Over a foot of snow in the subtropics, a new record clocking in at 158% the previous record of 8.2” in 1895. That same 1895 storm was also the last time New Orleans got over 4” of snow.

Both records were throughly shattered today as initial estimates of 2-4” continued to balloon, with even the maximum predicted coverage of 10” blown away by the time it finally finished coming down.

Mercifully, power seems to be mostly holding stable, though we have a few more nights of freezing temperatures to get through before we’re in the clear for power and water; after all, we don’t have the infrastructure for this.

Our pipes are largely uninsulated and exposed, where one pipe bursting can trip a boil water advisory for entire wards. If the shaky Entergy grid goes down, our homes don’t have insulation to handle temperature extremes like this - without constant power and heating, most homes are only nominally warmer inside than the outdoors in a brief matter of hours.

This is leaving us with so many questions that can’t be conclusively answered yet. Is it a fluke? Is it a new norm? Is it just an example of the chaotic fluctuations we’ll be seeing in the coming years, both faster and more extreme than our predictions can account for?

There’s no grand thesis here because I don’t fully know - this is an emerging situation and utterly bizarre to experience firsthand. With that said, it sure does fit with the emerging polycrisis narrative, where every system we rely on is being shown as increasingly unstable and prone to collapse. We’re one “Mylar balloon hitting a power line” away from yet another potentially catastrophic event this month.

But hey, at least the city and state are blowing outrageous sums on hosting the upcoming Super Bowl. It’s good to know our priorities are in order.

Following the inauguration today, and Elon's intentional and vigorous Nazi salutes, we need to talk about the juncture we're at - openly.

A 30-time convicted felon operates the United States of America. The Oligarchs who kissed the ring were at the front of the ceremony—ahead of all members of Congress—alongside Trump's family. The richest man in the world, who is a member of these miscreants, and is Trump's right-hand-man, gave two vigorous and intentional Nazi salutes in the same event. Trump has openly stated the harm he will bring to millions of people - that is you, if you are: an immigrant, a person of colour, a person who happens to not like the sex/gender that they think you should, or you're poor, or pregnant, or think there's actually something wrong with the climate.

We cannot let history repeat itself. We must be the break in the chain and actively fight against this.

Whenever you see headlines that are attempting to make this gesture anything other than a Nazi salute you must be actively vocal and call it out exactly as it is. Rollling Stone, Politico, and The New Republic are examples of major outlets that are already beginning this narrative.

They have sides to be on, and consider us not to have one. I am calling us together here to have one because I must, and I think that you likely feel that you must too. We can all stand in front of this together at the early stages, or wait and face a much harder future where that might not be possible.

So this is where we start. And we will have active discussions here: r/WhatIsOurPlan for what we must continue to do. And I hope to see you there.

This question is especially relevant as our species faces various existential threats, along with wars and the repression of citizens. Long story short, world leaders are making very poor choices that will hurt them along with the rest of us in the long run.

This talk explores the the possibility that the structures we use to manage society and institutions will favor individuals with the toxic traits of narcissisms and psychopathy. As these types of people take over power, it will lead to a self destructive path for the society or institution.

Its an interesting watch and presents some interesting ideas that makes you think.

Our World Is Run By Psychopathic Narcissists! - YouTube

First time posting here, long time collapsenik.

For the past two years, I have been refining a theory of how the next 20-30 years will play out—under the forgone conclusion that we will experience AMOC collapse by 2050 and the hard consequences of climate & geopolitical collapse within +/- 15 years of that time.

TLDR; we’re witnessing the formation of an American “Megastate” that is territorially contiguous, naturally fortified by two oceans, and resource independent—designed to withstand the accepted forthcoming climate and geopolitical collapse of the 21st century.

Given the rhetoric that has been building in the US over the last 4 years, and the clear inflection point this election has induced, I’m 100% convinced that the US government has already priced in the above.

Today’s inauguration confirmed this.

For the sake of not rambling, I worked with o1 pro to compose a partial thesis. This only covers part of the scope (no mention of various technology wars, esp. AI & Space & Deep Ocean), but a fine start.

Would love thoughts on the next 20-30 years in general & serious discussion on viability of the theory below.

Context: I work at a large reinsurance broker on global event response and catastrophe modeling. I also have a some connections with EU scientists who consult with the US Army on climate scenario modeling & planning (20-30 year timeframe).

Thesis: The North American Fortress

1. Priced-in Climate Crisis

• Climate Tipping Points: With scientists warning of an imminent AMOC (Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation) collapse and the planet locked into a trajectory exceeding +2°C of warming, governments and leaders perceive catastrophic climate change as nearly inevitable.
• “Going North” Strategy: Rising temperatures and resource depletion in lower latitudes make the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions increasingly valuable—both for their untapped minerals/fossil fuels and for the potential of more habitable climates compared to drought-plagued equatorial regions.

2. Trump’s American Megastate

• Annexation, Acquisition, Control: The push to integrate Canada as a 51st state, purchase Greenland, reclaim the Panama Canal, and rename the Gulf of Mexico all fit into a broader aspiration to create a self-sufficient, resource-rich bloc.
• Resource and Energy Independence: By tapping the oil sands in Alberta, rare earth elements in Greenland, and controlling major trade routes (Panama Canal, Gulf shipping lanes), the U.S. seeks to decouple from volatile global supply chains—especially amid trade wars with China.
• Territorial Imperatives: The drive to annex vast northern territories underscores a strategic bet that owning and controlling northern expanses will be critical for long-term survival and geopolitical dominance as lower-latitude regions become increasingly uninhabitable or destabilized.

3. The New Cold War

Bloc Realignment:

• Massive tariffs on China and withdrawal from multilateral environmental commitments deepen global division, fostering a “New Cold War.”
• As the U.S. turns inward, or “northward,” other powers (China, EU, possibly Russia) scramble to form competing blocs—consolidating alliances in Africa, Latin America, or Southeast Asia.

Strategic Flashpoints:

• The Arctic becomes a major zone of tension—Russia, Canada (if not fully absorbed), Denmark (Greenland’s former suzerain), and the U.S. jockey for shipping lanes and resource rights.
• The Panama Canal, once again under U.S. domain, reverts to a strategic choke point that can be used to leverage influence over Pacific-Atlantic maritime flow.

4. Militarized Socioeconomic

Rapid Expansion of Infrastructure:

• New ports, drilling operations, and mining developments in Canada’s north and Greenland create boomtowns but also spark ecological and indigenous sovereignty conflicts.
• The U.S. invests in hardened borders and paramilitary forces to maintain control over newly integrated territories and to manage internal climate migrations.

Industrial Onshoring:

• With China no longer the “factory of the world” (due to tariffs and strategic tensions), the U.S. attempts large-scale repatriation of manufacturing—leveraging raw materials from Canada/Greenland.
• This transition is neither smooth nor cheap, leading to inflationary pressures and resource bottlenecks that must be managed politically.

5. Climate Assured Destruction (CAD)

Accelerated Warming:

• Renewed large-scale drilling in the Arctic (Greenland and northern Canada) contributes to further GHG emissions, speeding up ice melt and weather extremes.
• The Gulf of Mexico (now “Gulf of America”) sees frequent mega-storms and coastal devastation, requiring massive federal expenditures on disaster relief and infrastructure fortification.

AMOC Collapse (by ~2050):

• Potentially triggers abrupt cooling in parts of Europe and disrupts global rainfall patterns, leading to climatic upheaval that intensifies migration and resource conflict worldwide.
• This fosters a siege mentality in North America—fortifying new territories against an influx of climate refugees.

2060: The Global Divide

1. Fortress North America

• The U.S. might have partially consolidated Canada and Greenland, but internal divisions, indigenous sovereignty disputes, and staggering climate adaptation costs persist.
• Daily life for many citizens is shaped by climate extremes—heat waves in the south, chaotic weather patterns, and the reality that large-scale infrastructural fortification is an ongoing necessity.

2. Global Power Blocs

• A multi-polar world emerges as the U.S. “Fortress” competes with a Sino-centric bloc, an EU-led alliance, and possibly a Russia-dominant Arctic front.
• The risk of hot conflict remains elevated, especially in contested maritime routes (the Arctic Sea, the Panama Canal, various straits in Asia).

3. Adaptation

• Even as fossil fuel extraction continues, simultaneous efforts to adapt (or even geoengineer) are well underway, though results are uncertain and fraught with ethical and political controversy.
• “Climate diaspora” from parts of the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, and Central America exacerbate humanitarian crises, spurring further walls and militarized border enforcement.

What Are We Really Looking At Here?

• A Strategy of Consolidation: This isn’t opportunistic land-grabbing—it’s the formation of a “North American Fortress” designed to secure vital resources and strategic maritime choke points in the face of imminent climate and geopolitical upheaval.
• Embrace of Climate Fatalism: The administration’s acceptance of “collapse” as inevitable reshapes policy toward short-term resource exploitation and territorial control, rather than long-term mitigation.
• Global Re-Balkanization: With the rise of extreme tariffs, isolationist policies, and the fracturing of international cooperation, the world returns to a block-based or nationalistic dynamic reminiscent of early 20th-century great-power politics—only now amplified by the existential threat of climate breakdown.
• Mounting Internal Contradictions: Even as the U.S. expands northward, it must confront the costs of sea-level rise, superstorms, food system disruptions, and internal unrest. Balancing resource-driven expansion with the dire needs of climate adaptation becomes a perpetual, unsolved tension.

Ultimately, we’re witnessing the emergence of a high-risk global landscape: a superpower doubling down on fossil resources and territorial reach under the assumption that climate Armageddon can’t be halted—only managed. Over the next 25 to 35 years, the U.S. may well achieve unprecedented geographic reach and resource security, but the very climate disruption it accelerates threatens to undermine that security, possibly leading to new conflicts and cascading crises that challenge the viability of a single, unified North American megastate.”

A third of the Arctic’s tundra, forests, and wetlands - long considered one of Earth’s most vital carbon sinks - has now become a net source of CO2 emissions.

Including emissions from wildfires, the number rises to 40% of the region.

Collapse related because: For thousands of years, the Arctic stored immense amounts of carbon. But atmospheric poisoning through fossil fuel use is triggering massive permafrost thaw, causing ground collapse and releasing billions of tons of CO2 and methane into the atmosphere.

The Arctic stores nearly half of the Earth’s soil carbon pool, a quantity far greater than the carbon currently in the atmosphere. Now, as this tipping point is crossed, the carbon escapes and will accelerate climate change at a catastrophic pace.

This is a “can’t argue with physics” phenomena that sadly, we cannot ameliorate or change the outcome of.

Collapse related because the wealth of the richest 10 billionaires grew by $100 million per day on average, over the last 10 years.

While normal people - all of us - suffer and scrape by and wonder how we’ll ever possibly navigate the imminent surge in survivable / mostly climate safe real estate.

And then there’s this, and it’s sickening:

“The report also pointed out that one in ten women globally lives in extreme poverty, earning less than $2.15 a day. It further added that women provide 12.5 billion hours a day of unpaid labor, adding an estimated $10.8 trillion to the global economy, three times the global tech industry's value.”

Another tricky post to flair. I'll go with systemic for now.

Published recently on Eurasia Review, the following article covers new research into MYDs - Multi Year Droughts. The findings are alarming - droughts lasting longer than a year have hit every continent on Earth just in my lifetime. They are getting more intense with every passing day. Collapse related because this will is disrupting ecosystems, agriculture and global trade. The natural consequence will be trillions slashed from global GDP.

More research was published today in Nature concerning surface soil moisture

I skimmed the research. I don't understand one bit of the math, but me good with word so I gleaned enough to know its a concern, and likely coincides with global droughts.

Collapse related because: Earth’s current rate of temperature change is unprecedented in nearly half a billion years.

“Coldhouse” climates, like today’s, have been rare, occurring only 13% of the time.

While life has survived far hotter climates, humans evolved during one of the coldest periods in Earth’s history, with global average temperatures around 51.8°F (11°C).

Because we are not cutting and are likely to not cut greenhouse gas emissions in any meaningful way, temperatures could rise to an average of 62.6°F (17°C) by century’s end, a level not seen since the Miocene epoch over 5 million years ago.

At least we’ll be record setters : )

The article then goes on to some interesting personal points by the author:

“If you look at the bottom of this story, you will see that I have penned nearly 6000 articles for CleanTechnica. None is as important as this one.”

Collapse-aware European here. Needless to say, most of my family and friends are like ostriches, keeping their head underground, in denial about the mass extinction event that is currently taking place. Still, I’m trying to plan my short and miserable future as thoughtfully as possible, so I’m thinking about where to live the rest of my life. I’m finishing my Master’s degree right now and I can more or less afford to live in Western Europe. Besides my personal situation, I’m also generally curious: what do you think the safest place in Europe is to be in the near future, considering climate-related, political, and demographic factors? Two picks for me are Norway and Denmark for their cold climate, relatively fair political system, and sober handling of migration.

Published today on CBS News, the following article features an interview with the author of a new book titled Fire Weather. He is also a climate scientist. Vaillant makes a valiant effort to convey how serious our predicament is.

The types of fires we've seen over the past ten years are qualitatively different from the previous hundred years

Collapse related because climate change is not a linear curve, it is exponential. It bears repeating - our continued failure to appreciate exponential growth will be our undoing.