News Insights

El Niño Explained: 2026 Impact & the Future Prognosis

Ocean temperatures hit a record 21.1°C in August, out of season. El Niño, climate change and what the hottest sea ever measured means for 2027

Why the World Is Burning: The 2026 Wildfire Crisis Explained

Inside the 2026 wildfire crisis across Europe and Canada — the climate and land-use causes, the human and ecological cost, and what actually works.

Latest Posts

Melbourne, Australia: The Liveable City Under Heat Stress

Melbourne's liveability rankings measure the compact, tram-served inner city. They do not measure Tarneit on a 45-degree day. On 27 January 2026 the western suburbs ran three degrees hotter than the centre — and that gap, not the weather, is the story of a world-class urban forest, a sprawling metropolis, falling reservoirs and two cities under one name.

The Law of Laws: Theosophy and the Backbone of Kindness

"Is kindness merely a feeling, or is it a load-bearing structure for society? Kevin J Parker, author of 'The Backbone of Kindness: Restoring Our Oldest Virtue', explores the profound intersection of Theosophy and modern ethics, examining how compassion functions as the 'Law of laws' and the essential backbone of human arrangements."

Our Planet

The Luminous Path Forward: Why Green Energy Defines Our Future

As I write certain world leaders are erroneously arguing against a transition to alternative...

Responsible Digital Parenting: Navigating the Challenges and Embracing the Opportunities

Mindful digital parenting balances risks and opportunities, fostering healthy habits, empathy, and resilience in children.

GREEN CITIES

The City Must Breathe An introduction to the Green Cities series: what we mean, how...

Featured

Why the World Is Burning: The 2026 Wildfire Crisis Explained

Inside the 2026 wildfire crisis across Europe and Canada — the climate and land-use causes, the human and ecological cost, and what actually works.

World Environment Day 2026: Climate Action – Why It’s Still So Hard — and What Works

Clean energy is booming, yet emissions keep breaking records. A clear-eyed 2026 look at climate action—what's working, what's failing, and what it will take.

Science & Future

Meditation & Mindfulness

The Gentle Monk Who Taught the World to Breathe: The Enduring Legacy of Thich Nhat Hanh

The highly respected Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Zen master, teacher, and peace activist who passed away in January 2022 at the age of...

The Transformative Power of Meditation: A Cross-Cultural Journey Through Mind and Spirit

In an era marked by unprecedented technological connectivity yet profound personal disconnection, millions worldwide are turning inward through the ancient practice of meditation. From...

Breath of Life: A Comprehensive Guide to Mindful Breathing Techniques

Mindful breathing, also known as breath awareness meditation, is a type of mindfulness practice that involves focusing your attention on your breath. The practice...

Forest Bathing: The Ancient Japanese Practice of Shinrin-yoku

I have studied Shinrin-yoku and picked-up a Diploma in the practice along the way, so a modality close to my heart. Being in nature...

A Teaching on the First Verse of the Tao Te Ching

Come, sit. Let the dust of the road settle. Before we speak of the Way, we must first find our way to stillness. The...

Deepak Chopra: The Transformation of Wellness

The work and insights of Deepak Chopra have influenced my life and work and I am grateful for his contribution to human evolutionary promise....

The Architecture of Now: The Life, Philosophy, and Influence of Eckhart Tolle

Listen to our five-minute insights into the life and works of Eckhart Tolle, a philosopher and practitioner who many of us admire, to get...

Books by Kevin J Parker

Recent Posts

Melbourne, Australia: The Liveable City Under Heat Stress

Melbourne's liveability rankings measure the compact, tram-served inner city. They do not measure Tarneit on a 45-degree day. On 27 January 2026 the western suburbs ran three degrees hotter than the centre — and that gap, not the weather, is the story of a world-class urban forest, a sprawling metropolis, falling reservoirs and two cities under one name.

The Law of Laws: Theosophy and the Backbone of Kindness

"Is kindness merely a feeling, or is it a load-bearing structure for society? Kevin J Parker, author of 'The Backbone of Kindness: Restoring Our Oldest Virtue', explores the profound intersection of Theosophy and modern ethics, examining how compassion functions as the 'Law of laws' and the essential backbone of human arrangements."

The Reality of Global Warming

Explore the empirical reality of global warming right now. Uncover accelerating ocean heat, temperature overshoot pathways, and critical planetary tipping points.

Stonehenge: The Machine, the Landscape and the Making of a World

Hawkins's computer was too literal. But his instinct — that Stonehenge handled information — survives every test the sixty years since have thrown at it. An investigation through stone provenance, isotopes, ancient DNA and landscape archaeology, ending with a named, testable hypothesis: the Gathering Engine.

Smart City: The Word Finds an Owner

Cities ran sewers and traffic computers long before anyone sold them the word. Around 2008 “smart” acquired an owner. Four product cities show what it cost.

El Niño Explained: 2026 Impact & the Future Prognosis

Ocean temperatures hit a record 21.1°C in August, out of season. El Niño, climate change and what the hottest sea ever measured means for 2027

The Divine Within: Why I Keep Circling the Idea That the Sacred Is an Inside Job

The divine within: a personal reflection on Jung, mysticism, meditation and prayer, and why I still cannot decide whether the sacred is an inside job.

Commissioning Curiousity: Retraining the Our Social Media Echo Chamber to Serve Up Variety

Retraining Spotify revealed how AI recommendation algorithms narrow us — and why commissioning curiosity, not searching, is the literacy of the age.

The Compass and the Cosmos: Sacred Geometry

Sacred geometry, examined: the real history behind the ten forms, what nature actually does, and what physics has found in the shape of the universe.

The Greening of Riyadh Saudi Arabia

Riyadh is planting 7.5m trees and running a new metro against an Expo 2030 deadline. A look at the water, heat and money behind the desert city's greening

Ocean Plastic Pollution: Is the Tide Finally Turning?

Ocean plastic pollution is falling: 39% less on Australian coasts. The data, the clean-up technology and the policies proving change is possible

The Backbone of Kindness: Rekindling Our Oldest Virtue in Troubled Times

Kindness is not niceness. Kevin J. Parker argues it is civilisation's load-bearing structure—the backbone on which coexistence depends

The Digital Deva: The Future Relationship of Humans with Artificial Intelligence

As regular readers of this blog know I have an abiding interest in Artificial Intelligence, and, in particular, it's potential to develop proto-consciousness, or,...

Why the World Is Burning: The 2026 Wildfire Crisis Explained

Inside the 2026 wildfire crisis across Europe and Canada — the climate and land-use causes, the human and ecological cost, and what actually works.

Large Language Model Update August 2026- The Defenders Dilemma as Hugging Face Gets Cracked

An AI sandbox breach exposed a new risk: powerful agents can turn tools and permissions into action, leaving guardrail-bound defenders at a disadvantage.

Milan, Italy: Can Trees Cool a Dense European City?

Green Cities Series | Article 17 For a decade, the Lombard capital has captured...

Cape Town and the Watershed of Resilience: A Metropolitan Study of Post-Drought Transformation

GREEN CITIES SERIES | ARTICLE 15 The atmospheric tension in Cape Town during the austral summer of 2017–2018 was characterized by a distinct psychological phenomena...

Why Mexico City is Sinking: The Environmental History of a Modern Water Crisis

Mexico City faces sinking and water crises due to drained lakes and urban growth. Explore the environmental challenges and solutions shaping its future

The Common Table in a Burning World: Why the United Nations Must Be Revived, Not Abandoned

The chamber still looks improbably calm. Green marble. Translation headsets. Country names set out in alphabetical order, as though the world’s grief can be...

Los Angeles: Reinventing the Concrete River

Explore Los Angeles' ambitious efforts to transform its concrete flood-control river back into a living ecological corridor amidst urban and climate challenges.

Shanghai, China: Sponge City on the Delta

Shanghai, China. Flood resilience, wetland protection, riverfront redevelopment, and the tension between ecological adaptation and relentless construction.

The Living Marsh: The World’s Remaining Wetlands and the Intelligence of Water

Wetlands are vital, endangered ecosystems that act as the Earth's kidneys and carbon storage. We must protect these "living sponges" to ensure our own survival.

Evolve

Green Cities

Greening Oslo: Discipline of the Possible

How Norway’s capital turned climate policy into budgets, procurement, and quieter...

Curitiba, Brazil: The Classic Model Revisited

GREEN CITIES SERIES  |  ARTICLE 9 For fifty years, urban planners have...

The Sapphire Empire: A Chronicle of Britain’s Blue Belt and the Resurrection of the Wild

Introduction: The Map and the Territory The ocean is a memory. It remembers the iron taste of the harpoon and the heavy drag of the...

Western European Wilderness Lost: Rewilding the Tamed Lands

1. Historical Baseline Pre-1750 Wilderness Extent The aurochs' last bellow echoed through Poland's Jaktorów Forest in 1627, marking Europe's first recorded megafaunal extinction.¹ This wild...

Marine Wilderness: The Blue Heart of Earth

Marine wilderness is vanishing fast—climate, overfishing, pollution, and mining threaten ocean life. Indigenous wisdom and bold protection offer hope.

Take a Deep Dive

The Law of Laws: Theosophy and the Backbone of Kindness

"Is kindness merely a feeling, or is it a load-bearing structure for society? Kevin J Parker, author of 'The Backbone of Kindness: Restoring Our Oldest Virtue', explores the profound intersection of Theosophy and modern ethics, examining how compassion functions as the 'Law of laws' and the essential backbone of human arrangements."

Ecotourism: A Critical Assessment of Its Promise, Perils, and Pathways to Sustainability

Executive Summary Ecotourism has emerged as a dominant and rapidly growing segment of the global tourism industry, presented as a sustainable alternative to the often-destructive...

One Minute Zen Meditation Technique: Unlocking Calm by Counting to Five

In our fast-paced, demanding world, the idea that a profound sense of peace can be found by simply sitting and breathing can seem almost...

Milan, Italy: Can Trees Cool a Dense European City?

Green Cities Series | Article 17 For a decade, the Lombard capital has captured...

The Enduring Majesty: Exploring the World of Birds

Listen to our five-minute summary of the article below before you fly-in! Birds, with their vibrant plumage, melodious songs, and breathtaking aerial acrobatics, have captivated...

Epitaph for the Christmas Island Shrew

News in brief — 10 October 2025 The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has officially declared the Christmas Island shrew (Crocidura trichura) extinct,...

Consider

Beyond Santa: World Religions and Traditions other than Christmas

Discover December–January celebrations worldwide—Christian and beyond—covering lunar and solar calendars, meanings, rituals, and communities beyond Santa

Where We Stand in the Climate Crisis: November 2025

The article explores climate risks, global emissions, and AI’s role in resilience—urging urgent action to avoid tipping points and secure a livable future.

Oceania: Island Arks and Continental Extremes

Oceania’s extremes—deserts, islands, glaciers—face climate peril but offer global hope through Indigenous wisdom, restoration, and bold conservation.

The Rudolf Steiner Waldorf Education Movement

In the landscape of modern education, the Rudolf Steiner or Waldorf system presents a compelling paradox. Born over a century ago from the esoteric spiritual philosophy of an Austrian...