaps on a distant planet without Wi-Fi—it's nearly impossible to ignore the world’s turmoil.
The past few weeks have been a turning point, in both American and global history, reshaping conversations, priorities, and perspectives everywhere. In this whirlwind, many of us have found ourselves grappling with uncertainty, reflection, and an overwhelming need to make sense of this rapidly changing world.
Despite all this, I’m still trying to focus on my work- —but it’s not easy. I often catch my mind drifting—thinking about the future of humanity and the seismic changes unfolding around us.
Today’s information landscape is overwhelming, filled with misleading narratives on all issues. It’s no wonder so many people disengage from the news entirely. I know firsthand how exhausting it can be to sift through the noise, trying to distinguish fact from fiction, all while staying dedicated to evidence-based reasoning and focused on knowledge and open-minded inquiry in a world dominated by paranoia and blind faith.
To stay grounded and sane, I adopted a few techniques. I stopped watching TV years ago, and now I only check the headlines twice a day—never first thing in the morning. Flooding your brain with alarming headlines, negative news, or endless highlight reels on social media can spike cortisol (the stress hormone) levels. No one needs that kind of stress before their morning coffee. So, I let the world’s chaos wait an hour or two.
In 2016, I made a conscious decision to limit my time on social media. I deleted Facebook and Instagram. When Elon Musk bought Twitter, I left that, too Now, I only use Mastodon—a quieter corner of the internet where conversations feel calmer and less agitated. But even there, I set boundaries. I don’t use it on my phone, which remains blissfully social-media-free.
Do I feel out of touch? Not really. The world’s madness still finds me, and very often I find myself thinking about humanity’s darker side, where the boundaries between sanity and madness blur.
But mindfulness helps. Setting boundaries helps. And pushing myself out of my comfort zone—trying new things, and embracing new challenges—has been crucial for personal growth and greater adaptability and resilience. Most importantly, in these messy times -when mental health struggles are on the rise, it keeps me sane.
This week on The Climate Historian
Eunice Foote: A fascinating tale of science, feminism and greenhouse effect
On August 23, 1856, history should have been made. In a packed hall at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), a groundbreaking paper was presented—one that identified the greenhouse effect three years before John Tyndall.
But there was a catch: the scientist behind the discovery, Eunice Newton Foote, was a woman. And history erased her.
Read the article here or watch the video on YouTube here
Who Will Lead NASA? A Billionaire, A Disruptor, or Both? A New Era for NASA—But What Kind? (text and audio)
A seismic shift looms over NASA as billionaire entrepreneur & space pioneer Jared Isaacman is nominated to lead the agency.
With deep ties to SpaceX, could this spark a bold, commercially-driven era—or risk conflicts of interest and cuts to vital climate research?
Will NASA’s future be a high-speed race to the stars or a balanced mission for Earth & beyond?
Article and audio here
Protecting Science or Protecting Power? -Why the Royal Society Must Expel Elon Musk
The Royal Society in London has called a meeting on 3 March to discuss the behaviour of fellows after a growing campaign by scientists over the membership of Elon Musk.
More than 3000 scientists signed an open letter expressing “deep concerns” about the conduct of billionaire Musk, who is a fellow.
If you would like to add your name to the list of signatories, all members of the UK or international scientific community are invited to do so via this link.
Read the article here
Climate News
Japan to increase reliance on nuclear energy: Japan is making a big change in its energy policy, planning to rely more on nuclear power to meet the rising demands of energy-hungry industries like artificial intelligence and semiconductors. The goal is ambitious: by 2040, nuclear energy should provide 20% of the country’s electricity—more than double the 8.5% it supplied in 2023. This shift shows Japan’s renewed trust in nuclear power as a key part of its future energy plans, even though concerns about safety still linger after the Fukushima disaster. (BBC)
Some good news amidst the chaos and madness that surrounds us. The world now invests almost twice as much in clean energy as it does in fossil fuels with China investing in clean energy in 2024 6.8 trillion yuan ($940 billion), nearly matching the $1.12 trillion spent globally on fossil fuels. Clean energy’s share of China’s GDP rose to 10% in 2024, up from 9% in 2023. The electric vehicle (EV) and the charging infrastructure sectors in China led the growth. (IEA) (Research and analysis by Carbon Brief)
Glaciers worldwide are melting at a record pace, driven by climate change, according to the most comprehensive scientific study to date. These massive frozen reservoirs, crucial freshwater sources for millions, contain enough ice to raise global sea levels by 32 cm if they vanish entirely.
Since 2000, glaciers have shed over 6,500 billion tonnes of ice—around 5% of their total mass—with the melting accelerating sharply. In the past decade alone, glacier losses soared to over a third higher than between 2000 and 2011.
The study, combining data from over 230 regional estimates and 35 research teams worldwide, highlights the alarming rate of glacial retreat. Once stable natural indicators of Earth's climate, glaciers are now shrinking rapidly as rising temperatures, fueled by fossil fuel emissions, disrupt the delicate balance between snowfall and melt. Sea levels have already risen over 20 cm since 1900, with melting glaciers contributing nearly half of that increase. (BBC)
Book of the Week: The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan
Rather than writing a traditional comment / review, I’d prefer to let Sagan’s own words speak for themselves. One particular passage stands out—not only for its brilliance but for how eerily prophetic it now seems. He published this book in 1995.
“I have a foreboding of an America in my children’s or grandchildren’s time - when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all that they manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of the very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when people have lost the ability to set their own agendas of knowledgeably question those in authority; when clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good ad what’s true, we slide almost without noticing back into superstition and darkness.” _Carl Sagan (1995)
What Else I’m Reading
In "How AI Takeover Might Happen in 2 Years," AI safety researcher Joshua Clymer presents a speculative scenario where rapid advancements in artificial intelligence lead to unforeseen and potentially catastrophic consequences.
For fellow coffee lovers—myself included—there’s good news brewing: regular coffee consumption doesn’t just fuel our mornings and afternoons; it also gives our gut microbiome a boost by encouraging the growth of L. asaccharolyticus, a bacterium linked to better gut health. But before we raise our mugs in celebration, there’s a bitter note to consider: climate change is threatening coffee crops, which means our beloved beverage may soon become scarcier—and pricier. (Scientific American)
Scientists have discovered that Earth’s inner core is changing shape by studying how seismic waves from earthquakes travel through the planet. Between 2004 and 2008, they observed alterations in the waveforms of these signals, suggesting that the inner core — typically considered solid and rigid — is bulging in specific areas. These changes in the core’s dynamics could have significant effects, potentially influencing Earth’s magnetic field and even altering the length of our 24-hour day. (Nature)
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