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Breaking Down: Collapse
Episode 114 - Interview with Shaun Chamberlin
Shaun Chamberlin is an author and activist who has been exploring collapse and possible responses for over twenty years. He is the editor of 'Surviving the Future: Culture, Carnival and Capital in the Aftermath of the Market Economy' and his late mentor David Fleming’s 'Lean Logic: A Dictionary for the Future and How to Survive It', as well as executive producer of 2020 film 'The Sequel: What Will Follow Our Troubled Civilisation?'
He puts the theory into practice as one of the custodians of Ireland’s legendary free pub ‘The Happy Pig’ and was involved with the Transition Towns movement since its inception, co-founding Transition Town Kingston and authoring the movement’s second book, 'The Transition Timeline', back in 2009. He was also one of the first Extinction Rebellion arrestees, in 2018, and now leads Sterling College’s online program ‘Surviving the Future: Conversations for Our Time’.
Shaun’s website: http://darkoptimism.org
‘Surviving the Future: Conversations for Our Times’ courses/community: http://ce.sterlingcollege.edu/surviving-the-future…
David Fleming’s books: http://flemingpolicycentre.org.uk/books/
Free access to David Fleming’s Dictionary for the Future and How to Survive It: http://leanlogic.online
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1. Episode 1: Introducing Collapse
32:19||Ep. 1What is collapse? This episode introduces the topic of the podcast, establishing a foundation for the conversation moving forward. Is it a conspiracy? Is it a certainity, or are we talking about a one-off chance? Will it happen during our life time? These questions and more answered in this episode.Support the show2. Episode 2: Complex Society
34:32||Ep. 2The complex state of our society makes us especially vulnerable to collapse. As a result of building this system, we each rely on it to keep us alive and have therefore lost our independence.In this episode we answer the question of what it means to be complex, and why it is so dangerous.Timeline of Human Technological AdvancementWhat Makes a Society Complex?Diminishing Returns of Technological AdvancementEMP Report (EMP Commission)Coronavirus and the Supply ChainSupport the show3. Episode 3: The Energy Crisis
36:35||Ep. 3Energy fuels our lives. So why have we risked so much by devouring energy that can't be replaced and is unsustainable? Every wildfire hits a peak where it burns at maximum heat and covers the largest area, before it dies down due to insufficient fuel sources. Our society, also at its peak, must eventually face the same decline.Learn More:Energy Slave - Comic Energy SlavesA Short History of EnergyEnergy and Human EvolutionWhat is Oil Used For?Jevon's ParadoxWhy Renewables Can't Save the PlanetEROEIPeak OilSupport the show4. Episode 4: Overshoot & Limits to Growth
56:41||Ep. 4In this episode we discuss the concept of overshoot, and the consequences it has on society and our ecosystem. We also discuss the book Limits to Growth, which is based around computer modeling done at MIT to discover the fate of our society in the next 50 years. Learn More:Limits to Growth PDFSupport the show5. Episode 5: Catabolic Collapse
40:07||Ep. 5In this episode we discuss one of the mechanisms by which societal collapse happens over time, and what it looks like for every-day people.Sources:How Civilizations Fall: A Theory of Catabolic Collapse - John Michael GreerDark Age America - John Michael GreerGDP GrowthInfrastructure Report CardSupport the show6. Episode 6: The Financial System
49:42||Ep. 6The massive social experiment that is our financial system is truly understood by few. This episode details how we are practically victims of history's largest Ponzi scheme. How long will the con last?Learn More:The Crash Course (Full Course)The Crash Course (Short Version)Fractional Reserve BankingHow does the Federal Reserve create money?Money in CirculationUS Debt ClockZimbabwe HyperinflationSupport the show7. Episode 7: Political Turmoil
40:21||Ep. 7Politicians have power because we have given it to them. What happens when the people decide that power is no longer legitimate?Learn More:On CorruptionOn VotingBreaking the Two Party SystemIncome Inequality"The Collapse of Complex Societies" - Joseph Tainter The French Revolution“Dark Age America" - John Michael GreerOn Essential WorkersWhat Causes Revolutions?"Medellin, a city caught between love and hatred for Pablo Escobar"Systemic Police Brutality and its Costs in the United StatesOn Poverty in the USACan Netflix’s Stock Double in 2020?On Bread and CircusesHow to Understand Power“It Could Happen Here" - Robert Evans“How the Arab Spring Started and How it Affected the World”Support the show8. Episode 8: Climate Change
40:31||Ep. 8In this episode we discuss the major impacts of climate change and its role in collapse.Learn More:On Ice Free Arctic 2035On “Faster Than Expected” Permafrost Melt“Faster Than Expected” ExamplesWhy 1.5 isn’t going to happenWhen could we see a 2 degree warmer world?The Difference Between 1.5 and 2 DegreeesAir Pollution Deaths at 2 Degrees vs 1.5 DegreesHow many die annually from air polution?What could 2050 look like? (1)What could 2050 look like? (2)California Wildfires - 2020Support the show9. Episode 9: Questions from a Skeptic
43:56||Ep. 9In this episode Kellan asks the questions he's had on his mind throughout our conversations. Support the show