I keep a close eye on current affairs, the environment and technology to inspire my writing. Instead of keeping these notes to myself, I’ll publish them here on this blog. Hopefully I’ll update this monthly.
September 2026
Environment
- El Niño continues to build with the first signs of impact on the climate – no hurricanes recorded in the Atlantic
- Due to the exceptional heat during the summer, crop yields are down 10-15% & insect populations in some typical hot areas have also significantly declined.
Politics & Economy
- War in Ukraine continues – Ukraine may run out of money within 6 months
- Strait of Hormuz still closed – no end to war with Iran
- Huthi have taken control of Yemen and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
- Oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia blown up.
- Oil prices rise above 100 dollars and are set to rise.
- Midterm election campaigning underway in America – doesn’t look good for republicans.
- Trump indicates a 90-day ban on diesel exports, which may cause major fuel disruption in Europe.
- In the UK, state pensions rise above minimum tax threshold.
Technology
- AI hacks Australian Health website.
- Chinese DeepSeek AI provides instructions to create bio weapons.
- OpenAI drops launch of latest model as it cannot be safely controlled.
Predictions
- AI will continue to develop, in particular in open-source models that will be used for cybercrime, hacks and development of factors harmful to humans.
- El Niño will cause havoc on the global climate with significant famine.
- Fuel shortages will be global, with significant price rises, which will result in rationing and inflation.
- Republicans will lose the mid-term elections with both houses going to the Democrats; however, there may be some surprises with the socialist democrats taking seats.
August 2026
Environment
- El Niño is building in the Pacific Ocean, reported to be the strongest on record. Will cause substantial disruption to weather patterns around the world in 2027
- Sustained hot weather across Europe has caused wildfires. Low crop yields are likely
- Insect Population has decreased by over 50%, with some regions showing a decrease of 80% in the last 30 years. 41% of insect species are threatened with extinction.
Politics & Economy
- Strait of Hormuz still closed. American strategic reserve of petroleum running low
- America bails out Japan to preserve the bond market
- War in Ukraine continues. Russia is reported to be using weapons and soldiers from North Korea
- Israel continues assault on Lebanon, West Bank and Gaza
- Pakistan, UAE and Turkey signed a mutual defence pact
Technology
- AI models leak from sandbox and hack websites
- Quantum computing has been proven to work at room temperatures
- Human brain organoids implanted in mice
PREDICTION
- AI will leak from the lab and cause havoc on the internet to the point all systems are hacked.
- Supercomputers will break all internet encryptions
- War will spread across the Middle East and cascade into Eastern Europe
- China will attack Taiwan in 2027
- Water shortages will become apparent in some major cities, resulting in water rationing (if possible)
- Due to climate change, harvests will fail, causing some areas to go into famine.