Collapse of Industrial Civilization « Speaking Truth to Power

A Journey To The End Of Empire: It’s Always Darkest Right Before It Goes Completely Black, By Phil Rockstroh

By carolyn, on February 1st, 2012%

There is no reality-based argument denying this: The present system, as defined by the neoliberal economic order, is as destructive to the balance of nature as it is to the individual, both body and psyche. One’s body grows obese while Arctic ice and wetlands shrink. Biodiversity decreases as psyches are commodified by ever-proliferating, corporatist/consumer state banality. But the raging soul of the world will not be assaulted without consequence. Mind and body are intertwined and inseparable from nature, and, when nature responds to our assaults, her replies are known to humankind as the stuff of mythic tragedy and natural catastrophe. . . . → Read More: A Journey To The End Of Empire: It’s Always Darkest Right Before It Goes Completely Black, By Phil Rockstroh

The Growing Chaos And The New Year, By Michael Meade

By carolyn, on December 27th, 2011%

The annual ritual of end and beginning has come round again and the ashes are piled high throughout the landscape. For these are not only the dark days of the waning year, they are also the dark times as more and more people have “fallen on hard times.” Deep financial troubles and political foolishness have made the growing gap between those who have too much and those who have too little painfully evident. Amidst the hardening of hearts and narrowing of minds that increasingly pass for public policy, the deeper sense of justice and the instinct for human relatedness seem but dim lights amidst the growing chaos. Blind self-interest, the spread of fear and threat of conflict seem about to overwhelm everything. . . . → Read More: The Growing Chaos And The New Year, By Michael Meade

Sorting Out Possible Scenarios For The Future, By Sharon Astyk

By carolyn, on September 21st, 2011%

Because none of us has crystal balls, and none of us is perfect, it makes the most sense to plan for multiple possible scenarios, and thus to put our energies in the places that get us the most bang for our buck, the most resilience and best possible responses for the broadest *range* of possible scenarios. I’m going to list five scenarios that I think are possible, running from the most unlikely to the most likely, and then we can explore this question of what the future is going to look like, not from our single bet, but from the perspective of trying to maximize utility for multiple scenarios. . . . → Read More: Sorting Out Possible Scenarios For The Future, By Sharon Astyk

The Election March of The Trolls, By Chris Hedges

By carolyn, on August 30th, 2011%

All conventional forms of dissent, from electoral politics to open debates, have been denied us. We cannot rely on the institutions that once made piecemeal and incremental reform possible. The only route left is to disconnect as thoroughly as possible from the consumer society and engage in acts of civil disobedience and obstruction. . . . → Read More: The Election March of The Trolls, By Chris Hedges

Approaching The Collapse: Don’t Panic, Go Organic, By Ronnie Cummins

By carolyn, on August 25th, 2011%

Extreme weather, crop failures, commodities speculation, land grabs, escalating prices, soil degradation, depleted aquifers, routine contamination, food-related disease, and mass hunger represent the “new norm” for food and farming. The global agricultural system, with the exception of the rapidly growing organic sector, rests upon a shaky foundation. Patented seeds, genetically engineered crops, expensive and destructive chemical and energy-intensive inputs, factory farms, monoculture production, eroding soils, unsustainable water use, taxpayer subsidies, and long-distance hauling and distribution, including massive imports that amount to 15% of the U.S. food supply amount to a recipe for disaster. . . . → Read More: Approaching The Collapse: Don’t Panic, Go Organic, By Ronnie Cummins

Three Paths To Near-Term Human Extinction, By Guy McPherson

By carolyn, on August 20th, 2011%

About a decade ago I realized we were putting the finishing touches on our own extinction party, with the party probably over by 2030. During the intervening period I’ve seen nothing to sway this belief, and much evidence to reinforce it. Yet the protests, ridicule, and hate mail reach a fervent pitch when I speak or write about the potential for near-term extinction of Homo sapiens. “We’re different.” “We’re special.” “We’re too intelligent.” “We’ll find a way out. We always do.” . . . → Read More: Three Paths To Near-Term Human Extinction, By Guy McPherson

The End of Growth: Peak Oil, Recessions, And The End of The Fossil Fuel Economy, By Gail Tverberg

By carolyn, on August 17th, 2011%

This issue is a difficult one to talk about, because there really is no good solution. I have talked to a couple of groups recently (one a church group; one a peak oil group), about this issue. This is a copy of the presentation I used (Bumping up against the Growth Ceiling (PDF) or Bumping up against the Growth Ceiling (PowerPoint)). In this post, I will discuss my presentation. . . . → Read More: The End of Growth: Peak Oil, Recessions, And The End of The Fossil Fuel Economy, By Gail Tverberg

Change And The Process of Transformation, By Charles Hugh Smith

By carolyn, on August 15th, 2011%

There is a key difference between change and transformation. We often speak of “change”–as a potent political slogan, as a permanent feature of life, as a “good thing”–but we rarely speak of the often-wrenching process of change. I think the reason is self-evident: change often involves loss. . . . → Read More: Change And The Process of Transformation, By Charles Hugh Smith

Smashing The Melon of American Complacency With The Mallet of Russian Grit, By Erik Curren

By carolyn, on August 14th, 2011%

But while his online homies clearly relish Orlov’s hard edge, it would be a shame if his intimidating reputation put off a wider audience from reading his brilliant book, recently re-released. Here, I’d like to propose a different, hopefully more accessible way of seeing Orlov: as a foreign-born observer of American culture in the mold of Alexis de Tocqueville. But with a little bit of Gallagher thrown in — yes, that Gallagher, the prop comic with the goofy hair and suspenders, popular in the 1980s for smashing watermelons on stage. . . . → Read More: Smashing The Melon of American Complacency With The Mallet of Russian Grit, By Erik Curren

A 50,000 Foot View of The Global Crisis, By Paul Chefurka

By carolyn, on July 9th, 2011%

We are now well into a global crisis that may mark the end of this cycle of human civilization. In this note I present a summary of what’s going on as far as I can tell, as well as a scenario for how things might develop over the next 75 years or so. The issue is enormous, so an overview like this is inevitably going to be skimpy on details. This is, after all, not an academic journal. However, like every other fact in the known universe, those details are just a Google away… . . . → Read More: A 50,000 Foot View of The Global Crisis, By Paul Chefurka

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