The World

is burning?

Quite the title, I know. Shocking even. But warranted.

You see, I traveled the world on a holiday for three weeks. It may not seem like much to some, but to me, it was the single longest, most extravagant holiday of my life.

We went to New York, London, Rome, Venice, Rovinj, Zagreb, and Toronto while we left our little pooch in Powell River, BC, Canada, to live her best life in what I have dubbed “The Naked Lands” because she gets to run around without a leash.

New York is loud, kind and singularly fashionable. London is conservative until three, when the pubs fill up, and the English are loud and loose. Romans are loud, loose, and judgemental bordering on rude. Venetians are artistic and fed up with tourists. The city itself is a moldering piece of art. Rovinj was welcoming, dynamic and filled with dance. Zagreb was filled with joy, but aware of their past - buildings were pock-marked from a past that included rockets and revolution.

All these observations are first impressions from a foreigner in a foreign land, visiting countries difficult for me to visit for differing reasons. London is the seat of a monarch that has oppressed Indigenous rights for years. Same with Rome. I tried to have a pleasant holiday without thinking about colonization or my personal trauma, but it bubbled up occasionally.

Thing is, everywhere we went, the heat was chasing us.

New York had orange skies as we left.

London - unseasonably hot.

Rome - hot, but happy not to be above 40 like that year.

Venice - full of flash floods and rain.

Rovinj - hot.

Zagreb - hotter than it has been.

Toronto - a little cooler than usual.

People talked about the weather everywhere I went - how strange it was. It gets you thinking. It does. How can one be a world traveler without noticing how the weather affects the world?

I’m not here to convince you of climate change, but the world has convinced me. Take that as you will; I’m just a guy on the street—one more voice in a room full of loud voices.

Please take some time today and think about this and think about one small thing that you can do. Or do a little research about how you can help.

I know it seems a little fucking strange coming from a guy whose carbon imprint involves a lot of flying in the past three weeks. This was one of the lessons I brought home, the world is in a strange place environmentally, and we should be paying attention to how we act.

Hope you’re well,

Martin J.