Breaking Down: Collapse

Daily Episode 86 - Dissecting Episode 8: "Climate Change"

07 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The final installment of the look-back on the first 8 episodes. It's been fun for me to go back through them, and I hope it was insightful for you as ...

Daily Episode 85 - Dissecting Episode 7: "Political Turmoil"

06 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

I take a minute to rant about one way in which my views of collapse have changed over time, and then a quick discussion on episode 7.Please join us on...

Daily Episode 84 - On the Venezuela Invasion

05 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A couple of quick thoughts on the Trump administration's actions in Venezuela.Please join us on Patreon for weekly bonus content and to join our Disco...

Daily Episode 83 - Dissecting Episode 6: "The Financial System"

02 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What has changed in the world of our financial system since 2020? I dig in and reflect on that episode here.Please join us on Patreon for weekly bonus...

Daily Episode 82 - Dissecting Episode 5: "Catabolic Collapse"

31 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today we get back to looking at the first 8 episodes, specifically episode 5 and my thoughts on Catabolic Collapse, 5 years later.Please join us on Pa...

Daily Episode 81 - Approaching 2026 with Kellan

30 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Kellan joins to discuss what we might expect to see in 2026.Please join us on Patreon for weekly bonus content and to join our Discord community. Hos...

Daily Episode 80 - Reflecting on 2025 with Kellan (Part 2)

29 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Kellan joined again for Part 2 of reflecting on some of the happenings in 2025. Please join us on Patreon for weekly bonus content and to join our Dis...

Daily Episode 79 - Reflecting on 2025 with Kellan (Part 1)

26 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Kellan joins me on the podcast for the first time in over a year to discuss some of the happenings from 2025. This will be a multi-part episode. Apolo...

Daily Episode 78 - Dissecting Episode 4: "Limits to Growth"

24 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

My insights from episode 4Please join us on Patreon for weekly bonus content and to join our Discord community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privac...

Daily Episode 77 - Dissecting Episode 3: "Energy"

23 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we revisit episode 3, and discuss how it combines perfectly with episode 2 (Complex Society) to highlight vulnerabilities in our syste...

Daily Episode 76 - Dissecting Episode 2: "Complex Society"

22 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing the exploration of the first 8 episodes, today we dive into episode 2. Please join us on Patreon for weekly bonus content and to join our D...

Daily Episode 75 - Dissecting Episode 1: "Introduction"

19 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today we take a look back at the pilot episode of the podcast to talk about inspirations for the podcast, along with some regrets or changes I'd make ...

Daily Episode 74 - Replaying Episode 8: "Climate Change"

18 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Replaying Episode 8: Climate ChangePlease join us on Patreon for weekly bonus content and to join our Discord community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.c...

Daily Episode 73 - Replaying Episode 7: "Political Turmoil"

17 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Replaying episode 7: Political TurmoilPlease join us on Patreon for weekly bonus content and to join our Discord community. Hosted on Acast. See acas...

Daily Episode 72 - Replaying Episode 6: "The Financial System"

16 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Replaying episode 6: The Financial SystemPlease join us on Patreon for weekly bonus content and to join our Discord community. Hosted on Acast. See a...

Daily Episode 71 - Replaying Episode 5: "Catabolic Collapse"

15 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Replaying Episode 71: Catabolic CollapsePlease join us on Patreon for weekly bonus content and to join our Discord community. Hosted on Acast. See ac...

Daily Episode 70 - Replaying Episode 4: "Limits to Growth"

14 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Replaying Episode 4: Limits to GrowthPlease join us on Patreon for weekly bonus content and to join our Discord community. Hosted on Acast. See acast...

Daily Episode 69 - Replaying Episode 3: "Energy"

13 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Replaying Episode 3: "Energy"Please join us on Patreon for weekly bonus content and to join our Discord community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri...

Daily Episode 68 - Replaying Episode 2: "Complex Society"

12 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing the series started yesterday - replaying the first 8 episodes while I'm on vacation, and will give insights into each episode when I get ba...

Daily Episode 67 - Replaying the Introduction

11 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I'm out on vacation, but thought I'd try something new - we'll be replaying the first 8 episodes of the podcast over the next week, and then I'll go t...

Daily Episode 66 - Solastalgia and 2-4 Billion Dead

10 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A discussion on Christopher Ketcham's article describing the idea of Solastalgia, as we head towards a world that could lose 2-4 billion people, just ...

Daily Episode 65 - Interview with Abbie (Bonus)

09 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The first 15 minutes or so of my episode with Abbie, who spoke with me about their decision to move outside of the US with their partner. Join us Patr...

Daily Episode 64 - "The Duty to Scare People" and the Harms of Scientific Reticence

08 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What responsibilities do scientists have to be blunt about the reality of climate change? Is it better to keep society calm and not explore worst case...

Daily Episode 63 - This Week in Fascism (#10)

05 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I'm out of town this week, so episodes are prerecorded (no episodes Thursday 11th to Wednesday 17th). Enjoy another week of fascism...Former Trump law...

Daily Episode 62 - The US Government is Poisoning You

04 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The EPA has just signed off on 10 new pesticides, which contain PFAS Forever Chemicals. This, after Trump campaigned on the promise to clamp down on p...

Daily Episode 61 - Say "No" to Frankenstein Algae

03 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Scientists are researching "Natural Geoengineering" - one method of which involves mutating algae en masse to convert and store more carbon. Nothing c...

Daily Episode 60 - Gasping Breaths of a Dying Empire

02 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Trump administration is on course to overextend use of the military in another messy war. Will he pull the trigger, and what's there to gain? Eith...

Daily Episode 59 - Home Health Crisis in an Aging America

01 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

America is undergoing a rapid demographic shift, which also happens to be combining with a tumultuous tie in the home health industry. Will we be able...

Daily Episode 58 - AMOC National Security Threat (and a Bird Flu Update)

26 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Iceland officially declares AMOC collapse a national security threat, and the first human case of a different strain of bird flu in Washington state.A...

Daily Episode 57 - Schrodinger's Economy

25 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Government data used to be the go-to for measuring the health of the economy. Now that we can't trust that data - where do we go for answers?A Weakeni...

Daily Episode 56 - Deadpool in the Colorado

24 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Colorado river is on a crash course, as the amount of water being used is much higher than it can sustain. After Winter Year 2026, it's expected t...

Daily Episode 55 - This Week in Fascism (#9)

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Find sources below for the week in fascism:Senate unanimously approves bill to force release of Jeffrey Epstein filesReporter: Mr. President, why wait...

Daily Episode 54 - Day Zero Has Arrived in Tehran

20 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A follow up on the episode over a month ago regarding the water crisis in Tehran, which hits an unofficial day 0 this week.Tehran taps run dry as wate...

Daily Episode 53 - Southern Ocean Carbon Sink to Carbon Source?

19 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A quick episode today to explore a video by Paul Beckwith, in which he explains a research paper that highlights the weakness of climate modeling. The...

Daily Episode 52 - The Link Between Catabolic Collapse and Authoritarianism

18 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Catabolic collapse is often a mechanism of choices we make as a society to cut out parts of the system. In authoritarian regimes, this is accelerated,...

Daily Episode 51 - Interview with Kelly (Bonus Content)

17 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

One of our Patrons - Kelly - made some dramatic changes in her life to help better align her actions with her beliefs regarding collapse. It was inspi...

Daily Episode 50 - This Week in Fascism #8

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Well would you look at that... fascism happened again this week.‘Schumer is no longer effective’: Dems outraged over shutdown deal - POLITICOWhy d...

Daily Episode 49 - Just Leave Space Alone

13 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The wealthy are continuing to advocate for radical geoengineering measures to "fix climate change". I talk about some new research that makes it less ...

Daily Episode 48 - Personality Traits of the Collapse Aware

12 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Discussion of a recent thread on r/collapse (Reddit) regarding what personality traits makes a person more likely to be collapse aware.On the personal...

Daily Episode 47 - Lines I Don't Want to See Crossed

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Every Friday we talk about what the Trump administration has done. Today, let's talk about what I really hope they don't do.Exclusive | House Republic...

Daily Episode 46 - The Catch 22 of AI Investment

10 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The investment thus far in AI will not be without consequences - it's just a question of whether it will be due to the bubble popping and the economic...

Daily Episode 45 - This Week in Fascism (#7)

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Are we winning yet?Trump Administration Defies Court Orders FBI raid of Trump's Mar-a-Lago uncovered Donald Trump Claims It’s ‘Illegal’ for Late...

Daily Episode 44 - Growing Trend of Climate Change Apathy

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There is a growing trend of apathy regarding Climate Change. From researchers to the media, from voters to politicians - people are not talking about ...

Daily Episode 43 - First Admission of 1.5 Overshoot

05 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Antonio Guterrez is perhaps the first relevant leader to admit the world can no longer avoid passing 1.5C. ‘Change course now’: humanity has misse...

Daily Episode 42 - On a Trump 3rd Term

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Trump has stated his intent to keep power for a 3rd term. Today we revisit an old prediction Kellan and I made before the election on this very topic....

Daily Episode 41 - The Blind Hypocrisy of COP30

03 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

COP30 begins in a couple of weeks in Belem, Brazil, and it's off with a bang by causing environmental damage long before it ever started.Will Cop30 in...

Daily Episode 40 - This week in Fascism (#6)

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How long will tyranny reign in the US?Trump: I don't think we're gonna necessarily ask for a declaration of war. I think we're just gonna kill people....

Daily Episode 39 - Arctic Shipping Lane: Boon or Burden?

30 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For the first time, a massive cargo ship has gone from mainland China to the UK, through the Arctic. This new route cut nearly a month off of the trip...

Daily Episode 38 - Catching Up with Shaun Chamberlin (and announcing a new forum)

29 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I had the pleasure to meet quickly with Shaun Chamberlain to announce the start of a new forum hosted on his page, for listeners of this podcast. Hope...

Daily Episode 37 - The Surveillance State

28 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Trump administration is making big moves to increase the capability of governmental surveillance against its own citizens.The growing surveillance...

Daily Episode 36 - New Research on Climate Accord Failure

27 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We are already fully aware that we'll blow through 1.5C and 2.0C above the baseline. New research shows the gap between Paris Climate Accord pledges a...

Daily Episode 35 - This Week in Fascism (#5)

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Fascism this week in the US (10/17-10/23).Trump: "Don't forget I can use Donald Trump declares he hasJudge tells Homeland SecurityImmigrants with no c...

Daily Episode 34 - Is the Clathrate Gun Hypothesis Underway?

23 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

New discovery in Antarctica shows that methane seeps are increasing - more research is needed (and currently underway) to determine the extent and eff...

Daily Episode 33 - Tipping Point Officially Crossed

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

According to new research, we've officially crossed the coral reef death tipping point. Our temperature range above the preindustrial average is now h...

Daily Episode 32 - Greg Nelson Interview (Bonus Content)

21 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Enjoy an excerpt from my interview with Greg Nelson, as part of our Patreon bonus content. To finish this interview, and hear the others we've been do...

Daily Episode 31 - About that Job Loss from AI...

20 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Over the last few years there has been a lot of conversation about AI taking jobs. Is it taking place, and will it be as bad as some say?92 Million Jo...

Daily Episode 30 - This Week in Fascism (#4)

17 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A fresh new week from hell in the USA. Enjoy?Supreme Court Signals Final BlowTrump administration revokes 6 visasDepartment of State on X:TN man arres...

Daily Episode 29 - Moving a Capital City

16 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tehran (with a metro population of nearly 17 million) is experiencing a major water shortage, after 5 years of drought. Subsidence, as a result of gro...

Daily Episode 28 - Meta Reflections on Collapse Awareness

15 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Counterintuitively, a collapsing world may just be resulting in people who are less likely to become collapse aware.Please join us on Patreon for week...

Daily Episode 27 - The War from Within

14 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

*Caveat: This was recorded on October 7th so may not be completely up to date in regards to recent happenings.An escalation in the battle for states' ...

Daily Episode 26 - AI Bubbles, Economic Headwinds

13 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Deutsche Bank now says that the AI bubble is all that's keeping the economy afloat. Meanwhile, several other indicators show how the economy is strugg...

Daily Episode 25 - This Week in Fascism (#3)

10 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The 3rd installment of the weekly segment I think I'll call "This Week in Fascism".'Plenary Authority?' Chicago Pastor SuesJudge finds ICE violated co...

Daily Episode 24 - Troubling new Bird Flu Discovery

09 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Researchers discovered that bird flu and human influenza can simultaneously occupy the cells of cow udders, heightening the risk of future reassortmen...

Daily Episode 23 - 7 of 9 Planetary Boundaries Now Crossed

08 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

New research indicates the planet has not crossed 7 of the 9 planetary boundaries described in the "Breaking Boundaries" documentary from 2021, an inc...

Daily Episode 22 - Did we all become terrorists?

07 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

NSPM-7 is the Trump administration's newest effort to rip away free speech rights and suppress his dissenters. It is one of the most blatant acts of f...

Daily Episode 21 - "But where will I get my fish and chips?"

06 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Waters surrounding the UK have been so overfished that cod is down to just 1% of the population. If fishing doesn't stop immediately, it could collaps...

Daily Episode 20 - 2 Weeks of Trump Chaos

03 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Let's make it a weekly thing.... I wasn't able to post all the links, as my podcast host only allows so many!Trump says he’s designating Antifa...Tr...

Daily Episode 19 - Fatalism in Australia

02 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Luke Kemp addresses fatalism vs realism, and Australia's government released a 1,000 page report on expected climate impacts on the country.Climate ri...

Daily Episode 18 - A Government's Collapse Scenario

01 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Finnish government has put out a 163 page paper describing 4 potential scenarios between now and 2044, and how those scenarios would affect EU and...

Daily Episode 17 - Peak Water Security

30 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This research paper indicates that the US has surpassed "peak water security", and that people lose access to water from here. Beyond peak water secur...

Daily Episode 16 - Trump's efforts to destroy climate accountability

29 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Trump administration is doing everything in its power to roll back regulatory protections that reduce emissions, along with restricting the collec...

Daily Episode 15 - Increasing Risk of Oil Supply Shock

26 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A new report from the IEA shows that 90% of investments in oil and gas go towards simply making up for declines in production. EROEI has gotten so poo...

Daily Episode 14 - The newest tool in the ICE fascist tool belt

25 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

ICE has gained a new surveillance tool, thanks to Trump and, in part, Biden. I discuss the reality of the danger it poses, and some tips for staying s...

Daily Episode 13 - Antifa "Terrorism" and the Pacific Heat Blob

24 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Trump has issued an Executive Order classifying Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization. Tell us Trump - where is their headquarter and who is the...

Daily Episode 12 - New Geoengineering Research

23 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

New research argues that not only are dramatic geoengineering ideas too costly, ungovernable, and dangerous, but also they serve as a distraction from...

Daily Episode 11 - News Avoidance

22 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How much news is too much news? A recent article from The Guardian explores the rapidly increasing number of people who are avoiding the news for thei...

Daily Episode 10 - Quickly Eroding Rights

19 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A look at the overwhelming number of headlines from the last week, chronicling the erosion of constitutional rights in the USLeavitt confirms the DOJ ...

Daily Episode 9 - Ethical Pessimism and Collapse Paradoxes

18 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Roy Scranton, a researcher at Notre Dame, feels that "Ethical Pessimism" is the right attitude to take in regard to collapse. I think I agree... mostl...

Clarifying New Season Formatting

17 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I received a note from a friend who said that he had no idea I was doing daily episodes, because it was under a new season and he would have had to ch...

Daily Episode 8 - New Research, New Concerns

17 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

More new research reveals that previously optimistic estimates for climate mitigation were... too optimistic. Feeding off of yesterday's episode, we d...

Daily Episode 7 - Carbon Capture Disappointment

16 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

New research indicates that previously assumed levels of potential for carbon capture storage were overestimated by 10x. Worse, the area that is curre...

Daily Episode 6 - Can We Trust the Data?

15 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Newly revised jobs numbers were released and its not pretty. Almost a million jobs revised downwards. With leaders removing people who don't present t...

Daily Episode 5 - Increasing Violence in Collapse

12 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I discuss the increasing amount of violence seen around the world, some of which is a direct reaction of people and governments to col...

Daily Episode 4 - Temperament vs Temperature

11 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today we discuss a study which researched the downward shift in mood that correlates with upward shifts in temperature. Rising temperatures linked to ...

Daily Episode 3 - It's hot and getting hotter

10 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You'd think that coming off of an El Nino year and headed into La Nina, that there'd be a large decrease in average global surface temperature for the...

Daily Episode 2 - Insurance Woes

09 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Day 2 of trying out a daily episode format. If you doubt whether climate change is real, just follow the money. The insurance industry isn't cutting p...

Daily Episode 1 - New format announcement

08 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you're new to the podcast: Welcome! Please enjoy these daily episodes, and also go back and listen to at least the first 8 episodes of the podcast....

Episode 160 - Interview with Rachel Frazin

04 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today I interviewed Rachel Frazin, co-author of Poisoning the Well, How Forever Chemicals Contaminated America.Bio:Rachel Frazin is one of the auth...

Episode 159 - Direct Action

04 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What can be done when "voting" stops working? When a corrupt or oppressive government rigs the game to win? Direct action has been used for centuries ...

Episode 158 - Years and Years

21 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I give my review of the BBC series "Years and Years", which explores collapse in the 2020s UK.Please join us on Patreon for weekly bon...

Episode 157 - Talking Collapse with a Friend - Johnny

09 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Doing something new with this episode - chatting with a friend who doesn't listen to Breaking Down: Collapse, or necessarily agree with its premise. T...

Episode 156 - Water with Cydian Kauffman

17 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I sat down with Cydian Kauffman to discuss the multi-faceted world of water. How safe is our water? What are the main threats that we face? ...

Episode 155 -The Environmental Impact of AI

03 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

No doubt, there are many dangers of AI. One of the most unexplored is simply the environmental impact of creating and running it. In this episode we t...

Episode 154 - Plastic Eating Worms with Sam Baker

15 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sam Baker is the co-founder and CEO of WriggleBrew, a regenerative agriculture company turning earthworms and microbes into high-performance organic f...

Episode 152 - Microplastics Revisited

01 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After speaking with Dr. Brahney a couple of weeks ago, I felt it was time to touch again on the health impacts of microplastics and what the state of ...

Episode 151 - Wet Bulb Temperatures with Dr. Rob Meade

17 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I was able to link up with Dr. Rob Meade to discuss his recent research on wet bulb temperatures. Taken from his bio on his Harvard profile:...

Episode 150 - Microplastic Pollution with Dr. Janice Brahney

09 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I had the privilege this week of speaking with Dr. Janice Brahney, who is credited as being one of the first researchers to discover the severity of m...

Episode 149 - Tech Bro Oligarchs with Sarah Wilson

31 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode contains the audio from an interview I was invited to do with the amazing Sarah Wilson for her Substack. She was gracious enough to allow...

Episode 148 - Who is to blame for collapse?

21 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We know by now that collapse is happening and will continue - but who's fault is it? And is there any point in laying blame? Who should be held accoun...

Episode 147 - Curtis Yarvin and The Butterfly Revolution

10 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As a follow up to the previous episode "The end of the American Experiment", we take a look at The Butterfly Revolution, a blog article posted in 2022...