Embracing the storm: for sustainable change

A siren blared out across the house. The first time, I jumped out of my skin. Where did that come from? By the third time, I slipped into a post-apocalyptic future. One where we become numb to government ‘threat to life’ alerts taking over mobile networks.

Storm Darragh was the third major storm that the UK has seen this winter. 90mph winds raged across the country. Met office data shows that without a doubt the severity and frequency of such weather events is increasing. We had better get used to it.

I consider myself lucky. Despite 1am worries about my 100-year-old roof, it did not blow off. I am not, unlike many, living in a community that experiences devastating flooding. After a three-year journey through chronic illness I am well equipped for waiting out the storm, and believing in the power of small, incremental steps.

By accepting that we are powerless to control the weather of the moment, we surrender. This doesn’t mean giving up, quite the opposite. It’s a living reminder of the need for sustained action, creating ripples, turning to waves, that will shift systems over time. When you are suffering, this can be difficult to hear. When you start to feel it, everything changes.

Whilst we can’t fix everything this very moment, sustainable change can and will bring our natural systems back into balance.