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Breaking Down: Collapse

Kory & Kellan

Apprehensive about the future? Like many, you likely have a gut feeling that things aren't quite right, but haven’t been able to place your finger on why. That feeling only grows with the increasing political tensions, economic uncertainty, natural disasters, and supply chain disruptions. What do all these challenges mean? And what will be the result of society’s current trajectory? “Breaking Down: Collapse” takes the complex concepts surrounding the ultimate collapse of modern industrial society and simplifies them so they’re easier to learn. The compelling evidence for our inevitable decline is introduced by collapse-aware Kory to his good friend, Kellan, who probably doesn’t realize what he signed up for! Skeptical? Gear up for a paradigm shift!

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  • 377 episodes
  • Updated Thursday

Episodes377

  • Jun 29, 2022 · 46 min

    Episode 93 - Inflation

    Inflation is here and *surprise* - it's not transitory. What causes inflation? What kinds of inflation are there and what comes next? Support the show 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.

  • Jun 24, 2022 · 21 min

    Bonus Episode - 52

    Every so often we publish one of our Bonus Episodes here on the main podcast. This week we discussed an article claiming that "Melting Ice means Greener Shipping" - wow. Anyway, enjoy this episode, and if you'd like to listen to our other bonus content, please join us on Patreon (link below)! Support the show 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.

  • Jun 22, 2022 · 35 min

    Episode 92 - The Environmental Impact of Big Data

    Data is a lesser-talked-about element of collapse, but an important one! "The Cloud" is, indeed, not a magical floating database in the sky where data can be stored for free. Rather, it's a vast number of energy-consuming, environment-destroying servers all over the world. As the internet grows and big data with it, how long is it sustainable, and what would take to break it? https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11948-019-00171-7 https://techjury.net/blog/big-data-statistics/#gref https://starry.com/blog/inside-the-internet/how-big-is-the-internet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GX8sOrz_-Fg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73IiCG51_VI https://www.statista.com/statistics/871513/worldwide-data-created/#:~:text=The%20total%20amount%20of%20data,replicated%20reached%20a%20new%20high. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/abfba1 Support the show 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.

  • Jun 15, 2022 · 47 min

    Episode 91 - Drought

    Entire societies have collapsed due to insufficient access to water - as a matter of fact, drought is perhaps the #1 reason for civilizational collapse in the past. Many parts of the world are currently experiencing the worst drought conditions since records began - and it's only going to get worse with climate change. This episode explores the dangers of drought, why it will continue to get worse, and what we can expect for the future. https://www.ppic.org/publication/what-if-californias-drought-continues/#:~:text=Consequences%20include%20sinking%20lands%2C%20higher,these%20symptoms%20of%20chronic%20overdraft. https://drought.unl.edu/Education/DroughtforKids/DroughtEffects.aspx https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/drought/implications.htm#:~:text=Drought%20can%20also%20cause%20long,mosquitoes%20breeding%20in%20stagnant%20water https://www.newsweek.com/arsenic-laced-dust-drought-ridden-great-salt-lake-risk-water-level-drops-1613165 https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-07-16/drought-water-use-strategies https://spei.csic.es/map/maps.html#months=5#month=4#year=2022 https://www.drought.gov/international https://www.c2es.org/content/drought-and-climate-change/#:~:text=How%20climate%20change%20contributes%20to,the%20timing%20of%20water%20availability. https://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/ten-civilizations-or-nations-that-collapsed-from-drought.html https://youtu.be/NUiXzDkK5ms https://youtu.be/vEAFzgsRQs8 https://youtu.be/PJRDlVnWeHw https://youtu.be/qvf5zL8trjA Support the show 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.

  • Jun 8, 2022 · 58 min

    Episode 90 - The Electrical Grid

    The US electrical grid is known as "the largest machine in the world". It's complex, it's vital, and it's vulernable. In this episode we discuss how the grid works, the threats that it faces, and the consequences of its failure. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zcrsgdl_hP0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08mwXICY4JM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KciAzYfXNwU https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/nbc-5-responds/one-year-after-power-crisis-what-happened-to-those-big-electric-bills/2891039/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGan5NwJ-LM&t=620s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlGI643vUIg&t=637s https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-01-26/what-happens-when-russian-hackers-cyberattack-the-u-s-electric-power-grid https://www.wired.com/story/power-grid-cyberattack-facebook-phone-numbers-security-news/ https://www.govtech.com/security/russians-hacked-into-americas-electric-grid-heres-why-securing-it-is-hard.html https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-05-24/california-summer-blackouts-threaten-newsom-political-power https://justenergy.com/blog/power-grid-what-is-it-and-how-does-it-work/ https://www.e-education.psu.edu/ebf483/node/643 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD6hWnnsCBE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlGI643vUIg https://www.apmresearchlab.org/10x-power-climate Support the show 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.

  • Jun 1, 2022 · 47 min

    Episode 89 - Why We're Wrong (or so they say) - Conflict

    In this episode of the subseries, we talk about the reasons why some believe we won't see conflict in the future. While we don't make any specific claims regarding what types or what levels of conflict we will experience, we do believe that conflict is inevitable as collapse continues. https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/politics/article/world-war-three https://www.vice.com/en/article/jgmke8/nuclear-war-anxiety-is-back-heres-how-to-manage-it https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/REPS-10-2018-010/full/html#:~:text=Liberals%20argue%20that%20economic%20interdependence%20lowers%20the%20likelihood%20of%20war,would%20rather%20trade%20than%20invade Support the show 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.

  • May 25, 2022 · 33 min

    Episode 88 - "The Changing World Order" by Ray Dalio (Part 2)

    In this second episode on Ray Dalio's book "The Changing World Order" Kellan details what Dalio thinks the world will look like in the future, by examining cycles of the past. Support the show 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.

  • May 18, 2022 · 35 min

    Episode 87 - "The Changing World Order" by Ray Dalio (Part 1)

    In this episode we discuss Ray Dalio's Book titled "The Changing World Order" Support the show 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.

  • May 11, 2022 · 57 min

    Episode 86 - Anti-Technology and the Unabomber with David Skrbina

    This week we interview David Skrbina, an author and professor who writes about his anti-technology philosphy. David has written a book with Ted Kazynski (the Unabomber) who holds a similar philosophy. In the interview, we discuss David's philosophy, his vision for the future, as well as his book with Ted Kazynski. You can find his books here: Confronting Technology, Metaphysics of Technology, Technological Slavery. If you'd like to join David's "Anti-Tech Collective", you can do so here. David Skrbina (sker-BEE-na), PhD, was a senior lecturer in philosophy at the University of Michigan, Dearborn from 2003 to 2018. He taught a graduate course in Technology and Sustainability at the University of Helsinki in fall, 2020. His areas of interest include philosophy of mind, eco-philosophy, philosophy of technology, and environmental ethics. Support the show 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.

  • May 4, 2022 · 33 min

    Episode 85 - Paleoclimatology

    Climate change deniers often ask "How can you possibly know what happened 10,000 years ago?". Paleoclimatology is a fascinating field of study that gives us insights into the past, in order to help us model the future. https://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/topics/proxies/paleoclimate.html#:~:text=Paleoclimatology%20is%20the%20study%20of,serve%20as%20useful%20climate%20proxies. https://www.giss.nasa.gov/research/briefs/1999_schmidt_01/ https://web.archive.org/web/20171204232348/http://www.whoi.edu/instruments/viewInstrument.do?id=8087 http://www.worldviewofglobalwarming.org/pages/paleoclimate.php https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dC_2WXyORGA Support the show 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.

  • Apr 27, 2022 · 41 min

    Episode 84 - The Collapse of Education

    "The collapse of education is the collapse of the nation" - maybe Nelson Mandela, maybe not. Either way, it's true, and we'll explain it here! Learn more: https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-education-at-risk-save-the-children-report/ https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/sep/06/lost-generation-education-in-quarter-of-countries-at-risk-of-collapse-study-warns https://www.thedailystar.net/lifestyle/perspective/why-collapse-education-the-collapse-nation-1549213 https://www.axios.com/teachers-substitutes-principals-ae3caedb-96b2-4a1b-aff3-ffb8c8edc429.html https://www.educationworld.in/higher-education-system-has-collapsed/ https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3927583,00.html https://www.edweek.org/leadership/how-bad-are-school-staffing-shortages-what-we-learned-by-asking-administrators/2021/10 https://www.reddit.com/r/Teachers/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/markcperna/2022/01/04/why-education-is-about-to-reach-a-crisis-of-epic-proportions/?ss=careers&sh=30f5d28878c7&fbclid=IwAR3CF3IaVrsflGZLIjfM0IHxOvdZSP3XC1_1YmTJXJa3UslI3142JHK57tU \https://www.k12dive.com/news/survey-teachers-more-likely-to-report-burnout-than-other-government-employ/607413/ Support the show 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.

  • Apr 20, 2022 · 39 min

    Episode 83 - Infectious Diseases (Part 2)

    In this second episode on infectious diseases, we discuss the increasing trend in zoonotic diseases, as well as the potential dangers of prion diseases. Learn More: https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/07/06/888077232/u-n-predicts-rise-in-diseases-that-jump-from-animals-to-humans https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/statements/preventing-next-pandemic-zoonotic-diseases-and-how-break-chain?_ga=2.94500693.897601755.1649284753-1612452407.1649284753 https://www.cdc.gov/prions/index.html https://thewalrus.ca/new-brunswicks-medical-mystery/# https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1971008068001 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74Fz2OUVi_A https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2848070/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45Ke07JzdxY https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/fatal-familial-insomnia/ https://www.cdc.gov/prions/cjd/occurrence-transmission.html https://www.nature.com/articles/s41582-021-00488-7 https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091231164747.htm https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2019/02/21/zombie-deer-disease-what-happened-people-ate-cwd-meat/2926840002/ https://www.cbpp.org/research/poverty-and-inequality/tracking-the-covid-19-economys-effects-on-food-housing-and#:~:text=The%20COVID%2D19%20pandemic%20and,unemployment%20remained%20high%20throughout%202020. https://www.forbes.com/sites/williampesek/2021/02/26/covid-19s-24-trillion-cost-so-far-means-economics-will-never-be-the-same/?sh=333bef544844 Support the show 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.

  • Apr 13, 2022 · 38 min

    Episode 82 - Technology Can't Save Us - Recycling

    You've probably heard a considerable amount of conflicting information when it comes to recycling? What's the truth and what's fiction? Is recycling THE answer, is it all bogus, or is it somewhere in between? In this episode we try and take a nuanced view of the good and bad when it comes to recycling. Support the show 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.

  • Apr 6, 2022 · 38 min

    Episode 81 - Resolving Differences during Collapse

    Communication is key to building relationships and resilient communities. The world is full of differing opinions, lifestyles, choices, etc. These differences are had within the collapse-aware community as much as outside of it. This episode focuses on ways to communicate effectively with those who have opinions that differ from our own. Support the show 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.

  • Mar 30, 2022 · 54 min

    Episode 80 - Interview with Richard Heinberg

    This week we got to speak with Richard Heinberg about his new book "Power". Richard Heinberg is Senior Fellow of Post Carbon Institute and author of 14 books on energy and the environment, including Power: Limits and Prospects for Human Survival, The End of Growth: Adapting to Our New Economic Reality, and, with David Fridley, Our Renewable Future. He’s won an award for excellence in energy education and has been published in Nature, Wall Street Journal, and Literary Review. Heinberg’s work is cited as one of the inspirations for the international Transition Towns movement, which seeks to build community resilience ahead of climate change. He and his wife, Janet Barocco, live in an energy-efficient Permaculture home in Santa Rosa, California. You can find the book "Power" here. Support the show 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.

  • Mar 23, 2022 · 46 min

    Episode 79 - Interview with Chase

    An interview with one of our listeners, who has a unique perspective as someone with multiple degrees and experience in permaculture and horticulture, building sustainable communities, "teaching hippies how to shoot guns", and is currently using his combat medic experience on the frontlines in Ukraine. Support the show 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.

  • Mar 16, 2022 · 28 min

    Episode 78 - The Global Dimming Paradox

    Everyone knows that we should be making efforts to slow and stop fossil fuel emissions, but not as many are aware of the paradox of global dimming, which is that as we stop emitting fossil fuels temperatures may actually rise as a direct result. Support the show 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.

  • Mar 9, 2022 · 44 min

    Episode 77 - Two Types of Collapse (Voluntary vs Forced)

    We've spent 76 episodes discussing the fact that industrialized society will collapse. Most of these episodes have focused on the idea that collapse will be forced upon us. This episode is meant as a very introductory look into the idea that society could hypothetically choose a less painful collapse through voluntary degrowth. Learn More: https://youtu.be/1-fuJYvJ7Sk https://www.kateraworth.com/animations/ https://illuminem.com/energyvoices/664976fb-8b91-49d2-be49-8202597b157b Support the show 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.

  • Mar 4, 2022 · 20 min

    Bonus Episode (35)

    Every week we release a bonus episode for our Patrons, and every so often we release one on the main podcast. In this episode we discuss the newest info from the IPCC report, and catch up on the Ukraine/Russia war. You can receive these weekly bonus episodes and help support the podcast here. Support the show 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.

  • Mar 2, 2022 · 45 min

    Episode 76 - Facing a Fear of Collapse

    Continuing our sub-series on coping with collapse, in this episode we talk about a few strategies for confronting fear and anxiety about the future. Support the show 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.