Fires in one part of the world, floods in another.
The increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters reminds us of the importance of climate action.
But also, of the impermanence of all things. Of the resilience and adaptivity of nature, and of communities. Of what lies beyond ambition, of humility:
"...In mighty natural phenomena lies reminders of all we are powerless to change, of all we must accept. Glaciers, volcanoes, earthquakes and hurricanes stand as impressive symbols of what exceeds us. In the human world, we grow to believe we may always alter our destinies, and hope and worry accordingly. It is apparent from the heedless power of the oceans or the flight of comets in the night sky that there are forces different to our desires. The indifference is not nature's alone; humans can wield equally blind powers over their fellows, but it is nature which gives us a most elegant lesson in the necessities to which we are subject." - Alain de Botton, in Consolations of Philosophy