Why Are Two of the World’s Richest and Most Powerful Countries in Such Deep Trouble? — Question 1: Where are you more pessimistic about, UK or USA? The UK economy is doomed — but as a society it’s still pretty civilised, US economy will remain strong but as a society it’s… not great. Question 2: Last year you spoke a lot about the near-term collapse of…

What It’s Going to Feel Like as the Planet Turns Against Us — In the age we’ve entered, the age of extinction, what is life going to be like? One way to think about it is what I’ve begun to call in my head “World War P.” It’s going to seem as if the planet is at war…with us. Human beings took their…

How Many People Think Things Are Doing Well? Go Ahead and Guess — There are numbers, and then there are numbers. I came across one lately that should have made more waves. What percentage of people would you say think the economy’s in excellent shape? Go ahead, guess. Now guess again. Just 1%. That’s not a typo, that’s a real finding. Go ahead…

How the World Is Changing — And Will Change — As We Cross Into the Next Phase of Extinction — So the other day on Twitter I asked people what they wanted to ask me, what they wanted me to talk about. Question: Ok — so, like it or not, you haven’t been wrong about what’s happening to the world right now. I’m begging for a timeline of predictions for…

California Just Became Uninsurable. Are We Getting the Message Yet? — There are headlines, and then there are headlines. I was scanning the news this morning, and this jumped out and slapped me right in the face: The insurance giant State Farm, America’s biggest car and home insurer by premium volume, will halt the sale of new home insurance policies in…

What Do Politics Gone Haywire in an Age of Extinction Look Like? Take a Hard Look at Florida, and Then the World — America’s got a problem. A Ron DeSantis problem. And we need to talk about it. What do I mean by that? It’s not what you think. Well, it’s not just what you think, really. I mean it in a bigger way. If you wanted an example of what negative, ruinous…

What the Surest Sign of Decline Is, And Why It Matters — When I look at America — and Europe — I see a sad fact. One that troubles me to no end. The ongoing death of the dream. And that bodes ill for the future. Because what binds our societies together more than anything else is just that, a dream. The…

It’s Funny To Hear Trump Compare DeSantis to Hitler. But It’s Funny for a Reason. — There are moments when watching democracies in peril becomes farce. Think of any number of dictators in self-styled commandant outfits, or, perhaps the way that Brexit Britain…chose self destruction. Yesterday was just such a moment. Ron DeSantis was finally to announce his bid for Presidency. With a little help from…

Why Just Existing in an Age Like This Is Pervasively Traumatic — Yesterday, a double whammy of a warning. The Surgeon General warned of a “profound risk of harm” from social media, especially to kids. …