I am feeling overwhelmed. I wrote about the making of billionaires, and it is still valid for the old school billionaires of just one year ago. But now what is going on in the USA is creating a whole new batch of billionaires that is no longer constrained by any morality, concern for reputation, or sense of honour or duty. But it would be foolish to think that it is restricted to the actions of one person, one leader. But it is a step change in scale and speed. No longer do you have to wait a decade to become a billionaire, or another decade to 10x that. If you are willing to sacrifice people's lives, whole nations and not give a damn about the enviroinment ot legacy... You can become a billionaire within a year. The old billionaire system seemed so hard to change - the systems put in place over the last decades, the ones that allow tax evasion, offshore accounts, public subsidies, exploitation of foreign or domestic workers, were all constrained by the desire to look good and noble - there was at least a nod at public service, public good. Drop that, and can get rich so much quicker. You could get richer by buying shares in planet-destroying industries. But you can join the billionaire class by buying a drone company, then starting a war and then getting a share of a $35 billion contract for new armaments. You just need to ignore the impact on human lives, nature and the environment. And you need complicit political leaders who are willing to disregard the duties and laws that they swore an oath to uphold. That is the big - the world stage, the leaders of the world's richest and most powerful countries. Now to the small. We have managed to get a candidate elected to local office. Her first days in office have been beset by political shenanigans, as those in power felt threatened by her energy and demands, which made them look ineffective or incompetent. We have moved to elections for seats on a council two levels up, past the district level to the county level.

Please welcome @Kaushik Sayeemohan, a self-proclaimed optimist - like myself! Is there any other way to be? I read and write about a lot of the issues facing the - and there are many and sometimes it can feel as though we are in deep trouble. But then I read about the increasing number of people taking action and the strangest thing happens - I fear that this group may become redundant. ...and then I think - what if that is the real aim of this group - to make ourselves redundant.. We help produce the people that bring about change - we are the people that bring about change - and we are so succesful this group becomes obsolete. Welcome to the group Kaushik!

Please welcome @Ben Wills our very newest member. I have known Bne for a few years and we have managed to chat from time to time on Climate Change issues, politics and the way of the world. I feel that there have been too few conversations! Welcome Ben!

Thank you all for being here — and welcome to our 30th member. This space is still in its early days, and there’s a lot happening behind the scenes. Some of what I’m working on will start appearing in the Classroom soon. There’s already a substantial amount of material there to explore, and I genuinely welcome any feedback you’re willing to share. I’m actively learning what works and what doesn’t — both here and by being part of other communities — and I’m refining things as we go. Right now, the Classroom is unapologetically dense. It’s a wall of data. Valuable, but heavy. That’s intentional — at least at this stage. I wanted to properly understand how we got here: What was known, when it was known, and what happened after we found out. We all know that end-of-the-world messaging is a hard sell — and an even harder foundation for elections or collective action. But some of us (me included) prefer a cold dose of reality over comforting stories. I’d rather know the truth than be sold unrealistic dreams. For years, I watched documentary after documentary about nature and wildlife. They’d show collapsing ecosystems, vanishing species — and then end with a hopeful note about one valiant individual making a tiny difference. That always frustrated me. It felt… incomplete. Too small. As if the scale of the problem was being quietly minimised. Almost like being gently gaslit into optimism. So I kept asking: why is everything taking so long? What I’m finding is layer upon layer of inertia. Systems designed to preserve the status quo. Not through conspiracy — but through structure, incentives, and daily habits. I wanted to understand how that inertia actually works in practice. What slows things down. What bypasses it. What genuinely moves the needle. While working on this, global events have inevitably affected my own mood and optimism — the actions of the U.S. president, the ongoing slaughter in Gaza, the absence of meaningful leadership across much of Europe and the wider world.

I am entrusting Rachel with bringing humour and giffs to H2BG - we have battled in other groups and now we battle here. Welcome aboard. If you can help me find humour in all of this you will get prizes. Everyone, please say hi!