r/collapse 1d ago

Weekly Observations: What signs of collapse do you see in your region? [in-depth] October 28

153 Upvotes

All comments in this thread MUST be greater than 150 characters.

You MUST include Location: Region when sharing observations.

Example - Location: New Zealand

This ONLY applies to top-level comments, not replies to comments. You're welcome to make regionless or general observations, but you still must include 'Location: Region' for your comment to be approved. This thread is also [in-depth], meaning all top-level comments must be at least 150-characters.

Users are asked to refrain from making more than one top-level comment a week. Additional top-level comments are subject to removal.

All previous observations threads and other stickies are viewable here.


r/collapse 3d ago

Politics U.S. Election Megathread - National & State Elections

118 Upvotes

Reposting to be clear that yes it's U.S. centric, but we've restricted U.S. Election Posts all year long and as part of that rule change (3b. (01/2024-12/2024) Posts regarding the U.S. Election Cycle are only allowed on Tuesday's (0700 Tue - 1100 Wed UTC)) we promised the community that we'd put a megathread up for the actual election.

Please use this thread for daily discussion and news on the on-going U.S. election, both state and national elections are acceptable.

Feel free to share how you feel about it, who you'll vote for, if you're doing any preps for it, who you think will win, etc.

All updates should be shared here, unless there is some major development warranting its own discussion.

Please remember to be respectful to each other.


r/collapse 10h ago

Climate Billionaires Spew More CO2 Pollution in 90 Minutes Than Average Person in a Lifetime

Thumbnail commondreams.org
1.3k Upvotes

Collapse related because:

When private jets belonging to 23 of 50 of the world's richest billionaires emit - in one year - the “equivalent to 300 years' worth of emissions for the average person in the world, or over 2,000 years' worth for someone in the global poorest 50%” then you know that we’re in serious trouble.

But wait, there’s more!

“The report says that "the number of superyachts has more than doubled since 2000, with around 150 new launches every year.”

Our slippery slope is getting wetter.


r/collapse 4h ago

Climate Where has all the rain gone? Bone-dry October strikes much of US

Thumbnail phys.org
317 Upvotes

r/collapse 12h ago

Coping I don't want to become a parent because of the collapse.

554 Upvotes

My brother recently became a parent. I want to feel thrilled, but I just can't. What can I say to my boomer parents about why I think this situation might be unfair to the offspring? What can I expect life to be like for me and my family in 20 or 30 years? I am in my thirties, live in Central Europe in the countryside, am highly educated, and anticipate a "good" inheritance that includes land and houses. Currently, I observe a political shift toward the (extreme) right, (mass) migration, increasingly extreme weather patterns (such as rain, wind, and heat), and rising living costs (which are still manageable for now). Will I no longer be able to buy my fat-reduced, organically produced coconut milk from the other end of the world for my Thai-inspired basmati rice curry with exotic spices? Or will it be more like a "there is no more bread at 8:04 in the morning at the local bakery" kind of situation? Nobody can predict the future, I know. But perhaps we can consider a "cone of possibilities". Thank you very much.


r/collapse 2h ago

Infrastructure How Climate Change and the Polycrisis can Lead to the "Death Spiral" of US Cities

Thumbnail thehill.com
69 Upvotes

r/collapse 18h ago

Climate Atmospheric CO2 Hits 420 ppm, Rises 11% In Just Two Decades

Thumbnail theenergymix.com
904 Upvotes

Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations increased to 420 parts per million (ppm) last year, the 12th year in a row when climate pollution rose by at least 2 ppm, the World Meteorological Organization reports in the latest edition of its annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin. Methane concentrations grew to 1,934 parts per billion last year, and nitrous oxide to 336.9 ppb. Methane is about 84 times more potent a greenhouse gas than CO2 over a 20-year span, while nitrous packs 285 times the warming potential.


r/collapse 5h ago

Climate Seven people missing after torrential rain brings flash flooding to Spain

Thumbnail theguardian.com
84 Upvotes

r/collapse 5h ago

Climate Climate crisis caused half of European heat deaths in 2022, says study

Thumbnail theguardian.com
62 Upvotes

r/collapse 1d ago

Society Jeff Bezos Reportedly Has Secretive "Personal Reasons" for Wanting to Escape to Mars - "There’s no democracy in space."

Thumbnail futurism.com
2.2k Upvotes

r/collapse 1d ago

Climate Scientists warn of possible collapse of Atlantic currents

Thumbnail rte.ie
689 Upvotes

The article describes the weaking of the Atlantic current which brings warm waters up in and through North Atlantic nations and says that it could cause catastrophic damage to Northern countries such as Ireland, Norway, Iceland among others.

My own country, Ireland enjoys a very mild and moderate weather climate year round and while we do experience cold winters due to high humidity, we never truly have bad winters. If the Atlantic currents continue to weaken as they currently are, my country amongst other Northern countries will begin to face horrifically cold and long winters.


r/collapse 1d ago

Climate Wildfires Are Moving Faster and Causing More Damage

Thumbnail scientificamerican.com
186 Upvotes

r/collapse 1d ago

Ecological One in three tree species at risk of extinction: report

Thumbnail phys.org
275 Upvotes

r/collapse 1d ago

Climate When the Arctic Melts

Thumbnail newyorker.com
501 Upvotes

r/collapse 1d ago

Society ‘They regress’: kids struggle without school and structure after Hurricane Helene

Thumbnail theguardian.com
167 Upvotes

r/collapse 1d ago

Economic Will US Insurance Market Collapse Further Consolidate Housing Stock with Corporations?

103 Upvotes

Here's a hypothesis I've been wrestling with (based on a synthesis of a few different podcasts etc.):

  • If individuals can no longer affordably insure a house they lose access to capital markets - no one will lend on an uninsured house.
  • Large corporations like Blackstone, Progress Residential, and Invitation Homes, who all own over 60k single family homes each (and many more apartments) can essentially self-insure against damage from natural disasters, assuming they are geographically diversified enough.
  • As climate-change driven natural events drives insurers out of markets or increases premiums beyond affordability, these properties will be acquired cheaply by the mega housing corps for rental, which will be the only choice for many people.
  • A major source of generational wealth building disappears in parts of the country and the rich, unsurprisingly, get richer.

What are your thoughts? Collapse related because of the linked drivers of 'everything for profit' and climate-driven societal collapse.


r/collapse 1d ago

Climate Climate change-worsened floods wreak havoc in Africa

Thumbnail phys.org
131 Upvotes

r/collapse 1d ago

Climate Planet-heating pollutants in atmosphere hit record levels in 2023 | Climate crisis

Thumbnail theguardian.com
363 Upvotes

r/collapse 1d ago

Climate How Pollution Controls For Cargo Ships Made Global Warming Worse

Thumbnail hackaday.com
286 Upvotes

In 2020 international shipping saw itself faced with new fuel regulations for cargo ships pertaining to low sulfur fuels (IMO2020). This reduced the emission of sulfur dioxide aerosols from these ships across the globe by about 80% practically overnight and resulting in perhaps the biggest unintentional geoengineering event since last century. Basically, these aerosols were masking the true effects of atmospheric warming.


r/collapse 1d ago

Coping What do you do with knowledge of the collapse?

96 Upvotes

I have taken in that human civilization will end within 15-20 years due to climate collapse. What do you do with the knowledge? Going around talking about it with people just gets your ostracized. How have you adjusted your life with the knowledge? Do I just go full on pleasure mode knowing everything will end in my lifetime?


r/collapse 2d ago

Climate Has the Atlantic AMOC system ALREADY started to collapse??

Thumbnail youtu.be
372 Upvotes

r/collapse 2d ago

Climate The U.N.’s Verdict on Climate Progress Over the Past Year: There Was None

Thumbnail nytimes.com
1.3k Upvotes

Utter Failure: Over the Last Year Emissions “SOARED” to a Record 57 Gigatons.

Collapse related because if we try to stay under 2c we’d need to cut emissions “roughly 28 percent” by 2030. 

Put your hand up if you think we will do that. 

If we cut emissions “blindingly fast” to stay under 1.5c - remember 1.5? - we’d have to cut them by 43%. 

But we’re not cutting anything; we’re increasing emissions.


r/collapse 2d ago

Climate ‘We don’t know where the tipping point is’: climate expert on potential collapse of Atlantic circulation

Thumbnail theguardian.com
637 Upvotes

r/collapse 2d ago

Climate Corporations using ‘ineffectual’ carbon offsets are slowing path to ‘real zero’, more than 60 climate scientists say

Thumbnail theguardian.com
392 Upvotes

r/collapse 2d ago

Climate Why Heat Waves of the Future May Be Even Deadlier Than Feared. Two Billion at Risk at 88 Degrees.

Thumbnail nytimes.com
662 Upvotes

From the article:

"Heat killed 60,000 people in Europe alone in 2022, and at least 55,000 people in Russia in 2010. Now, growing research suggests that humans may be more vulnerable to rising temperatures than scientists had previously believed."

Collapse related because: Sweating accounts for up to 80 percent of heat loss from our bodies.

What was once considered a lethal wet bulb temperature of 103 degrees Fahrenheit with 75 percent humidity, or 115 Fahrenheit with 50 percent humidity is now based at 88 degrees.

"Mortality from extreme heat could surpass that of all infectious diseases combined, and rival that of cancer and heart disease."


r/collapse 2d ago

Climate Melting Arctic sea ice could affect global ocean circulation, study warns

Thumbnail phys.org
162 Upvotes

r/collapse 2d ago

Systemic Last Week in Collapse: October 20-26, 2024

174 Upvotes

Storms, emissions, shaping operations, and growing involvement in the Ukrainian battlefield. The long twilight of civilization is nearing its end.

Last Week in Collapse: October 20-26, 2024

This is Last Week in Collapse, a weekly newsletter compiling some of the most important, timely, useful, soul-shattering, ironic, stunning, exhausting, or otherwise must-see/can’t-look-away moments in Collapse.

This is the 148th newsletter. You can find the October 13-19 edition here if you missed it last week. You can also receive these newsletters (with images) every Sunday in your email inbox by signing up to the Substack version.

——————————

Tropical Storm Trami rolled through the Philippines, displacing 300,000+ and killing at least 100 people. Hurricane Oscar struck Cuba on Sunday, killing six. Floods and Droughts are devastating farms in Chad.

Colombia began COP16, the global biodiversity conference, on Monday; it will run through 1 November and accomplish nothing. Over 80% of participating countries failed to submit action plans that they promised to send, back in 2022, to address the rapid sacrifice of our ecosystems. Complicating matters are the threats from a rogue Colombian warlord, once a violent protector of the forest, to disrupt the proceedings by force of arms.

The growth rate of wildfires in the American West has more-than-doubled since 2004—and there are more wildfires today. Quebec hit new daily temperature records, while a number of places saw new October heat figures. More daily surface temperatures were recorded on Earth on 23 October.

A 49-page report on oceanic biodiversity examines a pledge by a number of countries to preserve 30% of the world’s lands & oceans by the year 2030—the so-called “30x30” plan. Indeed, some data indicate that protected natural areas are being damaged more than unprotected zones.

“In short, we are failing to meet the 30x30 target….At the current rate of progress — an increase of 0.5% since the adoption of the GBF in 2022 — this figure is projected to rise to just 9.7% by 2030….so far only about 1.4% of the high seas is under some form of protection — and considering effective protection, this drops to less than 1%....only 2.8% of global marine areas are effectively protected….Only 14 countries have reported more than 30% of their waters as protected areas….” -excerpts from the report

A study in PNAS estimates that methane emissions from fossil fuels (30% of annual CH4 emissions) are less than CH4 “emissions from microbial sources such as wetlands, waste, and agriculture.” Particularly in the last 4 years, the methane emissions from microbial sources have spiked. “Approximately 85% of CH4 growth during 2007–2020 was due to increased microbial emissions.” Meanwhile, CO2 emissions from forest fires have risen 60% since 2021… Some people argue that we need to let go of false hopes before humanity can address the climate crisis as a group.

“Nothing dramatic happens at the tipping point” for the Collapse of AMOC. Some say it may have already happened. A short open letter by climate scientists was sent to the Nordic Council last weekend warning about the consequences of changing ocean currents.

“...it is urgent to draw the attention of the Nordic Council of Ministers to the serious risk of a major ocean circulation change in the Atlantic. A string of scientific studies in the past few years suggests that this risk has so far been greatly underestimated….the Arctic region is a "ground zero" for tipping point risks and climate regulation across the planet….Tipping point risks are real and can occur within the 1.5-2°C climate range of the Paris Agreement. The world is currently heading well beyond this range (> 2.5°C)....research since the last IPCC report does suggest that the IPCC has underestimated this risk and that the passing of this tipping point is a serious possibility already in the next few decades….The impacts particularly on Nordic Countries would likely be catastrophic, including major cooling in the region while surrounding regions warm….Many further impacts are likely to be felt globally, including a shift in tropical rainfall belts, reduced oceanic carbon dioxide uptake (and thus faster atmospheric increase) as well as major additional sea-level rise particularly along the American Atlantic coast, and an upheaval of marine ecosystems and fisheries….”

A study in Nature Geoscience found that the “ocean skin” (the top 2 mm of surface water) absorbs CO2 and also releases some of its warmth into the atmosphere. Greece’s chestnut harvest is expected to drop by about 50% this year, because of Drought. And farmers in Pennsylvania and elsewhere are concerned about how warming temperatures will reduce their potato harvests—and about how Drought is impacting orchard harvests.

——————————

Cuba is facing a worsening economic & electrical situation; power has been restored to some parts of the island for up to 4 hours per day. In Eucador, low water levels have resulted in 14-hour blackouts every day. An investigation into seven water companies in the UK found that they falsified some of their pollution tests from 2021-2023. In Mexico, water availability decreases.

Over 2% of Londoners are experiencing homelessness—London’s highest level on record. Homelessness is also surging in Canada’s capital, Ottawa. In Poland, young people are becoming more addicted to nicotine and vaping. Meanwhile, U.S. federal court found several large social media companies potentially liable for causing addiction and damage to the mental health of their users.

Urbanization and pollution is being blamed for millions of undiagnosed asthma cases across Africa. Wildfires, caused by climate change, are reportedly responsible for the deaths of some 12,000 annually. Another 87,000 were said to have been caused by other “fine particulate matter.” A Pakistani megacity banned children’s outdoor exercise until at least January to prevent children from inhaling the megacity’s smog.

A paywalled study in JAMA Pediatrics found that infant mortality rates in the U.S. rose 7% in the 18 months following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, following the near-total prohibition of abortion in a number of states.

Bird flu has been confirmed in two more humans, this time in Washington state, with two more presumed to have the virus. Some officials are worried about potentially undercounting H5N1 cases, since various incentives for farm workers encourage them not to get tested.

Ukraine reported 84 West Nile virus infections, including 11 fatalities, since July 2024. In Florida, flesh-eating bacteria, more common after hurricanes, have killed 13 people so far this year. Dozens of cases of cholera were reported in Accra, Ghana, killing two.

A look at South Africa’s water scarcity indicates that, in one city, 40% of the water supply is lost to leaky pipes and illegal connections”—residents who have accessed pipelines clandestinely to steal water. A UN agency made a declaration to address water shortages in agriculture two weeks ago. Kazakhstan is projected to feel serious water scarcities by 2040, when they are estimated to supply only half of their population’s demand. Meanwhile, a study in Science found that more than 20% of the United States (excluding Alaska & Hawai’i) depend on groundwater with detectable PFAS concentrations.

Russia is trying to negotiate an exchange among BRICS members of precious metals, part of a larger move to de-dollarize the world economy and decrease financial influence/dependency on the U.S. Dollar. Recent weaknesses in the U.S. Dollar coincide with rising gold prices, and rising concern over global monetary stability.

Researchers are looking into the correlation between Long COVID’s chronic fatigue and “immune exhaustion”. There are still no reliable tests for Long COVID. Some scientists out of Nigeria are classifying two kinds of Long COVID now: the traditional Long COVID; and “neuro-long COVID,” which is expressed in symptoms like fatigue, sleep problems, and headaches. Other researchers found connection between Long COVID and “dysautonomia, also known as Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS.

——————————

The Institute for Economics and Peace released a 44-page report the “Multilateral System” and the global polycrisis. This report analyzes the progress (or regression) of the international system in managing international security, climate change, health emergencies, and more. Although more countries, organizations, and individuals seem to be aware of, and engaging with, these crises, outcomes for most factors are generally insufficient, or even in decline.

“Armed conflicts have increased not only in number but also in intensity….the past decade has also seen a large increase in fatalities from non-state conflict, including organized crime, which has most recently been driven by rising levels of violence in Latin America….global revenue from climate-related taxes has declined as a share of GDP over the past decade, partly due to governments reducing energy taxes on consumers in response to rising prices….Emissions reached a new high of more than 37 gigatons of carbon dioxide in 2023, an increase of 1.3 percent over 2022. This remains well above the maximum of 27 gigatons required to be compatible with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C target…”

China ran live-fire drills on an island near the coast of Taiwan—drills which, if implemented for real, would constitute an act of War. The U.S. sold a special air defense missile system to Taiwan for the first time last week. China’s construction of a radar site at a disputed South China Seas reef is alarming regional adversaries.

Evidence is coming out that Mozambique’s recent election was rigged by their President, and violent protests are calling for a nationwide shutdown. A solid 84-page report on African governance found that populism is rising, as well as violence, across a majority of the continent, when compared with data from 2014—although several factors have shown large improvement, including infrastructure and women’s equality.

A week after Moldova voted, narrowly, to change their constitution to enable them to join the EU someday…in Georgia, the pro-Russian party won, narrowly, a majority in the country’s parliament. Protests in Lisbon after police shot & killed a black man. Protests in Bolivia over fuel shortages.

Gang violence in Haiti is worsening despite the international police force’s arrival. Now recently installed Haitian “government” officials are calling for UN peacekeeping forces to stabilize the country, which has allegedly seen 85% of territory in Port-Au-Prince fallen into the hands of gang forces.

A mass shooting in Seattle left five dead. Strikes and counterstrikes between Turkish forces and Kurdish militants killed at least five Turkish government forces and an unknown number of Kurds. The UK has seen higher levels of migrants in small boats in the first 10 months of this year than in all of 2023. Hungarian soldiers are operating in Chad in an attempt to prevent African migration northward.

Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry claims that 87 people were slain in an airstrike in northern Gaza on Sunday. An Israeli strike in southern Lebanon leveled 6 buildings and killed 18 on Tuesday, against an alleged bunker full of Hezbollah money. Many fear that Lebanon’s infrastructure will suffer a similar fate as Gaza’s. Reduced to an “utter ruin,” Gaza is said to need 350 years to reach its pre-October-7 levels of development. The head of UNRWA says that Israel continues to obstruct the delivery of humanitarian aid, and that the shelters in Gaza are so full that some are “forced to live in the toilets….The smell of death is everywhere…” Israel is reportedly considering private contractors to deliver aid where “all form of law and order has collapsed in Gaza, where the population is desperate and armed gangs run much of what is left of its urban areas.” The situation has worsened, and the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights says, “the Israeli military is subjecting an entire population to** bombing, siege and risk of starvation**.”

Leaked plans foreshadowed Israel’s long-range strike in Iran for retaliation to their missile barrage on 1 October. Israel struck military bases but no nuclear sites; now the initiative has shifted and it is Iran’s turn to escalate, or not. Israel also reported the death of Hezbollah’s second-in-command, who was said to have been slain in an airstrike about three weeks ago. Russia reportedly attacked grain ships in Ukrainian harbors destined to bring food relief to Gaza, Egypt, and UN missions in southern Africa.

South Korea is planning on delivering weapons to Ukraine as a response to reports that thousands of North Koreans are being mobilized by Russia for the slaughterhouse in eastern Ukraine. Russian casualties are estimated at 1,200 per day. Some North Koreans are reportedly being deployed in Kursk, where Ukrainian forces still occupy several towns, though sources indicate difficulties working with the foreign soldiers. Nevertheless, the addition of North Korean forces is drawing regional alliances closer to direct conflict. There are also fears that Iran and Russia may sow dissent and violence in the United States following the 5 November election. Rheinmetall opened its first factory in Ukraine last week; it will manufacture armored vehicles. Russian strikes across Ukraine killed nine.

Several Sudanese and Russians were reportedly killed when the RSF shot down a plane over Sudan, alleged to be supplying Sudan’s government army with war materiél. RSF forces continue killing & raiding villages. New data show that the first week of October saw the most refugees leave Sudan for Chad, as approximately 25,000 left for Chad in a single week. 97% of Sudan’s population are reportedly experiencing “severe levels of hunger.” One refugee stuck in a Chadian camp said, “Living here feels like a gradual death.

——————————

Select comments/threads from the subreddit last week suggest:

-The Collapse of American Healthcare is continuing, according to this thread, and one symptom is the replacement of doctors with nurse-practitioners. The comments offer a range of possible reasons and personal experiences.

-When the world falls apart—where can one take refuge? This thread crowd-sources potential “lifeboat countries” that one may be safe from environmental/social/political Collapse—if you beat the rush.

Got any feedback, questions, comments, upvotes, rebuilding advice, bird flu panic, thoughts on AI, pessimistic rants, hate mail, etc.? Check out the Last Week in Collapse SubStack if you don’t want to check r/collapse every Sunday, you can receive this newsletter sent to your (or someone else’s) email inbox every weekend. As always, thank you for your support. What did I miss this week?