Praks in Wonderland

*adapted from my instagram post in November 2024

Without water, humanity would not exist. And yet, it is one of the most destructive forces in nature. Moving ice, rapid floods, slowly rising sea levels. Our entire earth has been shaped by fire and ice.

I was shocked to learn that scientists are projecting that all of Iceland’s glaciers will be entirely melted in about 150 years. Just the glaciers on this one country alone (which is about the same size as Ohio) have the capacity to raise the earth’s sea level by one centimeter.

I think learning about the water in Iceland was the most intriguing part of the trip for me. Those of you who have traveled the earth before know – even in “developed” countries water isn’t always easy to find or cheap when you do find it. In Iceland, every single restaurant has huge pitchers of water available for free because the water is so abundant.

They heat their buildings using the hot water that is readily available underground. They use the steam and fresh water along with geothermal and hydropower electricity to grow tomatoes and other “warm weather foods” in a country that averages around freezing temperatures for months on end, a country which on its shortest day of the year receives only about 4 hours of sunlight.

The entire country’s infrastructure only exists because of the many forms water takes there. And it was so incredible to see the innovation of humanity while also being surrounded by the proof that we are changing this earth at a speed which has never been done before.

I’ve never met a people with more respect for their natural world than the Icelandic (though, to be fair, Mother Earth will humble you very quickly there). I don’t have words to describe the very very complex emotions I felt when faced with the very physical proof of human impact. I found a strange sense of comfort in knowing that this earth will persist and flourish long after humanity is gone (we’ve only been around for less than 0.01% of this planet’s existence).

The only permanent damage we are doing is to ourselves as a species. We should learn to respect the earth that gives us life.