Breaking Down: Collapse

Am I alone in imagining a better future? A whole bunch of data says no: Support for changing the current economic system | Pew Research Center Americans stand out internationally for their pessimism about the nation’s political system | Pew Research Center AP-NORC America 250 Poll - AP-NORC Harvard Youth Poll Finds a Generation Under Pressure — and Losing Faith in the System | The Institute of Pol...

If collapse is inevitable, is there a point to trying? FYI the episode contains spoilers for the musical "Hadestown". Please join us on Patreon for weekly bonus content and to join our Discord community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Renewables have made massive strides in the 2020s. I answer the question that still comes up from time to time: Can a successful rollout of renewables save society from collapse? Tracking the energy transition: Where are we now? | McKinsey So, where exactly does the US energy transition stand? | Canary Media Please join us on Patreon for weekly bonus content and to join our Discord community. Host...

A new UN report officially announced that limiting warming to +1.5C is no longer a viable goal: Global heating will hit at least 1.8C, UN warns, and there are ‘no good outcomes’ | Climate crisis | The Guardian Please join us on Patreon for weekly bonus content and to join our Discord community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sources: Judge Tells RFK Jr. to Stop Using Fake AI Studies on Teen Pregnancy | The New Republic Judge Rules Trump Unlawfully Targeted Stanford Students Who Criticized Israel - The New York Times The U.S. Has Killed 227 Civilians in Boat Strikes During “A Year of Murders” IRS Softens on Businesses in Wake of Agency Worker Exodus Wyoming judge weighs transgender woman’s self-defense | Advocate.com T...

The US military is simultaneously contributing to collapse, as it also says it's working to fight against it (climate change and resulting instability). Meanwhile, it's also tying up its resources, firing all its best people, and opening the world to destabilization. Sources: West Point’s only climate scientist fired after insisting on human causes of climate change | US news | The Guardian DOD Pr...

A collection of articles highlighting the current mess that is the US. And we're just getting started: Gary, Indiana’s Suffering in a Blackout Brings a Global Crisis Home - Bloomberg US kindergarten vaccination rates dip as exemptions hit record high | Vaccines and immunisation | The Guardian Baby goats had rabies at NC petting zoo, attendees urged to contact health officials | CNN New Mexico’s la...

A look at stories across the world related to climate change, including the story of a landslide/flash flood along the Tibet/Nepal boarder that has resulted in the deaths of hundreds, and likely thousands. It's all gone. Flash Flood in Nepal sweeps away cities after cities. : r/collapse Panama Canal to cut daily ship traffic as drought worsens from El Nino - France 24 Japan's farmers go nocturnal...

A look at several articles highlighting this summer of climate chaos in Europe: Lake Zurich sees water level hit record low amid drought European farmers face ‘unprecedented crisis’ after successive heatwaves | Farming | The Guardian France faces lowest potato yield in over 30 years as drought hits crops Heat wave-hit Europe logs over 30,000 excess summer deaths: First figures Europe: Wildfire aff...

Sources: Supreme Court Sides With Trump for Now on Mail Ballot Curbs - Bloomberg Half the Country Sues to Stop Trump’s Dangerous USPS Mail Ballot Rule | The New Republic Trump Pardons of Fraudsters Cost Victims Nearly $2 Billion | The New Republic Trump Administration Ends Corporate Ownership Reporting Rule, Orders U.S. Records Deleted Texas Secretly Started Torturing Trans Prisoners By Forcibly D...

A Substack breaks down the troubles that Europe may experience this winter due to the effects of catabolic collapse: Blackout Europe: The Coming Winter Energy Crisis Please join us on Patreon for weekly bonus content and to join our Discord community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two new pieces of research highlight the earth is potentially warming much faster than previously thought, and that the models are wrong (imagine that): World may warm by 25 per cent more than current projections suggest | New Scientist Hothouse Earth: arriving sooner than you think… planetary-solvency.pdf (PDF) Global warming acceleration in satellite observed lower-tropospheric temperature | Res...

An episode to focus on various aspects of collapse showing up in the UK in recent days: Network Rail says heat poses ‘exceptional challenges’ after two trains derail in 24 hours | Rail transport | The Guardian Water companies in England and Wales explore ‘surge pricing’ during drought | Water industry | The Guardian England’s ancient oak trees dying in extreme hot and dry weather | Trees and fores...

New research suggests that the global population will peak much earlier than expected, and that's without considering major collapse forces: Economists Say World Population May Have Already Crossed into Below Replacement Fertility, Faster Than U.N. Estimates New mathematical model suggests global population crash by 2064 Opinion | The Population Bust Is Coming Sooner Than Anyone Is Prepared For -...

Sources: New evidence suggests White House took steps to punish Colorado over Tina Peters case Former DOJ Pardon Attorney Liz Oyer breaks down Todd Blanche’s 21-page memo expanding executive privilege . Blanche declines to pledge independence from the White House | CNN Politics Court allows Trump administration to access trans patients' records - LGBTQ Nation A Journalist Approaches 300 Days in IC...

Billionaires are making their plans for safe haven during the perils of our current and future world. Will they sleep well in those beds, knowing they're largely to blame for the situation? (the answer is probably yes) The Argentine ranch where tech CEOs plan to ride out the apocalypse Please join us on Patreon for weekly bonus content and to join our Discord community. Hosted on Acast. See acast....

A look at various articles highlighting the ways in which we have doomed our waterways: Fears of ‘catastrophic’ decline of giant Australian cuttlefish after only 44 counted in dive survey | Marine life | The Guardian Romania shuts down nuclear reactor as Danube hits record lows – POLITICO Gulf oil spill fast becoming one of world’s worst in years, agencies warn | The Straits Times 'Environmental d...

While some places are too hot with too little water, others are experiencing too much rainfall at once. Also, the floods of the future will have a combination of effects that will make them even more devastating. ‘Unprecedented’ rain kills five in Japan as thousands stranded at airport | Japan | The Guardian ‘I just want to find them’: deadly cloudbursts devastate Kashmir’s mountain communities |...

The last El Niño update was back in May, and it's time to straighten out some of the science behind the phenomenon, which has continued to gain strength: The 2026 El Niño Is A 1-in-12.5 Million Event : r/collapse World’s seas have hit hottest temperature on record for July, say scientists | Extreme heat | The Guardian El Niño 2026: How Strong, and the La Niña That Follows | 4 Billion Years On Sup...

Sources: New DOJ Memo Gives Trump Sweeping Authority to Shield His Communications From Congress - Yahoo News UK Truth Social's $100,000-per-month subscription for early access to Trump posts is unconstitutional - CREW | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington US appeals court blocks Trump's $400 million White House ballroom project DC Circuit deals setback to Trump ballroom as Rao dis...

The good insects are disappearing, while we're left with the ones that make life harder. What gives? Flesh-eating screwworms feast on humans in Mexico; human cases top 500 - Ars Technica The Ticks Are Winning – Mother Jones Mountain insects are running out of room as the planet warms Where have all the wasps gone this summer? Please join us on Patreon for weekly bonus content and to join our Disco...

A summary of the state of heatwaves and their impact on our health: Global Warming Has Accelerated Significantly - Foster - 2026 - Geophysical Research Letters - Wiley Online Library ‘Stop all outdoor activities’: South Korea records its highest ever temperature | South Korea | The Guardian Scorching Summers May Be Speeding Up How Fast Your Body Ages Three lions die of suspected heatstroke at Toky...

An update on the state of drought throughout the world: EU considers emergency meeting as nuclear shutdown leaves Hungary facing energy crisis | Euronews ‘Worst we’ve known’: UK turns to imports as drought and heat hit vegetable crops | Food & drink industry | The Guardian California drought may have pushed parts of the Sacramento Valley aquifer toward permanent collapse Colorado declares town...

In the midst of this crazy summer, let's take a look at the state of the wildfires around the globe. In the latest NOAA run for the Nino 3.4 region, published 30 July there is now no model run that peaks below 4.1°C. This is setting up for the most significant global climate event in 150 years : r/collapse France Blitzes Its All-Time Record for Area Burned by Wildfires : r/collapse Fast-moving wil...

Taking a short break from the podcast to deal with some family matters - I will be back! In the meantime, here's a story highlighting institutional catabolic collapse from the perspective of the IRS. The IRS Is Imploding – Mother Jones Please join us on Patreon for weekly bonus content and to join our Discord community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.