Category Archives: Collapsed & collapsing nations

Failed nations and states — what it’s like to live in an unstable or collapsed region

Book: John Perlin’s “A Forest Journey: The Story of Wood and Civilization”

Posted on October 18, 2018 by

Preface.  This contains excerpts from John Perlin’s “A Forest Journey: The Story of Wood and Civilization”. It’s one of my favorite books about natural resources, exploring the role wood has played in the rise and fall of civilizations since they … Continue reading →

Posted in Collapse of Civilizations, Collapsed, Deforestation, Limits To Growth, Peak Resources, Soil, Wood | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Venezuela collapse: looting, hunger, blackouts

Posted on October 9, 2018 by

[ Venezuela is experiencing a double whammy of drought and low oil prices, which has lead to blackouts and inability to import food.  It just keeps getting worse and worse.  Related posts: Book review of “In order to live: A … Continue reading →

Posted in Central & South America, Social Disorder | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Richard Heinberg: Energy and Authoritarianism

Posted on July 28, 2018 by

Preface. Heinberg wrote this a year ago. Brilliant and well structured, he conveys as much in this article as many books, and consolidates what must be many years of research. But Heinberg is not the only one to wonder if … Continue reading →

Posted in Collapsed & collapsing nations, Politics, Richard Heinberg | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Richard Heinberg: Energy and Authoritarianism

The fall of the roman empire from plagues and climate change

Posted on April 25, 2018 by

Preface. The book “The Fate of Rome Climate Disease and the End of an Empire” by Kyle Harper shows the brutal effects of plagues, climate change, and their joint interaction of the Roman Empire. This doesn’t rule out all the … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Pandemic, Roman Empire, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Lessons learned from how Cuba survived peak oil

Posted on March 18, 2018 by

[ After seeing the film “The Power of Community: How Cuba survived Peak Oil” in 2006, I thought about how those lessons might apply to California agriculture. California grows about one-third of the U.S. food supply. Much of what follows … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Cuba, What to do | Tagged , | 1 Comment

House hearing on Venezuela’s collapse March 2017

Posted on October 2, 2017 by

“The economy of Venezuela is largely based on the petroleum sector and manufacturing. Revenue from petroleum exports accounts for more than 50% of the country’s GDP and roughly 95% of total exports” (wiki). [ This is a summary of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Central & South America, Energy Dependence, Mass migrations | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

House hearing: no solutions for North Korea in sight

Posted on September 17, 2017 by

[ This is a summary of the March 2017 house hearing titled “Pressuring North Korea–evaluating options”. First are some of the reasons why nothing is going to change –in my own wording–followed by congressional testimony.  Then Chairman Yoho gives a … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy Policy, North Korea | Tagged | Comments Off on House hearing: no solutions for North Korea in sight

Pentagon video warns of unavoidable dystopian future for world’s biggest cities

Posted on September 14, 2017 by

[ I’ve found the military to be among the most climate-change peak-oil aware of any government institution (see my posts in experts/government/military here). Will be interesting to see how they use that awareness as decline unfolds (i.e. get the lion’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Collapsing, Military | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Book review of “In order to live: A North Korean girl’s journey to freedom” by Yeonmi Park

Posted on August 17, 2017 by

[ Related posts: Inside North Korea’s Environmental Collapse Who Lives, Who dies in a never-ending energy crisis. Book review of Nothing to Envy. Ordinary Lives in North Korea North Korea: what happens to a country when the oil is cut … Continue reading →

Posted in Collapse of Civilizations, North Korea | Tagged , | Comments Off on Book review of “In order to live: A North Korean girl’s journey to freedom” by Yeonmi Park

70 million people may need emergency food in 2017

Posted on July 28, 2017 by

Emergency food assistance needs unprecedented as Famine threatens four countries. January 25, 2017. Famine Early Warnings systems network (fews.net) The Famine Early Warning Systems Network is a leading provider of early warning and analysis on food insecurity. Created by USAID … Continue reading →

Posted in Collapsing | Tagged , | 7 Comments