Breaking Down: Collapse

When it comes to greenhouse gasses, C02 typically takes center stage. In this episode we take on the 2nd most prolific greenhouse gas, methane, which is comparatively a much more powerful gas when it comes to global warming. There are many theories that exist regarding the future of methane, and we try to take a balanced look at those here. Learn More:https://www.carbonbrief.org/guest-post-a-new-way-to-assess-global-warming-potential-of-short-lived-pollutantshttps://www.science.org/content/article/only-humans-can-create-climate-altering-methane-burns-new-studies-suggesthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clathrate_gun_hypothesishttps://www.iea.org/reports/methane-tracker-2020http://earthguide.ucsd.edu/virtualmuseum/climatechange2/11_3.shtmlhttps://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210805-the-search-for-the-worlds-largest-methane-sourcesSupport the showPlease join us on Patreon for weekly bonus content and to join our Discord community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previously (episode 45), we talked about the weaknesses in global infrastructure from a very high level, with the promise to touch deeper on different aspects of infrastructure later on. In this episode we focus on dams and bridges, two very critical aspects of our physical infrastructure, and each with their own unique battles to fight now and in the coming decades. Learn more: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-020-0362-5https://infrastructurereportcard.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Dams-2021.pdfhttps://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-environment-watch/should-taxpayers-foot-bill-restoring-midland-damshttps://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/thousands-fled-their-lives-when-two-michigan-dams-collapsed-more-n1230841https://e360.yale.edu/features/water-warning-the-looming-threat-of-the-worlds-aging-damshttps://infrastructurereportcard.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/2021-logotype.pnghttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/320216532_Method_for_Rapidly_Assessing_the_Overtopping_Risk_of_Bridges_Due_to_Flooding_over_a_Large_Geographic_Regionhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bridge_failuresSupport the showPlease join us on Patreon for weekly bonus content and to join our Discord community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This podcast, and the exploration of collapse itself, can be a bit of an echo chamber. In this sub-series we want to take an honest look at the counter-arguments that exist which try to explain why collapse won't happen. In this episode, we take a look at the arguments against resource scarcity. Learn More:https://interstem.us/2021/07/10/will-the-earth-ever-run-out-of-resourceshttps://www.jstor.org/stable/23596679https://mindmatters.ai/2020/08/business-prof-stop-it-the-world-is-not-running-out-of-stuff/Support the showPlease join us on Patreon for weekly bonus content and to join our Discord community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

History is full of examples of collapse of all sorts. This week we take a high level look at some of those collapses and attempt to find the parallels with our situation today. Learn More:https://www.mvorganizing.org/what-are-some-common-reasons-why-empires-fall/https://www.theguardian.com/education/higher/humanities/partner/story/0,9885,678228,00.htmlhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Societal_collapsehttps://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/world-history/ancient-medieval/classical-states-and-empires/a/rise-and-fall-of-empireshttps://youtu.be/Okph9wt8I0Ahttps://youtu.be/K_Lj84_gLiAhttps://youtu.be/Hnxmh_NxPcsSupport the showPlease join us on Patreon for weekly bonus content and to join our Discord community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is an example of the bonus episodes we release weekly every Friday to our Patreon subscribers. Use the link below to join!Support the showPlease join us on Patreon for weekly bonus content and to join our Discord community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We were pleased to interview Michael Rezl, one of the senior moderators on r/collapse, on his perspective on Reddit, moderating, and getting his insights on Paul Chefurkas "Ladder of Collapse Awareness".Learn More:Ladder of AwarenessSupport the showPlease join us on Patreon for weekly bonus content and to join our Discord community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is one of the most talked about aspects of climate change in the mainstream, and yet one of the most misunderstood.  Sea level rise is more than just cities under water and is not something we have until 2100 to start seeing the effects of. It's happening now, and the problem is growing exponentially. Learn More:https://climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu/metadata/publications/ranking-of-the-worlds-cities-to-coastal-flooding/11240357https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-12808-z.pdfhttps://www.statista.com/chart/19884/number-of-people-affected-by-rising-sea-levels-per-country/https://climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu/metadata/publications/ranking-of-the-worlds-cities-to-coastal-flooding/11240357https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/01/the-world-s-coastal-cities-are-going-under-here-is-how-some-are-fighting-back/http://cosee.umaine.edu/cfuser/resources/tr_sea_level.pdfhttps://www.climate.gov/news-features/featured-images/2017-state-climate-mountain-glaciershttps://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/science/saltwater-intrusion?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objectshttps://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-sea-levelSupport the showPlease join us on Patreon for weekly bonus content and to join our Discord community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When it comes to natural disasters, California doesn't have it easy. Droughts, wildfires, mudslides, The Big One, (and last but certainly not least), ARkStorm. ARkStorm is more than just an ominous-sounding name. It is a storm that has happened in a  historically consistent pattern, and one that would decimate the California economy as well as potentially that of the US and even the world. It would leave behind destruction, death, famine and cause mass migration from the US' most populous state.  And, of course, it's being made more and more likely by anthropogenic climate change. Learn More:https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2010/1312/https://www.usgs.gov/media/videos/arkstormhttps://www.usgs.gov/natural-hazards/science-application-risk-reduction/science/arkstorm-scenario?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objectshttps://www.popsci.com/ARkStorm-megastorm-california/https://www.popsci.com/california-wet-dry-season/https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/Nearly-1-Trillion-California-Flood-Likely-Occur-Within-40-Yearshttps://www.mercurynews.com/2017/07/27/california-farms-produce-a-lot-of-food-but-what-and-how-much-might-surprise-you/Support the showPlease join us on Patreon for weekly bonus content and to join our Discord community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the "Can Technology Save Us?" series up to this point we've taken a look at renewable electricity, nuclear fission, geoengineering, and nuclear fusion. In this episode, we take a look at electric vehicles and the hopes that have been put in them to help power a sustainable future. Can electric cars save us? I think you already know the answer (not a chance), and this episodes shows us why.Learn More:https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2021/policies-to-promote-electric-vehicle-deploymenthttps://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/zero-emission-vehicle-program/abouthttps://www.eei.org/resourcesandmedia/newsroom/Pages/Press%20Releases/EEI%20Celebrates%201%20Million%20Electric%20Vehicles%20on%20U-S-%20Roads.aspxhttps://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/26/lifetime-emissions-of-evs-are-lower-than-gasoline-cars-experts-say.htmlhttps://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2021/trends-and-developments-in-electric-vehicle-marketshttps://usa.streetsblog.org/2021/06/18/electric-vehicles-wont-save-us/https://earth.stanford.edu/news/roadmap-reducing-greenhouse-gas-emissions-50-percent-2030#gs.dfxaqyhttps://www.energy.gov/articles/history-electric-carhttps://www.wsj.com/graphics/are-electric-cars-really-better-for-the-environment/Support the showPlease join us on Patreon for weekly bonus content and to join our Discord community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The US defence budget is enormous - as big as the next 10 countries combined! In this episode we discuss the true cost of the US military, beyond just dollars.Learn more:https://sipri.org/media/press-release/2021/world-military-spending-rises-almost-2-trillion-2020https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/its-time-to-rein-in-inflated-military-budgets/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_budget_of_the_United_Stateshttps://www.newsweek.com/2014/07/25/us-department-defence-one-worlds-biggest-polluters-259456.htmlhttps://www.pgpf.org/budget-basics/budget-explainer-national-defensehttps://www.thebalance.com/u-s-federal-budget-breakdown-3305789https://www.statista.com/statistics/217577/outlays-for-defense-and-forecast-in-the-us/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BUDGET-2010-TAB/pdf/BUDGET-2010-TAB.pdfSupport the showPlease join us on Patreon for weekly bonus content and to join our Discord community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.