British Magician Uses Magic Skills to Protect Environment

Megan Swann, President of The Magic Circle, demonstrates a magic trick at their headquarters, in London, Britain, May 26, 2022. REUTERS/John Sibley
Megan Swann, President of The Magic Circle, demonstrates a magic trick at their headquarters, in London, Britain, May 26, 2022. REUTERS/John Sibley
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British Magician Uses Magic Skills to Protect Environment

Megan Swann, President of The Magic Circle, demonstrates a magic trick at their headquarters, in London, Britain, May 26, 2022. REUTERS/John Sibley
Megan Swann, President of The Magic Circle, demonstrates a magic trick at their headquarters, in London, Britain, May 26, 2022. REUTERS/John Sibley

Magic tricks performed by Megan Swann are not just for fun, they hold a vital message, according to Reuters. When she was born in 1992, the traditionally male-dominated world of magic had only just started allowing women to join the Magic Circle magicians' society.

Now at 30, Swann is not only the youngest and first female president of the society, but she's using her position and magic to raise awareness about climate change and the environment.

Swann studied wildlife conservation at university, growing increasingly despondent at the huge issues facing the natural world, and the lack of action.

“One of the key things I realized from my degree was how important environmental education is. We have so many of the solutions to solve these problems, but we don't use them,” she said. So, Swann began creating tricks with an environmental message to perform at schools.

“I use magic as a communications tool. It's a way to capture attention and share a message in a fun way,” she said. Swann, who got her first magic set at five years old, said one of her favorite tricks involves three ropes representing plants, animals and insects. They start at equal length to show nature in balance.

“As I talk about the issues the world faces, mainly caused by us humans, they become different sizes... I then talk about what we can do to help restore the ropes back to their original, equal length,” she explained.



Disasters Loom over South Asia with Forecast of Hotter, Wetter Monsoon

The Himalayan mountain range of Annapurna and Mount Machapuchare (top, C) are pictured from Nepal's Pokhara on June 7, 2025. (Photo by Prakash MATHEMA / AFP)
The Himalayan mountain range of Annapurna and Mount Machapuchare (top, C) are pictured from Nepal's Pokhara on June 7, 2025. (Photo by Prakash MATHEMA / AFP)
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Disasters Loom over South Asia with Forecast of Hotter, Wetter Monsoon

The Himalayan mountain range of Annapurna and Mount Machapuchare (top, C) are pictured from Nepal's Pokhara on June 7, 2025. (Photo by Prakash MATHEMA / AFP)
The Himalayan mountain range of Annapurna and Mount Machapuchare (top, C) are pictured from Nepal's Pokhara on June 7, 2025. (Photo by Prakash MATHEMA / AFP)

Communities across Asia's Himalayan Hindu Kush region face heightened disaster risks this monsoon season with temperatures and rainfall expected to exceed normal levels, experts warned on Thursday.

Temperatures are expected to be up to two degrees Celsius hotter than average across the region, with forecasts for above-average rains, according to a monsoon outlook released by Kathmandu-based International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) on Wednesday.

"Rising temperatures and more extreme rain raise the risk of water-induced disasters such as floods, landslides, and debris flows, and have longer-term impacts on glaciers, snow reserves, and permafrost," Arun Bhakta Shrestha, a senior adviser at ICIMOD, said in a statement.

The summer monsoon, which brings South Asia 70-80 percent of its annual rainfall, is vital for agriculture and therefore for the livelihoods of millions of farmers and for food security in a region that is home to around two billion people.

However, it also brings destruction through landslides and floods every year. Melting glaciers add to the volume of water, while unregulated construction in flood-prone areas exacerbates the damage.

"What we have seen over the years are also cascading disasters where, for example, heavy rainfall can lead to landslides, and landslides can actually block rivers. We need to be aware about such possibilities," Saswata Sanyal, manager of ICIMOD's Disaster Risk Reduction work, told AFP.

Last year's monsoon season brought devastating landslides and floods across South Asia and killed hundreds of people, including more than 300 in Nepal.

This year, Nepal has set up a monsoon response command post, led by its National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.

"We are coordinating to stay prepared and to share data and alerts up to the local level for early response. Our security forces are on standby for rescue efforts," said agency spokesman Ram Bahadur KC.

Weather-related disasters are common during the monsoon season from June to September but experts say climate change, coupled with urbanization, is increasing their frequency and severity.

The UN's World Meteorological Organization said last year that increasingly intense floods and droughts are a "distress signal" of what is to come as climate change makes the planet's water cycle ever more unpredictable.