Judith Russenberger

Prayers for New Year’s Eve

31st December 2025

The heavens proclaim his righteousness; and all the peoples behold his glory. Light dawns for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. Psalm 97:6,11

Let’s seek God with all our heart
Amen. Christ be our still-point.
Let’s seek God with all our soul
Amen. Christ be our vision.
Let’s seek God with all our mind
Amen. Christ be our wisdom.
Let’s seek God with all our strength
Amen. Christ be our souls’ companion.

(Adapted from Our Common Prayer)

A reading from Daniel 7:9-10

While I was looking, thrones were put in place. One who had been living forever sat down on one of the thrones. His clothes were white as snow, and his hair was like pure wool. His throne, mounted on fiery wheels, was blazing with fire, and a stream of fire was pouring out from it. There were many thousands of people there to serve him, and millions of people stood before him. The court began its session, and the books were opened.

Year’s End

As the old year turns to the new,

as days past give way to days to come

there is time for remembering and for hoping,

for forgiving and for planning.

It is a time of reckoning,

a time to open the books

and review the record.

Has the year past profited the poor?

Have the rich relinquished their wealth?

Have the young been uplifted

– and the old respected?

Have strangers been welcomes

– and outsiders embraced?

Have resources been equitably garnered

– and shared?

Have soils been replenished

– and water supplies restored?

Has the number of endangered species reduced

– and the number of wild habitats increased?

How will future generations judge us?

How will the earth reward us

or punish us?

Is there time for amendment?

Is there yet time

to rebalance the accounts?

God of all time and space, God of eternity and mercy,

draw a line under what has happened –

and yet show us, again, how to start over,

to make good what we have destroyed,

to replenish the world with love,

to live wisely, in harmony, in unity

with one another and with you.

Pause to reflect

As one year ends, let us give thanks for all that has been good:

For the establishing of a Just Transition Work Programme at COP30,

For the coming together of the National Emergency Briefing,

For the activists who have made the well-being of the planet a world priority;

For conservation and re-wilding projects that restore life to the earth;

For the individuals who have switched to more sustainable lifestyles;

For businesses who have focus on ethics above profits;

For churches and faith communities who celebrated creation-tide.

As a new year begins, we pray for renewed commitment by

Leaders and peoples,

Activists and individuals

Conservationists and farmers

Businesses and investors

Churches and faith communities.

As we make new year resolutions,

we ask for vision and strength that we may determined

to live and work together,

to cherish the earth,

to protect its flora and fauna,

and ensure an equal sharing of opportunities and resources.

The Grace

First Sunday of Christmas

28th December 2025

Reflection with readings below

Isaiah begins with what, I think, is a prophetic description of God’s Messiah. It is the continuation of the passage that Jesus will declaim in the synagogue in Nazareth – “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me;“ (Isaiah 61:1 and Luke 4:18). This part of the prophecy speaks of the wonder and glory that comes when good news has been brought to the oppressed, when the broken hearted have been healed, the prisoner releases and liberty proclaimed! It will be like a garden flourishing with new and abundant growth! How can we fail to understand the joy and abundance we would all enjoy of we whole heartedly welcomed in the kingdom of heaven!

The passage goes on to tell us that the Messiah will not keep silent but will shout aloud the message of this salvation – this message of vindication.

According to Etymology online, the word vindication comes from Latin, from the past-participle stem of vindicare “lay claim to, assert; claim for freedom, set free; protect, or defend.” This is the sort of word that asserts that God’s kingdom has come here on Earth as in Heaven. It claims humanity as God’s people. And this is why the final part of this passage praise the second person plural. The establishment of God’s kingdom, of God’s rule, enriches and blesses the lives of all. This is salvation!

Salvation – the restoration and vindication of God’s reign – has been present on creation from the beginning. It has been like a light, always burning, never extinguished. But unless you look for the light, it can be hard to see it. If you close your eyes to it, you won’t see it. If you look in the opposite direction, you won’t see it. In the world there are people who do not look for the light, who close their eyes, who look the other way. Not just individuals, but communities and systems too. And such communities and systems may prevent those within from seeing the light. Seeking salvation and healing is not something we do just for ourselves – just for our own wellbeing. We need to do it together and do it together for everyone’s wellbeing.

Peace will only prevail in Gaza, in Palestine, in Ukraine when all sides come together, work together, and create a future that is for the wellbeing of everyone. Everyone needs to be brought into process – and that is something we can advocate for whether through writing to our MPs, signing petitions, or by boycotting products and services that destabilise the balance needed to ensure everyone’s voice is heard. And justice can and does grow from the ground up. So we can certainly begin by challenging our government’s oppression of the Palestine Action remand prisoners (ie people who are innocent until proven other wise!)

The climate crisis will only be resolved when we all come together, work together, and create a future that is for the wellbeing of everyone. Everyone needs to be part of the solution which means that we all need to be doing all that we can now in changing our lifestyles, and that we all need to be talking about and advocating for the change that is needed, so that like the proverbial yeast in the dough, change happens.

Tomorrow we mark the Feast of the Holy Innocents – innocent victims of the distortion of power. It is a reminder of what happens when those who should not, close their eyes to the light, and turn away from the light. It is a reminder of the way in which systems of power can become corrupt and self reverential. Lord have mercy.

Isaiah 61:10-62:3

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
my whole being shall exult in my God;

for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,

as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

For as the earth brings forth its shoots,
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,

so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
to spring up before all the nations.

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,

until her vindication shines out like the dawn,
and her salvation like a burning torch.

The nations shall see your vindication,
and all the kings your glory;

and you shall be called by a new name
that the mouth of the Lord will give.

You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

Psalm 147:13-21

13 Worship the Lord, O Jerusalem; *
praise your God, O Zion;

14 For he has strengthened the bars of your gates; *
he has blessed your children within you.

15 He has established peace on your borders; *
he satisfies you with the finest wheat.

16 He sends out his command to the earth, *
and his word runs very swiftly.

17 He gives snow like wool; *
he scatters hoarfrost like ashes.

18 He scatters his hail like bread crumbs; *
who can stand against his cold?

19 He sends forth his word and melts them; *
he blows with his wind, and the waters flow.

20 He declares his word to Jacob, *
his statutes and his judgments to Israel.

21 He has not done so to any other nation; *
to them he has not revealed his judgments.
Hallelujah!

Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7

Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian.

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.

John 1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.'”) From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

Eco Tips: Swopping to a plant based diet

27th December 2025

Plant based milks: some have added vitamins, typically A, D, B2, and B12, as well as various minerals like calcium and iron; protein levels are much less than in dairy milk but few western diets are deficient in this; choose milks that are produced from plants grown in Europe as this minimises their carbon footprint; if the milk splits when added to hot drinks, you might want to choose a barista grade milk; you can buy oat milk in glass bottles and reduce packaging – eg from Milk and More. 1 litre of oat milk has a carbon footprint of 0.9kg as opposed to 3kg for dairy milk. Oat milk also uses less water and less land than dairy milk.
Plant based substitutes for yogurt, Greek style yogurt, crème fraîche, double and single creams, are also available and can be used for cooking too.
As well as margarine, you can also buy vegan butter. This has a similar taste and texture to butter and is good for baking where the recipe calls for dairy butter.
Vegan mascarpone can be made by blending a 300g block of silken tofu with a carton of Oatly whippable custard.
Plant based cheeses are varied. Violife feta style cheese has a pleasant taste as does their mature cheddar. The latter can be grilled but tends to shrink as it is bubbles. Nut based cheeses can better mimic the texture of cheese and have a better nutritional value than many vegan cheeses.
Coconut milk adds a pleasant taste to soups and curries and gives a silky creamy texture. Coconut milk also makes for a good rice pudding.
Aqua faba – the water in which dried beans have been cooked – has a gelatinous texture and can be used as an egg substitute. It works well for making mayonnaise and meringues. You may sometimes need to add a little xanthan gum for extra stiffness.
To replace eggs in baking, use commercially made egg replacement powder (eg from Super Cook), aqua faba or chia seeds mixed with water (1:3 per egg). The chia seeds swell and become glutinous. That said there are various cake recipes that don’t need eggs or egg substitutes – scones, flapjack, muffins, fruitcakes etc.
Silken tofu can make an acceptable substitute for scrambled eggs but needs suitable flavourings such as pepper, fine herbs etc. For a frittata mix bean flourBean with a water/ oat milk and spices (eg turmeric/ black pepper/ paprika etc) and a little baking powder and cook as per an egg based frittata.
Replace meat protein with a variety of beans, peas, pulses and nuts. You will spoilt for choice: in our cupboard at present we have whole and split yellow peas, ditto green peas, blue peas, Carlin peas, black badger peas, split faba beans, green and orange lentils, cashew nuts, walnuts, almonds, Brazil nuts and pistachios. The beans, peas and pulses are UK grown sourced and sold by Hodmedod’s. Lentils have a carbon footprint of 0.9 per kg compared with 6.9kg for chicken and 27kg for beef – and needs less land and water.
Lentils make a good substitute for mince. Puréed peas or beans make a good sauce to mix with pasta or vegetables.
Combine beans and pulses with grains – eg wheat, rice, corn – or with grain-based foods such as pasta and bread. The different amino acids from each will combine to give a better overall quality protein intake.
Replace meat or fish with tofu (made from soya beans) or seitan (made from wheat protein). These products offer a variety of different textures to meals.
Include yeast extract and yeast flakes in your cooking to ensure a good intake of vitamin B. Opt for ones that include B12 which is hard to obtain from plant sources. For iron eat beans and legumes, dark green leafy vegetables, dried fruits, nuts and seeds, and wholegrain cereals and breads. For calcium eat nuts (especially almonds) and seeds (esp. chia), figs, leafy greens, beans and pulses.
For vitamin D you may wish to consider a supplement. Sunshine is a good source of vitamin D but even so many people in the UK – vegan or otherwise – are deficient.
Vegetables and fruit are always important for flavour, texture and nutrition. But not all fruit and vegetables are equal. Out of season strawberries, blue berries, and asparagus for example are not sustainable and are often brought in by air. Avocados and mangoes, amongst others, consume vast amounts of water as they grow, and such crops divert water from other essential uses.
Eat food that is in season and try out unusual items such as salsify, cardoons, quinces etc.
Organically produced ingredients is preferable to non organic if only because the the excess nitrates from fertilisers runs off the fields and polluted water ways. And insecticides and herbicides are a real threat to biodiversity – including in our own gardens.
Locally produced food is again preferable, reducing air/lorry miles and reducing the length of the supply chain.

https://hodmedods.co.uk/blogs/recipes/roast-winter-veg-with-carlins-and-quinoa

Green Tau Reflection

Christmas 2025

I find this a fascinating picture, so much detail! It is the work of Bruegel and is his representation of Mary and Joseph finally reaching Bethlehem so that they can be registered. You can easily recognise Joseph as he carries a large saw over his shoulder.

The sun is setting as they arrive. The building to the left seems to be both an inn and the government tax office (note the red plaque with a crown and double headed eagle) where people are being registered. There are people busy with daily tasks – slaughtering a pig, gathering firewood, hauling goods, assembling a timber framed building, warming themselves around a fire, sharing a drink in a temporary tavern – and children playing.

It is also a scene that shows the faults and frailties present in the world. There are men brawling, and soldiers standing-by – are they there to defend or subjugate the people? There is a man emerging from a small shelter – he’s a leper with his warning clapper in his hand. Behind his hut someone is tending – or pilfering – what ever is kept there (are they plants or rabbits?)There is also a broken down wagon, its wheel stuck in the snow. There are a group of people sheltering from the cold in another rudimentary shelter – and the severe cold is clearly something they are all having to contend with. And in the background is a ruined castle – lack of money or the result of a siege? And of course there are the tax collectors.

In Bruegel’s picture, Jesus will be born in a world of poverty and oppression, of men fighting and children playing, a place where people struggle to make life work for them. If we could envisage Bethlehem in the time when Jesus was born, what would that world have looked like? Again it would have featured poverty and oppression, a place controlled by foreign soldiers and a remote king. It would have been full of people some who were rich and some who struggled, some who were rejected and some who were revered. A place where people could be exploited to suit the aims of others.

Contrary to some of our carols and Christmas cards, Jesus was born into a world where things were flawed. God became human in a discordant world where there was evil and wrong doing. Bruegel asserts the same truth in his painting.

And sadly the truth is not much different this year. But somehow this is where I think I find hope. God comes to us, to be alongside us, when we most need that divine love. God doesn’t wait for us to overcome our faults before seeking us out. I think we celebrate Christmas not because we’ve solved all our problems, but because we need the reassurance that God always comes to us in love, and that of all things, love is the most powerful.

The Word – God in creation

23rd December 2025

Adapted from Our Common Prayer

A reading John 1:1-5, 14

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

Response:

God is nowhere

if not in creation.

God’s breath over the void

drew forth light and dark, land and sea.

God’s will caused water to flow

and plants to sprout.

God’s breath inspired life a human form

and God’s imagining inspired creatures,

companions all in an ecological union.

God’s vision of a perfect world

displayed in a garden.

God is nowhere

if not with creation.

But human tenacity is short lived,

promises forgotten and undertakings overlooked.

Never quite getting a grip

on the need for teamwork,

side-lining others in the interests of self.

Wilfully ignorant

of the inter connected relationships

of plant and animal life,

failing to see the human role is in –

not over- creation.

God is nowhere

if not in human form –

conceived in flesh and blood,

born in time and space,

occupying our human limitations,

sharing our divine inspiration.

True to his calling,

working in union,

disciplined to God’s will,

humbling self to love the other,

following God’s vision of a world

displayed in perfect humanity.

Let us pray:

Rejoicing in the miracle of God’s Word present in creation from the beginning,

may we honour all that has life,

cherishing trees and plants, birds and animals, insect life and sea life so that their life is not extinguished by our thoughtless actions.

Rejoicing in the miracle of the Word that brings light to the world,

may we learn from the light.

Help us overcome our pride, to acknowledge our ignorance, and to live in harmony with all creation.

Rejoicing in the miracle of God born in human flesh, may we be inspired to follow Christ’s example,

humbling ourselves to better love one another,

humbling ourselves to better love the world around us,

humbling ourselves to know our place in and not above creation.

Amen

Advent four

21St December 2025

Reflection with reading below.

Today’s gospel gives us the Christmas narrative from the view point of Matthew’s gospel. Here the story of the virgin birth and Mary’s marriage, comes to as revelations that Joseph received. In someways this is positive as the traditional Christmas story tends to relegate Joseph to a bit part where as I am sure he was a key player in ensuring that Mary safely gave birth to Jesus and in ensuring Jesus’s own safe childhood. Indeed there is some suggestion here that Joseph may have faced some public discrimination or judgement about his marriage. This is also a birth that takes place within the safety of Joseph’s home – no stable or manger here.

At the same time, one might argue that Matthew’s narrative presents a very patriarchal standpoint.

But most surprising is how very low key Jesus’s birth! What seems more important are the names given to Jesus. These are the key part of the story because they tell us who Jesus is and what his role is to be. Matthew highlights two names: Yehosua (or Joshua of which Jesus is the latinised version) and means ‘Yahweh saves/ is salvation’; and Emmanuel meaning ‘God is with us.’

In Jesus God is uniquely with us in human form, and it is by entering our human state, that God is giving us salvation – or in the words of the Psalmist, restoration. Or as St Paul writes, this is the Gospel of God. We celebrate Christmas to celebrate this good news: that God is with us, that God does indeed embrace and experience our humanity in all its messiness and failings, and that God desires the restoration of humanity – the salvation of the world! Christmas celebrates what it is to be a family – the different roles that family members play, the relationships we share, our ongoing relationship with God – for this is the endorsement that God is with us: Emmanuel

. Christmas also recognises our need for healing and salvation. It prompts us to care more deeply about those in need, those we have hurt – and what we have hurt and destroyed – those we have failed and those we continue to fail. It prompts us to be alert to God’s will, to do what God is asking of each of us. It reminds us that what God desires for all of humanity – repentance and restoration. And it reminds us that the work of the kingdom begins now here on Earth with us, with our Emmanuel.

Isaiah 7:10-16

Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test. Then Isaiah said: “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted.”

Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18

1 Hear, O Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock; *
shine forth, you that are enthroned upon the cherubim.

2 In the presence of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, *
stir up your strength and come to help us.3 Restore us, O God of hosts; *
show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

4 O Lord God of hosts, *
how long will you be angered
despite the prayers of your people?

5 You have fed them with the bread of tears; *
you have given them bowls of tears to drink.

6 You have made us the derision of our neighbours, *
and our enemies laugh us to scorn.

7 Restore us, O God of hosts; *
show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

16 Let your hand be upon the man of your right hand, *
the son of man you have made so strong for yourself.

17 And so will we never turn away from you; *
give us life, that we may call upon your Name.

18 Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; *
show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

Romans 1:1-7

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 1:18-25

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,”

which means, “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

Advent – in the bleak mid winter

20th December 2025

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan, Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone; Christina Rossetti

You Lord, are the source of all good things:

We praise you.

You call us to tend and care for your creation:

May we strive to do your will.

You have made us as brothers and sisters with all that lives:

May we live together in peace.

A reading from Isaiah 55:10-11

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,

And do not return there without watering the earth

And making it bear and sprout,

And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;

So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;

It will not return to Me empty,

Without accomplishing what I desire,

And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

Response

Winter, the fallow season,

prepares the land for spring.

The small seed lies dormant

lest the cold freeze its vulnerable growth.

But in due time what is small will swell,

what is vulnerable will gain strength,

and what is hidden will bloom forth.

Winter, the fallow season

is when we prepare for spring.

Waiting,

but gaining strength,

patiently building networks of support.

Confident that the Word in us

will accomplish God’s desire.

In the bleak winter Lord,

We pray for those who feel they have no hope,

for those who anticipate a Christmas without joy.

We give thanks for all who ease their pain and desolation.

We give thanks for those who offer time and money with generosity.

Open our hearts that we too may be givers.

In the bleak winter Lord,

We pray for birds and animals seeking food and warmth,

for wildlife threatened by human greed and ignorance.

We give thanks for all who stand up for the rights of creation.

We give thanks for all who offer time and money with generosity.

Open our hearts that we too may be givers.

In the bleak winter Lord,

We pray for all affected by systems that fail to deliver,

systems corrupted by prejudice, selfishness and complacency.

We give thanks for all who stand up for the rights of others,

who challenge the status quo and seek a better world.

Open our hearts that we too may act for change.

Lord God, unfreeze frozen hearts,

bring new life to hearts of stone,

and work in us and all your creation

the transformative power of you Word.

May your will be done!

Amen.

Counting on … day 208

19th December 2025

What should we be doing? – 1

Reviewing and redesigning the way we use fresh water so as to conserve and protect this precious resource for the benefit of all.

“Human use of water, especially for agriculture, is [a] major driver of freshwater change. Irrigation alone accounts for about 70% of all freshwater withdrawals, and around 90% of the water that is consumed and not returned to the source. Large-scale river diversions, dams, and groundwater pumping have dramatically altered the flow and storage of blue water, lowering water levels in rivers, lakes, and aquifers and degrading aquatic habitats.” (1)

Where dams are placed and how the flow of water downstream is controlled is very important if fair access to water is to be ensured. One of the main factors causing Iran to be so short of water and why in parts of Tehran there is a real risk of taps literally running dry. Nations upstream of Iran have set up dams and extract so much water, that downstream rivers such as the Tigris have severely reduced flow.

How water is used for agriculture also needs to be controlled and consideration given as to which crops are grown, and whether there are more water efficient plant varieties and methods of farming.

The Aral Sea has already been destroyed by agricultural water extraction (mainly for cotton which is a very thirsty crop – 15,000 tonnes of irrigation water per hectare) and now the Caspian Sea is similarly under threat.

Consideration also needs to be given to the place of livestock farming. Globally 30–40% of fresh water is used to provide 16% of the food obtained as meat, eggs, and dairy products – the vast majority of this is water used in growing food crops for the animals.

All foods have a fresh water footprint. The size will vary with location. Strawberries grown for example in Spain will have a higher water footprint than those grown in the cooler climes of the UK. 70% of Spanish strawberries are grown in the Doñana region where the extraction of water is depleting the water in the region’s biodiverse wetlands.

Governments and farmers and scientists need to work together to ensure against the over-extraction of water. Different farming methods and different crops etc that use less water should be utilised.

As customers we too can contribute by shaping our diets around foods with lower water footprints.

You can find more information online: eg-

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/your-diet-contributing-water-scarcity

Or look at the Planetary Health Diet. Its researchers estimate that following this optimised diet produces a lower water footprint of up to 30%.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/health/special-diets/what-is-the-planetary-health-diet

The Planetary Health Diet

(1) https://www.planetaryhealthcheck.org/boundary/freshwater-change/

Counting on … day 207

18th December 2025

How do we see the impact of exceeding the planetary boundaries for fresh water?

“Climate change has become the main global driver of freshwater disruption. A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture and changes how and where rain falls, leading to more intense floods in some regions and severe droughts in others. These shifts are transforming long-established rainfall and river patterns, creating new and unpredictable hydrological conditions that put pressure on both ecosystems and human societies.” (1)

A disruption in rainfall patterns can mean either more or less rain than usual, or more rainfall but less often so that rainfall is more intense. This can lead to the drying out of wetlands, the lowering of lake and river levels and the disruption of the ecosystems those water features supported. In the Amazon basin we are seeing river levels drop significantly impacting local communities and their livelihoods and destabilisation of the rainforest such that trees, plants and creatures are lost.

Disruption means loss of soil moisture. Not only does this impact plant growth and thus a whole food chains, it also makes landscapes more vulnerable to droughts and wildfires. The UK saw a record number of wildfires this year.

Excessive amounts of rainfall over a prolonged period, or concentrated into a short time frame, causes extreme flooding that disrupts habitats, destroys infrastructure, displaces people, erodes soils and causes devastating landslides. We have seen many examples of this in the recent Asian super typhoons.

Disruption to normal rainfall patterns leads to water scarcity. A lack of rain depletes water supplies, whilst infrequent intense rainfall runs quickly of the land, again failing to restore water stocks in reservoirs and rivers. Warmer winters diminishes the replenishment of glaciers, and increase the rate at which they melt. Together this reduces the flow of water into rivers during summer periods aggravating water scarcity. Both in Iran and in South Africa, whole communities are face a complete lack of drinking water as droughts combine with atypical rainfall patterns.

https://www.planetaryhealthcheck.org/boundary/freshwater-change/

Counting on … day 206

17th December 2025

Only 2.5% of the Earth’s water is fresh water – the rest is salt water found in the seas and oceans.

Fresh water exists in two forms, blue water and green water.

Blue water is the water that is in rivers, lakes , underground aquifers and as frozen water in glaciers and ice sheets. Amazingly about 60% of blue water is locked away as ice.

Green water is the water stored in the soil and drawn up by plants.

Every year some 500,000km3 of water evaporates from the surface of the oceans, with 450,000km3 returning as precipitation directly back into the ocean(usually within a period of about 9 days) and 50,000km3 falling on land.

“The highest rate of evaporation from the oceans occurs in winter for both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The location of greatest evaporation is found on the east coasts of continents. This is due primarily to winter storms that move off the east coasts of continents, which tend to have strong winds. These winds help carry water vapor away from its source, thereby allowing more evaporation to take place.

“Another factor is the warm ocean currents that move pole-ward along the east coasts of continents. The cold winter-time air masses that move over the water allow for large differences in air and sea temperatures, so evaporation is also large. When these differences in air and sea temperatures are then combined with strong winds, it makes evaporation in these regions very efficient.” (1)

Water molecules from the ocean would struggle to reach the inner parts of the continents. Here precipitation is dependent on moisture that has been released by plants through evaporation, forming clouds etc. Plants provide about 70,000km3 of such precipitation. Vegetation cover is key to ensuring that precipitation spreads right across continents.

The other key source of water for inland areas is from melting snow and ice: high mountain regions capture precipitation and then release it throughout the year as meltwater-fed rivers. Water molecules that are exist within these frozen states may take a thousand years to complete the journey from precipitation to their return to the ocean! This is also highlights as we loose glaciers because of global warming, they will be hard to replace.

https://www.noaa.gov/jetstream/max-what-cycle