1) What do you call something that just grows and grows and never stops growing? Cancer.
2) The Secretary of Defense recently said, and I think this is verbatim: “DoD doesn’t do climate change crap.” Well, as you pointed out, military leaders have known for years that climate change is real; they call it a “threat multiplier.” Does SecDef know that his Navy is spending billions to keep its biggest Atlantic base (Norfolk VA and environs) above water? And not just the berths and dry docks, but also the web of supply routes into the base - they flood too.
Go see your Buffalo Philharmonic for some relief from the dismal world. It’s a great orchestra doing “Pops” programs as well as the symphonic literature. Support the Arts before they all get strangled or censored.
Dead on correct. The military completely understands the consequences and what they view as opportunities of climate change. Although I don't get out much for concerts, I do make my donations and am a believer in the arts as the best of us.
And what happens to the shipping containers docks and storage facilities that are going to flood? Maybe if we save the military bases we can just nuke the incoming tide, turn the water into vapor, save the dock and stop climate change? Sounds like a great stable genius trump plan don't ya think?
If you don't already read him, I would highly recommend Erik Michaels. In his latest post on Substack, he says:
"Now, all of the above is just a prepper for what comes next: the geopolitical shenanigans unleashing pain throughout the world. I've come across many people over the years who thought that "if we just get so-and-so elected, everything will be great." Those are the folks who suffer from the flawed thinking that there is a political solution to civilization (or any subset thereof), not recognizing that the entire system is unsustainable."
Jayasree, Erik's article was excellent. I am glad that you apparently see, in my work, my steadfast belief our predicament boils down to a behavioral problem. I have occasionally dealt with supposed civilization saving technologies such as SAI/SRM, and the farcical idea of "green" energy and batteries, etc. just to be educated able to disprove these "solutions." It's not fun throwing cold water on hope, but it's irresponsible not to communicate the harsh truth of our situation.
I always appreciate readers sharing their knowledge and good resources. Thank you.
I truly believe that we need as many voices as possible (which will always still be too few) speaking out the truth about our predicament, as unflinchingly as possible. Despite that, the majority of people are not going to get it. Which makes what you do a real act of courage. Thank you Geoffrey.
Thank you, Geoffrey! That Bezos statement: "I’m confident that free markets and personal liberties are right for America," is pure neo-liberal stink-tank crap, promoting "economic freedom" above all other freedoms. Frederick Hayek couldn't have said it better. And leaving alternative thoughts to "other publishers" contradicts the MSM's original duty to be the public forum of ideas, instead of being yet another propaganda platform masquerading as education.
MSM has long been a platform of propaganda and platform for selling corporate goods. It used to be better if imperfect in the days when newsrooms were sacrosanct and not required to deliver a profit. The Vietnam War was delivered with grit. War since then involves "embedded" reporters.
Hayek, Friedman, Keynes — it really doesn't matter, all of them blindly promoted the economics of overshoot. Of course, the irreversible slide began long before any of the three put their theories out there.
Well, I'm with you but I wish I had more than a handful of sand to throw at the M1 Abraham about to run over me. Kinda unfair. Like Hamas against Israel.
Americans are too busy struggling to feed themselves, pay rent, the credit (slavery) card......... to do anything. The shutdown315 movement is going to fail because people are already down to buying essentials. It won't have much impact. Everyone should however buy a pair of sabots since the soles don't fall off after getting them wet. If you get the drift.
And you have a bit of a quandary with paid subscribers. The ones who read you see what's happening and don't have the money to pay you, the ones who have the money don't read you because they don't give a.......
I appreciate your perspective, all legitimate. We are at the longest of odds now for going along with the ride for way too long. For that reason, we all bear a degree of guilt, myself no exception. Yeah, a lot of us are poor, me too. It was a choice I made because I hated the system. I chose time over money, with no regrets.
Sure, there are those that can't afford the $5 a month, but there are many who could. Maybe their humanitarian concerns are going to worthy organizations, or maybe they are supporting other worthy writers. I'm fine with that. It's not about me, which is why I never paywall my articles or the comment section.
On the other hand, I see readers who subscribe to hundreds of writers and don't give a dime to anyone. What's up with that? This I know, fighting against all odds and risking oneself gives a chance. Not doing so is a guaranteed result.
Thank you, Geoffrey, for the essential and absolutely necessary work that you and many others of us are doing. I recently completed a three-year research and writing project on the topic of overshoot, which is a double book review essay of the two books on that topic by the visionary, honest, truth-telling ecological sociologist, William Catton, Jr., Overshoot, and Bottleneck. For any of your readers who might not have heard of Catton or his work, "Overshoot: the Ecological Basis of Revolutionary Change," published in 1980, was one of the first books that clearly explained the roots and dynamics of our current global ecological and sociological polycrisis/predicament. That book is often referred to by nearly everybody else who has been long engaged in this struggle to protect our only source of real, natural life, Mother Earth, as the most important or first book dealing with overshoot that they have ever read. His second book, written about 30 years later, "Bottleneck: Humanity's Impending Impasse," is not as well-known, but also contains many vital insights that can be of great benefit to any who read it.
My analysis of Catton's books and the predicament of Earth overshoot includes some suggestions for possible paths forward and optimal ways of being in the present that are more radical than what we usually hear, but are starting to hear and see from more and more younger Earth protector/activists. I am an old, retired, former academic historian and schoolteacher, and I agree with you that, from an honest, historical perspective, the fascists will probably kill or otherwise destroy most of us who tell these and other truths, if environmental and economic collapse, widespread systemic boycott, or bloody revolution, does not stop them first. Being old, I am probably more reconciled to the reality of my impending demise than most younger people naturally would be, but I deeply grieve for how that may soon be an unwelcome reality for so many young and innocent people, of all species, throughout our amazing, generously life-giving planet. Here is the link to my essay and blog, all of which is freely shared, open source, and non-monetized (including no advertising or requests for money--we are attempting to live directly from our relationships with all other local members of Earth's symbiotic system): https://learningearthways.net/2025/02/26/natural-consequences-reflections-on-william-r-catton-jr-s-overshoot-and-bottleneck/
George, I checked out your page, thank you for sharing it. Although I have not read Catton's books, I have read much about overshoot on my journey, whose components, as you doubtlessly know, have expanded from seven planetary boundaries to nine in recent years as science gains a better understanding of the intricate, interrelated workings of the Earth. Every person on the planet, particularly in the so-called developed world, should be educated on the subject to viscerally understand how our individual and collective consumption has destroyed our future by stealing from it without thought.
It strikes me that "Overshoot: the Ecological Basis of Revolutionary Change," was published in 1980 at the same time Reagan was elected, the death knell of the outrage and activism of the 1960s and 1970s that saw significant victories only to fall tragically short.
Here we are five decades after that administration which qualified ketchup as a vegetable in school lunches, and trees we were told cause more air pollution than cars as if that was a relevant comparison. We have fallen to ignorance and evil, much of which can be traced to the foundation of this country, the birth child of an evil empire and fated to become one. In spite of the high ideals in the language of the Constitution, those words have never been exercised remotely closely to its vision, and in fact used as a cloak to hide exploitation of both people and the planet.
We needed a new vision long ago based on sustainability and reverence for the Earth. That supersedes any theories of political systems, inevitably corrupted by human greed. Living in service of the planet could be our uniter, the only sane vision for our future as a species, and all the innocent ones we are unforgivably taking down with us.
Well written. I always find it remarkable to read something so "dark" and yet so few of our "leaders" are passionate about climate change. It seems like you can count them on one hand.
Thanks, Keith. Climate change, which is just one facet of overshoot, a far more encompassing picture of the trouble we’re in, is indeed a dark problem to contemplate. For the most part, I try to keep the writing calm and on the facts, although I indulge in a little what I find to be reasonable sarcasm and anger towards our “leadership” here and there. The worst wish to exacerbate the problem. The rest fail to realize the gravity of it, or don’t tell the truth for political reasons.
Was it Neil deGrasse Tyson who remarked that the movie DON’T LOOK UP is a documentary?
I am just another peasant living hand-to-mouth … grateful to have had a few extra dollar$ to support writers like yourself, dedicated to writing as accurately, non-sensationally, seriously but not depressingly. about the comet guaranteed to be impacting Earth …. soon.
Everyone else in my family… neighborhood … political party … church … thinks that inevitable collapse of climate and industrial civilization is fake news… that I am that nutty guy carrying a sign —- the end is near!
I suppose, one day, someone else I know will see the obvious, and maybe we can go shopping together and cook & share a last meal together.
I suspect all of us carrying the "nutty" sign feel the same isolation you do. The immediate people in my life don't understand the situation and don't read my work. At one time that irritated me, but I'm over it now. Who am I to rock their world when I can't offer any magical solutions? Let them have the happiness of denial. Many of them will wake up in shock at some point, and I will have explanations if they care to hear them.
In the meantime, although writing these articles can be draining, the community I have here helps me, as I hope it helps you and all of my readers.
The risks outlined here are real, and the trajectory is undeniable. The intertwining of environmental collapse, wealth consolidation, media complicity, and creeping authoritarianism isn’t just accelerating—it’s self-reinforcing. The core problem isn’t just that these systems exist; it’s that no human system currently in place seems capable of stopping them.
Sanctions, economic deterrents, and whistleblower protections should be part of a broader international effort to challenge the forces driving collapse. But US hegemony has systematically compromised the institutions that would need to enforce them. The next few years will reveal whether those institutions still have any capacity to act—or if they’ve been so thoroughly undermined that they will stand by as the world burns.
The larger issue is that while environmental systems collapse due to human economic and political systems, there is no corresponding mechanism within those human systems to correct course. The slow failure of institutions, the corruption of democratic governance, and the weaponization of economic interests have created a downward spiral. Climate breakdown, economic instability, and political radicalization aren’t future problems—they are concurrent crises that will only accelerate.
There’s every reason to be wary of speaking out, because historically, as instability rises, truth-tellers become targets. But silence won’t protect anyone. The reality is that the next few decades will bring far worse consequences than retaliation for dissent. AI-driven surveillance, autonomous warfare, and further economic stratification will consolidate control in the hands of a few. If action isn’t taken soon, resistance itself may become impossible.
This isn’t just a warning—it’s a narrowing window. Either the world finds a way to challenge the systems driving collapse, or it accepts a future where dissent is meaningless, governance is performative, and the only certainty is that things will get worse.
Great comment, so many relevant, primary concerns stated. The last two months have been difficult to find my voice. There is little use in adding to discourse others are doing well. My goal, hopefully at least moderately successful, is to tie many things together that creates a larger perspective. While we go crazy over the criminal behavior of our government that well precedes Trump, I wish to draw the conversation here back to the planet, the ultimate arbiter of everything.
I have pointed out those who speak out are in special danger, and all the more necessary in a time of cowardice in media, and a public from which fundamental truths have been hidden. You are right, resistance itself is endangered. Either we lay it on the line now or suffer a longer, depressing decline that is likely to kill most of those hoping to get lucky by staying quiet. That is cowardice, and cowardice always gets what it deserves. Punching bullies often gets the results you want. I know from being an undersized, bullied kid. Bloody noses get respect.
“We have fallen to ignorance and evil, much of which can be traced to the foundation of this country, the birth child of an evil empire and fated to become one.”
This really gets to the heart of the issue, Geoffrey. How can it possibly be that the human race has actually devolved as a species? The days of hopeful empathy, understanding our fellow man (and our animal friends), have just dissipated into the mist. It’s all so sad.
I’ve had a wonderful life, full of amazing experiences and lovely people. My heart hurts when I consider how those same types of opportunities in life will never appear for our children.
You’re doing great work. I believe you are having a clear effect on spreading awareness, but as the total number of aware people is so vanishingly small to begin with, these ripples are hard to notice in the grand scheme of things.
Whenever one wonders whether something is bad, or good, for society, all one has to ask is “What if everyone did this?”. We need millions more like you and others doing all that they can from wherever they are in life to push in the right direction.
Well, yes and. You are my go-to for reliable messaging, but reading through the comments is such a downer. You could say down is where we're going, but where does that get you? If you couldn't say that, what would you say? The wave now seems to be going from mad as hell to some stirrings of not going to take it anymore. Am looking forward to you jumping in!
Sue, I love your support and cry for an awakening of the upside of human potential. Yes, there are people who exhibit those qualities. Perhaps there are more good, decent people than bad ones. Perhaps in 100,000 years we could become enlightened. However, as we see over and over again, the unenlightened always rise to the top through their aggression. Perhaps this is simply a product of survival of the species, instincts appropriate for non toolmakers, but deadly in the grasp of our clever, stupid hands.
We have destroyed the critical life sustaining functions of the planet. These functions are now beyond our capacity to control (they always were, they're just pissed now) and will dictate the future. The devastating wildfires you and your Los Angeles community just endured, wrenching as they are, are merely the symptoms of self-made problems which we cannot stabilize, let alone reverse.
We're facing a world of ever greater droughts, storms and floods which are already dismantling the economy. I don't have to tell you, being a Californian, this reality as insurers pull out of the state. As tough as that is, it's just one element in a far greater array of problems. One only needs to look at agriculture in the state, land collapsing from pumping aquifers dry from human caused one in 1200 year drought. California, the 5th biggest economy in the world, driven by agriculture as is all civilization, is in danger of failure, and its conditions apply to many places in the world.
Sadly, we have been in a state of overshoot, some would say began with the advent of agriculture, certainly inarguably with the industrial revolution. I HAVE jumped in, but there are no words to mitigate the reality of the painful, unstoppable contraction of the world as we have known it. I can't do that job. Sorry.
Your analyses are not in question. But you know that adage to argue for your limitations and they are yours. Everything would change if we were a species that cooperated, and you don’t know enough — as no one does — to declare that impossible. As your part is to wise us up, best not to shoot down people who are looking to how we get out of this.
Be sure to pick up on what I put out about Marianne — this week’s Substack is all her. She is a world changer. And read the many comments she gets. When she was running for office half the comments were cruel, and now they all are cheering her on.
Thank you, Gregg, your support is much appreciated. My voice is only as important as far as it's carried forward, and hopefully inspires others to do similar. I will forever feel humility for the amazing people I have learned from in this endeavor.
Geoff: I am catching up because my subscription went dark, and I did not receive any email notification of your postings, despite entering a new credit card. Finally, I received confirmation of payment. However, I still am not receiving notifications of your Substack publications. Perhaps you can check on your end for me. Most importantly, my mind went to worst-case scenario that you had been flagged and shut down! I am so happy that is not the case. Thank you for your writing!
In recent years, the Uyghurs have been victims of genocide, as possibly have been the Kurds. Funny, you don’t see mass demonstrations against China or Turkey though. To this day, the Turkish government denies the Armenian genocide. Turkey also has occupied and settled Cyprus while oppressing the Kurds. Turkey is a NATO member and receives arms from the United States. Of course, China and Turkey aren’t Jewish states. So anti-Semites and those who romanticize the Palestinians (who have a long record of failed aggressive wars and terrorism) have hypocritically looked the other way to real genocides.
Two quick observations:
1) What do you call something that just grows and grows and never stops growing? Cancer.
2) The Secretary of Defense recently said, and I think this is verbatim: “DoD doesn’t do climate change crap.” Well, as you pointed out, military leaders have known for years that climate change is real; they call it a “threat multiplier.” Does SecDef know that his Navy is spending billions to keep its biggest Atlantic base (Norfolk VA and environs) above water? And not just the berths and dry docks, but also the web of supply routes into the base - they flood too.
Go see your Buffalo Philharmonic for some relief from the dismal world. It’s a great orchestra doing “Pops” programs as well as the symphonic literature. Support the Arts before they all get strangled or censored.
Dead on correct. The military completely understands the consequences and what they view as opportunities of climate change. Although I don't get out much for concerts, I do make my donations and am a believer in the arts as the best of us.
And what happens to the shipping containers docks and storage facilities that are going to flood? Maybe if we save the military bases we can just nuke the incoming tide, turn the water into vapor, save the dock and stop climate change? Sounds like a great stable genius trump plan don't ya think?
SecDef can't see any further than the bottom of his current bottle.
If you don't already read him, I would highly recommend Erik Michaels. In his latest post on Substack, he says:
"Now, all of the above is just a prepper for what comes next: the geopolitical shenanigans unleashing pain throughout the world. I've come across many people over the years who thought that "if we just get so-and-so elected, everything will be great." Those are the folks who suffer from the flawed thinking that there is a political solution to civilization (or any subset thereof), not recognizing that the entire system is unsustainable."
https://erikmichaels.substack.com/p/the-psychology-behind-the-misunderstanding
Jayasree, Erik's article was excellent. I am glad that you apparently see, in my work, my steadfast belief our predicament boils down to a behavioral problem. I have occasionally dealt with supposed civilization saving technologies such as SAI/SRM, and the farcical idea of "green" energy and batteries, etc. just to be educated able to disprove these "solutions." It's not fun throwing cold water on hope, but it's irresponsible not to communicate the harsh truth of our situation.
I always appreciate readers sharing their knowledge and good resources. Thank you.
I truly believe that we need as many voices as possible (which will always still be too few) speaking out the truth about our predicament, as unflinchingly as possible. Despite that, the majority of people are not going to get it. Which makes what you do a real act of courage. Thank you Geoffrey.
Appreciated, Jayasree. Agreed, we need as many voices as possible, and those listening, reading and promoting those voices are courageous as well.
Thank you, Geoffrey! That Bezos statement: "I’m confident that free markets and personal liberties are right for America," is pure neo-liberal stink-tank crap, promoting "economic freedom" above all other freedoms. Frederick Hayek couldn't have said it better. And leaving alternative thoughts to "other publishers" contradicts the MSM's original duty to be the public forum of ideas, instead of being yet another propaganda platform masquerading as education.
MSM has long been a platform of propaganda and platform for selling corporate goods. It used to be better if imperfect in the days when newsrooms were sacrosanct and not required to deliver a profit. The Vietnam War was delivered with grit. War since then involves "embedded" reporters.
Hayek, Friedman, Keynes — it really doesn't matter, all of them blindly promoted the economics of overshoot. Of course, the irreversible slide began long before any of the three put their theories out there.
Well, I'm with you but I wish I had more than a handful of sand to throw at the M1 Abraham about to run over me. Kinda unfair. Like Hamas against Israel.
Americans are too busy struggling to feed themselves, pay rent, the credit (slavery) card......... to do anything. The shutdown315 movement is going to fail because people are already down to buying essentials. It won't have much impact. Everyone should however buy a pair of sabots since the soles don't fall off after getting them wet. If you get the drift.
And you have a bit of a quandary with paid subscribers. The ones who read you see what's happening and don't have the money to pay you, the ones who have the money don't read you because they don't give a.......
Good luck. I'm already where the rest are headed.
I appreciate your perspective, all legitimate. We are at the longest of odds now for going along with the ride for way too long. For that reason, we all bear a degree of guilt, myself no exception. Yeah, a lot of us are poor, me too. It was a choice I made because I hated the system. I chose time over money, with no regrets.
Sure, there are those that can't afford the $5 a month, but there are many who could. Maybe their humanitarian concerns are going to worthy organizations, or maybe they are supporting other worthy writers. I'm fine with that. It's not about me, which is why I never paywall my articles or the comment section.
On the other hand, I see readers who subscribe to hundreds of writers and don't give a dime to anyone. What's up with that? This I know, fighting against all odds and risking oneself gives a chance. Not doing so is a guaranteed result.
Thank you, Geoffrey, for the essential and absolutely necessary work that you and many others of us are doing. I recently completed a three-year research and writing project on the topic of overshoot, which is a double book review essay of the two books on that topic by the visionary, honest, truth-telling ecological sociologist, William Catton, Jr., Overshoot, and Bottleneck. For any of your readers who might not have heard of Catton or his work, "Overshoot: the Ecological Basis of Revolutionary Change," published in 1980, was one of the first books that clearly explained the roots and dynamics of our current global ecological and sociological polycrisis/predicament. That book is often referred to by nearly everybody else who has been long engaged in this struggle to protect our only source of real, natural life, Mother Earth, as the most important or first book dealing with overshoot that they have ever read. His second book, written about 30 years later, "Bottleneck: Humanity's Impending Impasse," is not as well-known, but also contains many vital insights that can be of great benefit to any who read it.
My analysis of Catton's books and the predicament of Earth overshoot includes some suggestions for possible paths forward and optimal ways of being in the present that are more radical than what we usually hear, but are starting to hear and see from more and more younger Earth protector/activists. I am an old, retired, former academic historian and schoolteacher, and I agree with you that, from an honest, historical perspective, the fascists will probably kill or otherwise destroy most of us who tell these and other truths, if environmental and economic collapse, widespread systemic boycott, or bloody revolution, does not stop them first. Being old, I am probably more reconciled to the reality of my impending demise than most younger people naturally would be, but I deeply grieve for how that may soon be an unwelcome reality for so many young and innocent people, of all species, throughout our amazing, generously life-giving planet. Here is the link to my essay and blog, all of which is freely shared, open source, and non-monetized (including no advertising or requests for money--we are attempting to live directly from our relationships with all other local members of Earth's symbiotic system): https://learningearthways.net/2025/02/26/natural-consequences-reflections-on-william-r-catton-jr-s-overshoot-and-bottleneck/
Keep up the great work. In solidarity, George.
George, I checked out your page, thank you for sharing it. Although I have not read Catton's books, I have read much about overshoot on my journey, whose components, as you doubtlessly know, have expanded from seven planetary boundaries to nine in recent years as science gains a better understanding of the intricate, interrelated workings of the Earth. Every person on the planet, particularly in the so-called developed world, should be educated on the subject to viscerally understand how our individual and collective consumption has destroyed our future by stealing from it without thought.
It strikes me that "Overshoot: the Ecological Basis of Revolutionary Change," was published in 1980 at the same time Reagan was elected, the death knell of the outrage and activism of the 1960s and 1970s that saw significant victories only to fall tragically short.
Here we are five decades after that administration which qualified ketchup as a vegetable in school lunches, and trees we were told cause more air pollution than cars as if that was a relevant comparison. We have fallen to ignorance and evil, much of which can be traced to the foundation of this country, the birth child of an evil empire and fated to become one. In spite of the high ideals in the language of the Constitution, those words have never been exercised remotely closely to its vision, and in fact used as a cloak to hide exploitation of both people and the planet.
We needed a new vision long ago based on sustainability and reverence for the Earth. That supersedes any theories of political systems, inevitably corrupted by human greed. Living in service of the planet could be our uniter, the only sane vision for our future as a species, and all the innocent ones we are unforgivably taking down with us.
That is by far the most thorough single essay on overshoot I have ever stumbled across.
It’s intimidatingly long, but since Catton’s books can be hard to find, will do very well in lieu of them.
Thank you for this massive contribution in spreading awareness about Overshoot.
Well written. I always find it remarkable to read something so "dark" and yet so few of our "leaders" are passionate about climate change. It seems like you can count them on one hand.
Thanks, Keith. Climate change, which is just one facet of overshoot, a far more encompassing picture of the trouble we’re in, is indeed a dark problem to contemplate. For the most part, I try to keep the writing calm and on the facts, although I indulge in a little what I find to be reasonable sarcasm and anger towards our “leadership” here and there. The worst wish to exacerbate the problem. The rest fail to realize the gravity of it, or don’t tell the truth for political reasons.
Was it Neil deGrasse Tyson who remarked that the movie DON’T LOOK UP is a documentary?
I am just another peasant living hand-to-mouth … grateful to have had a few extra dollar$ to support writers like yourself, dedicated to writing as accurately, non-sensationally, seriously but not depressingly. about the comet guaranteed to be impacting Earth …. soon.
Everyone else in my family… neighborhood … political party … church … thinks that inevitable collapse of climate and industrial civilization is fake news… that I am that nutty guy carrying a sign —- the end is near!
I suppose, one day, someone else I know will see the obvious, and maybe we can go shopping together and cook & share a last meal together.
I suspect all of us carrying the "nutty" sign feel the same isolation you do. The immediate people in my life don't understand the situation and don't read my work. At one time that irritated me, but I'm over it now. Who am I to rock their world when I can't offer any magical solutions? Let them have the happiness of denial. Many of them will wake up in shock at some point, and I will have explanations if they care to hear them.
In the meantime, although writing these articles can be draining, the community I have here helps me, as I hope it helps you and all of my readers.
The risks outlined here are real, and the trajectory is undeniable. The intertwining of environmental collapse, wealth consolidation, media complicity, and creeping authoritarianism isn’t just accelerating—it’s self-reinforcing. The core problem isn’t just that these systems exist; it’s that no human system currently in place seems capable of stopping them.
Sanctions, economic deterrents, and whistleblower protections should be part of a broader international effort to challenge the forces driving collapse. But US hegemony has systematically compromised the institutions that would need to enforce them. The next few years will reveal whether those institutions still have any capacity to act—or if they’ve been so thoroughly undermined that they will stand by as the world burns.
The larger issue is that while environmental systems collapse due to human economic and political systems, there is no corresponding mechanism within those human systems to correct course. The slow failure of institutions, the corruption of democratic governance, and the weaponization of economic interests have created a downward spiral. Climate breakdown, economic instability, and political radicalization aren’t future problems—they are concurrent crises that will only accelerate.
There’s every reason to be wary of speaking out, because historically, as instability rises, truth-tellers become targets. But silence won’t protect anyone. The reality is that the next few decades will bring far worse consequences than retaliation for dissent. AI-driven surveillance, autonomous warfare, and further economic stratification will consolidate control in the hands of a few. If action isn’t taken soon, resistance itself may become impossible.
This isn’t just a warning—it’s a narrowing window. Either the world finds a way to challenge the systems driving collapse, or it accepts a future where dissent is meaningless, governance is performative, and the only certainty is that things will get worse.
Great comment, so many relevant, primary concerns stated. The last two months have been difficult to find my voice. There is little use in adding to discourse others are doing well. My goal, hopefully at least moderately successful, is to tie many things together that creates a larger perspective. While we go crazy over the criminal behavior of our government that well precedes Trump, I wish to draw the conversation here back to the planet, the ultimate arbiter of everything.
I have pointed out those who speak out are in special danger, and all the more necessary in a time of cowardice in media, and a public from which fundamental truths have been hidden. You are right, resistance itself is endangered. Either we lay it on the line now or suffer a longer, depressing decline that is likely to kill most of those hoping to get lucky by staying quiet. That is cowardice, and cowardice always gets what it deserves. Punching bullies often gets the results you want. I know from being an undersized, bullied kid. Bloody noses get respect.
Just following the well established Nazi game plan.
Well stated, Eric. Govermental inertia is what Elmo the Oligarch has been depending on to pull off his coup.
Spot on, Eric. The tyranny of the oppressors is made possible by the overwhelming inertia of our government, also known as “analysis paralysis.”
“We have fallen to ignorance and evil, much of which can be traced to the foundation of this country, the birth child of an evil empire and fated to become one.”
This really gets to the heart of the issue, Geoffrey. How can it possibly be that the human race has actually devolved as a species? The days of hopeful empathy, understanding our fellow man (and our animal friends), have just dissipated into the mist. It’s all so sad.
I’ve had a wonderful life, full of amazing experiences and lovely people. My heart hurts when I consider how those same types of opportunities in life will never appear for our children.
Yes, my poor daughter, just in her early 20s, aware of how her life will be. Almost no childhood.
The trifles of human politics and conquest will be in engulfed by the larger reality.
That's the bottom line that most still seem to be blind to.
You’re doing great work. I believe you are having a clear effect on spreading awareness, but as the total number of aware people is so vanishingly small to begin with, these ripples are hard to notice in the grand scheme of things.
Whenever one wonders whether something is bad, or good, for society, all one has to ask is “What if everyone did this?”. We need millions more like you and others doing all that they can from wherever they are in life to push in the right direction.
Well, yes and. You are my go-to for reliable messaging, but reading through the comments is such a downer. You could say down is where we're going, but where does that get you? If you couldn't say that, what would you say? The wave now seems to be going from mad as hell to some stirrings of not going to take it anymore. Am looking forward to you jumping in!
Sue, I love your support and cry for an awakening of the upside of human potential. Yes, there are people who exhibit those qualities. Perhaps there are more good, decent people than bad ones. Perhaps in 100,000 years we could become enlightened. However, as we see over and over again, the unenlightened always rise to the top through their aggression. Perhaps this is simply a product of survival of the species, instincts appropriate for non toolmakers, but deadly in the grasp of our clever, stupid hands.
We have destroyed the critical life sustaining functions of the planet. These functions are now beyond our capacity to control (they always were, they're just pissed now) and will dictate the future. The devastating wildfires you and your Los Angeles community just endured, wrenching as they are, are merely the symptoms of self-made problems which we cannot stabilize, let alone reverse.
We're facing a world of ever greater droughts, storms and floods which are already dismantling the economy. I don't have to tell you, being a Californian, this reality as insurers pull out of the state. As tough as that is, it's just one element in a far greater array of problems. One only needs to look at agriculture in the state, land collapsing from pumping aquifers dry from human caused one in 1200 year drought. California, the 5th biggest economy in the world, driven by agriculture as is all civilization, is in danger of failure, and its conditions apply to many places in the world.
Sadly, we have been in a state of overshoot, some would say began with the advent of agriculture, certainly inarguably with the industrial revolution. I HAVE jumped in, but there are no words to mitigate the reality of the painful, unstoppable contraction of the world as we have known it. I can't do that job. Sorry.
Your analyses are not in question. But you know that adage to argue for your limitations and they are yours. Everything would change if we were a species that cooperated, and you don’t know enough — as no one does — to declare that impossible. As your part is to wise us up, best not to shoot down people who are looking to how we get out of this.
Be sure to pick up on what I put out about Marianne — this week’s Substack is all her. She is a world changer. And read the many comments she gets. When she was running for office half the comments were cruel, and now they all are cheering her on.
Just subscribed. Your voice is important.
Thank you, Gregg, your support is much appreciated. My voice is only as important as far as it's carried forward, and hopefully inspires others to do similar. I will forever feel humility for the amazing people I have learned from in this endeavor.
Hi Pam, yeah, I'll check my end. Getting shut down (or worse) is a legitimate concern now.
Geoff: I am catching up because my subscription went dark, and I did not receive any email notification of your postings, despite entering a new credit card. Finally, I received confirmation of payment. However, I still am not receiving notifications of your Substack publications. Perhaps you can check on your end for me. Most importantly, my mind went to worst-case scenario that you had been flagged and shut down! I am so happy that is not the case. Thank you for your writing!
In recent years, the Uyghurs have been victims of genocide, as possibly have been the Kurds. Funny, you don’t see mass demonstrations against China or Turkey though. To this day, the Turkish government denies the Armenian genocide. Turkey also has occupied and settled Cyprus while oppressing the Kurds. Turkey is a NATO member and receives arms from the United States. Of course, China and Turkey aren’t Jewish states. So anti-Semites and those who romanticize the Palestinians (who have a long record of failed aggressive wars and terrorism) have hypocritically looked the other way to real genocides.