Breaking Down: Collapse

Our second annual installment, discussing the happenings of the previous year and how they relate to collapse. We often forget everything that's happened over the course of just 365 days and stepping back to take it all in can be eye-opening!

Learn more:

2022 CPI and Inflation Rate for the United States | CPI Inflation Calculator (2022 Updated Monthly)

How Africa Can Escape Chronic Food Insecurity Amid Climate Change (imf.org)

Putting Africans at the Heart of Food Security and Climate Resilience (worldbank.org)

The top 10 crises the world can't ignore in 2022 | International Rescue Committee (IRC)

Fed’s Interest Rate Hikes in 2022 - What the December Raise Means for You (moneycrashers.com)

Compare Current Mortgage Rates – Forbes Advisor

WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard | WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard With Vaccination Data

Weekly confirmed COVID-19 deaths, Dec 20, 2022 (ourworldindata.org)

What can explain the excess mortality in the U.S. and Europe in 2022? - Health Feedback

'Tripledemic' Data Shows Cold and Flu Season Is Already Among the Worst on Record - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) (noaa.gov)

U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis

Mass shootings in the US: 2022 could be the second-highest year | CNN

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In dire times, such as these, it is more important than ever to have empathetic leaders who strive to do the right thing for their people. So why do we keep electing narcissists?

Learn More:

Narcissism: 5 Signs to Help You Spot Narcissistic Behavior (webmd.com)

Narcissistic personality disorder - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic

The Rich Have Higher Level of Narcissism, Study Shows | TIME.com

Psychology study indicates that narcissists are more involved in politics than the rest of us (psypost.org)

Narcissism: Why It's So Rampant in Politics | Psychology Today

The Narcissism Of Politicians - Mental Health Matters Cofe (mentalhealthmatters-cofe.org)

The Narcissists Are Running Amok: Many Politicians Are Narcissists -- And Many of Their Followers Are, Too - Alternet.org

Professions With the Most Psychopaths (businessinsider.com)

https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-disorders/narcissistic-personality-disorder.htm

https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/how-narcissistic-leaders-destroy-within

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00773/full

https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/narcissistic-traits-leadership/

https://www.psypost.org/2021/02/narcissists-make-their-way-to-ceo-positions-faster-than-their-counterparts-study-finds-59517#:~:text=A%20main%20finding%20that%20has,a%20propensity%20for%20manipulative%20behavior.

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Relevant in the news recently have been the multiple attempts at railroad strikes by unions. What is the cause of these strikes, what impact would they have, and will they continue?

Learn More:

The Averted National Rail Strike Is a Parable of Contemporary American Capitalism | The New Yorker

House passes bills to stop railroad strike, give rail workers more paid sick leave - YouTube

Rail Strike Ahead? Why These Workers Rejected The Contract Deal - YouTube

Rail Strike: Why The Railroads Won’t Give In on Paid Leave (nymag.com)

https://www.up.com/customers/track-record/tr120120-freight-rail-how-much-ships-by-rail.htm

https://www.aar.org/topic/industries-we-support/

https://www.aar.org/facts-figures

https://www.fb.org/market-intel/farmers-and-ranchers-feel-crunch-of-railway-supply-chain-shortfalls

https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/9745

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Infrastructure is the glue that holds our supply chain and economy together. The Army Corps of Engineers rates our roads at a grade of D, and our Public Transport at a D-. 43% of US roads are considered to be in poor or mediocre condition.

With a growing backlog ($786 million) of repairs and upgrades needed, it's no mystery that our infrastructure is in a freefall of decay.  This episode helps make the case for why a feedback loop of decaying infrastructure leads to collapse.

Learn More:

Transportation Infrastructure | ASCE's 2021 Infrastructure Report Card

Road Infrastructure | ASCE's 2021 Infrastructure Report Card

The State of America’s Roads | Busbud blog

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-08/why-building-roads-and-transit-costs-more-in-the-u-s

https://transportgeography.org/contents/chapter3/transportation-and-economic-development/

https://transportgeography.org/contents/chapter3/transportation-and-economic-development/

https://transportationtodaynews.com/news/21079-failure-to-address-infrastructure-could-cost-the-10-trillion-in-gdp-report-says/

https://www.motortrend.com/features/american-roads-bridges-need-repairs-now/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/interactive/2021/commute-calculator-pandemic/

https://www.history.com/news/8-ways-roads-helped-rome-rule-the-ancient-world

https://www.valuepenguin.com/highway-spending-study

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We know that sea level rise is a real and accelerating threat - but what are nations doing to respond to it? In this episode, we talk about adaptation plans for two different Pacific Island nations: Fiji and Tuvalu.

Learn More:

https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2022/nov/08/how-to-move-a-country-fiji-radical-plan-escape-rising-seas-climate-crisis

https://www.greenbiz.com/article/what-world-can-learn-fijis-national-climate-strategy

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/24/travel/fiji-global-warming.amp.html

Tuvalu unveils Long-Term Adaptation Plan at COP27, a vision for a safe, climate-resilient future — Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project (tcap.tv)

COP 27: Tuvalu announces stronger climate targets for 2050 | The Pacific Community (spc.int)

Tuvalu Turns to the Metaverse as Rising Seas Threaten Existence (usnews.com)

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Shaun Chamberlin is an author and activist who has been exploring collapse and possible responses for over twenty years.  He is the editor of 'Surviving the Future: Culture, Carnival and Capital in the Aftermath of the Market Economy' and his late mentor David Fleming’s 'Lean Logic: A Dictionary for the Future and How to Survive It', as well as executive producer of 2020 film 'The Sequel: What Will Follow Our Troubled Civilisation?'

He puts the theory into practice as one of the custodians of Ireland’s legendary free pub ‘The Happy Pig’ and was involved with the Transition Towns movement since its inception, co-founding Transition Town Kingston and authoring the movement’s second book, 'The Transition Timeline', back in 2009.  He was also one of the first Extinction Rebellion arrestees, in 2018, and now leads Sterling College’s online program ‘Surviving the Future: Conversations for Our Time’.

Shaun’s website: http://darkoptimism.org

‘Surviving the Future: Conversations for Our Times’ courses/community: http://ce.sterlingcollege.edu/surviving-the-future…

David Fleming’s books: http://flemingpolicycentre.org.uk/books/

Free access to David Fleming’s Dictionary for the Future and How to Survive It: http://leanlogic.online

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Greenland and Antarctica combine to hold a potential 225 feet of sea level rise. How much of that will be unlocked, and over what time frame? We discuss the knowns, the unknowns, and the newest research coming out.

Learn More:

https://sealevel.nasa.gov/faq/11/how-much-rise-should-we-expect-from-greenland-and-antarctica/
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/04/study-says-antarctic-ice-sheet-melt-to-lift-sea-level-higher-than-thought/
https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/14/world/antarctica-larsen-c-ice-shelf-atmospheric-rivers-climate-intl/index.html
https://www.wired.com/story/scientists-are-uncovering-ominous-waters-under-antarctic-ice/
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/81214/arctic-amplification
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/15082020/greenland-ice-sheet-melt-climate-change/?gclid=CjwKCAiAvK2bBhB8EiwAZUbP1AepBilfkaUmc3dx0kRyr6MPerYpZQDXKpCkrb7flaWN4xpENIzUPhoC9u4QAvD_BwE
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/melting-greenland-ice-sheet-will-cause-at-least-ten-inches-of-sea-level-rise-study-finds-180980675/
https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/rain-fell-for-first-time-greenland-s-summit-here-s-why-it-matters
https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/19/weather/greenland-summit-rain-climate-change

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The ancient philosophy of stoicism offers a great model for coping with collapse. In this episode we discuss its merits, along with its pitfalls.

Learn More:

The Practicing Stoic: A Philosophical User'... - Kindle (amazon.com)
How To Practice Stoicism: An Introduction & 12 Stoic Practices - The Mindful Stoic

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Fascist ideologies are on the rise around the United States and the Western world. What is fascism, why is it threatening us now, and how does it relate to collapse?

Learn More:

Eco-fascism: What It Is, Why It’s Wrong, and How to Fight It | Teen Vogue
What Is Eco-Fascism, the Ideology Behind Attacks in El Paso and Christchurch? | GQ
Eco-fascism: The greenwashing of the far right – DW
Where in the world do people emit the most CO2? - Our World in Data

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The maintenance cost of capital continues to rise, and the US (along with many places in the world) have tied up so much into their overseer classes, especially law enforcement. This episode explores the reasons for degradation of law enforcement as well as the potential outcomes.

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