Collapse Catch-Up: August, 2023

Welcome to the 22nd edition of Collapse Catch-Up, a weekly newsletter that catches you up on the latest signs that we are living through the collapse of global industrial civilization. You can find the 21st edition here.

This month I have all sorts of bad news, from record-breaking heat and wildfires to record-breaking floods and crop failures. Despite these disasters, world leaders are ignoring the climate crisis and doubling down on fossil fuels and economic growth.

Meanwhile, pollution and biodiversity loss are also getting worse at an accelerating rate, and all of this is taking a toll on the world economy, which looks like it’s about to head into a deep recession — or worse.

If you haven’t started preparing for the collapse of civilization, now is the time to start stockpiling supplies, learning basic skills, and making friends in your local community. If this news makes you anxious, please visit ​this page​ for a list of resources that can help.

Okay, let’s dive in…

Heat

Following the hottest month in recorded history, August started out with a series of heatwaves all around the world. In the first 10 days of the month, about 1/3 of all countries broke heat records.