“Last Week in Collapse” is a weekly guest column compilation that aggregates some of the most significant, timely, invaluable, heart-wrenching, paradoxical, astonishing, or otherwise indispensable/mesmerizing moments in Collapse:
Climate
Catastrophic floods in the Democratic Republic of Congo — described as the most severe in over 60 years — have resulted in more than 300 fatalities and displaced more than 280,000 persons. Escalating wildfires in Chile have claimed the lives of over 51 people, prompting the President to declare a national emergency.
A warning system for coral reef thermal stress has been updated to include three new categories as of December 2023, indicating the surpassing of new critical thresholds. The Pacific, in particular, is experiencing severe impacts, with one marine region predicted to face nearly total coral die-off.
In Spain, Andalusia is prolonging its drought emergency and allocating €50 billion towards supporting its parched agricultural sector; Catalonia is similarly extending its drought emergency. In British Columbia, Canada, a snowpack reduction predicts a more arid wildfire season later in the year. The E.U. continues to trade economic productivity for air pollution, a narrative as ancient as the Industrial Revolution.
Record-breaking temperatures for February have already been recorded in some Pacific states, as well as in Australia. Parts of Argentina, French Guiana, Norway, and Martinique have also set new temperature records for February. A robust Pineapple Express storm and atmospheric river in California have impacted the West Coast. Global sea surface temperatures continue to break records.
Mexico City, with a metropolitan population of 22 million, is grappling with a water crisis, with residents increasingly becoming desperate. Ghana has implemented a carbon tax, making it the third African nation. The U.K. has granted 24 licenses to 17 companies, authorizing them to explore oil and gas in the North Sea, with some operations expected to commence extraction by the year’s end. Pakistan is enduring a dry winter, affecting its agricultural output.
Although the planet has recently witnessed several new record nighttime temperatures, the disparity between average daytime and nighttime temperatures is widening. Daytime cloud cover is also decreasing on average, leading to an increase in solar radiation reaching the Earth’s surface. The temperature variance between night and day is anticipated to affect flora and fauna in yet-to-be-determined ways.
A study in Nature Climate Change exploring the reasons behind climate change science denial concludes that much of it stems from “motivated reasoning,” a form of self-deception deemed necessary by some to preserve their mental well-being.
Another thorough investigation warns that melting permafrost represents an overlooked threat due to the release of previously sequestered carbon and the expected dramatic rise in some Arctic rivers as it melts. The research highlighted in Geophysical Research Letters regarding Greenland suggests that the landmass might elevate as its vast glaciers melt due to reduced pressure. Further research has found Greenland to be a methane sink, thanks to microorganisms in the upper layer of its dry soil transforming CH4 into CO2.
Studies on tidal vegetation indicate that these ecosystems, such as salt marshes and mangrove barriers, sequester more carbon than previously acknowledged. Wetlands, crucial for biodiversity, are at risk from rising sea levels.
Drought is affecting Canadian hydropower production. However, Anchorage, Alaska, has experienced a record snowfall this time of year — more than double the average winter snowfall. Wildfires in South Africa have necessitated the evacuation of several small communities.
Health
If the specter of a nuclear winter looms, prepare for a future where seaweed becomes a staple. Research published in Earth’s Future evaluates the potential of seaweed/macroalgae, suggesting that extensive seaweed cultivation could be ramped up within a year to sustain 45% of the human population in the event of widespread crop and livestock failure. Seaweed’s nutritional value is also reasonably sufficient.
Another report highlights that millions of Americans are suffering from Long COVID, a figure that is bound to rise given the lack of widespread preventative actions. Even after testing negative for the virus, it may linger in the human gastrointestinal tract or brain, continuing to replicate and provoke issues, including persistent cognitive haze. COVID-19 also continues to be a source of cardiac complications.
Historical patterns indicate that pandemics worsen with climate change. The Plague of Justinian that ravaged Rome from 541–549 was connected to Italy’s cold and arid climate conditions at that time. In 2013, it was confirmed that the plague was caused by Yersinia pestis, the same bacterium responsible for the Black Death (1346–1353). Yet, the climate emergency is not adequately acknowledged as the health hazard it truly is.
Syphilis infections are on the rise in the United States, with an 80% increase since 2018. Health officials in the U.S. are also concerned about measles outbreaks. The World Health Organization warns that cancer rates are expected to surge in the next few decades.
The governor of Oregon has declared a state of emergency in downtown Portland due to rampant fentanyl and opioid misuse. This emergency declaration is intended to last 90 days, but it remains to be seen if fundamental changes will ensue.
Despite a growing shift towards renewable energy, the solar sector in the U.S. faces challenges. Sales and marketing expenses are diminishing profits, and the financialization of the industry has led to the bankruptcy of numerous installers and solar panel providers. In Kenya, an accident involving a truck loaded with natural gas resulted in an explosion that claimed three lives and injured over 270 individuals. Saudi Arabia has abandoned its plan to increase oil production this year.
Egypt’s currency is depreciating, and its debt levels are escalating. With a population of 104 million, Egypt’s national debt reaches USD 165 billion, with annual debt service costs of about $42 billion. The impending burst of this financial bubble is anticipated to have significant repercussions. The U.S. commercial real estate market is struggling with ongoing losses, particularly in office spaces worldwide.
A woman in China recently succumbed to a new combination of bird flu strains. Additionally, two individuals in Cambodia contracted avian flu. The first cases of H5N1 affecting king penguins in Antarctica have been recorded, raising concerns about a potentially catastrophic epidemic.
Research into nanoplastic structures shows how their shape and composition might influence toxicity levels. Innovations are being made in filtering microplastics from food and water, including a new filter design that could capture 80% of microplastics in laundry effluent. Yet, it’s estimated that we inhale the equivalent of a credit card’s worth of microplastics every week.
Hepatitis E is spreading in South Sudan, exacerbated by floods that have hindered vaccination campaigns. There is no cure for Hep E, which affects over 20 million people annually, predominantly in economically disadvantaged regions.
U.S. arms exports peaked in 2023 amidst growing concerns over escalating conflicts. Serbia is contemplating the reinstatement of conscription. Most Britons believe World War III could erupt within the next 5 to 10 years, aligning with several other forecasts.
Conflict
Experts warn that climate change may usher in authoritarian regimes, civil unrest, and widespread psychological distress. Sri Lanka has intensified its control over the internet within its borders, purportedly in the name of national security, stifling free speech. In Pakistan, former Prime Minister Imran Khan received a 10-year prison sentence, followed by an additional 14-year sentence the next day. Khan was deposed as Prime Minister in April 2022.
Mali (2020 coup), Burkina Faso (2022 coup), and Niger (2023 coup), three Sahel nations recently unified by military takeovers and growing anti-French sentiment, are departing from ECOWAS. A local Nigerian leader was murdered and his spouse abducted, likely for ransom. A Kenyan opposition figure accuses their President of proceeding with police deployment to Haiti despite a Kenyan court halting the military operation two weeks prior. Senegal’s President has indefinitely delayed their election, a decision the opposition deems a coup.
The influx of migrants to the Canary Islands reached unprecedented levels in January — 7,270 in 2024, compared to 566 in January 2023. Taiwan faces challenges in identifying Chinese espionage within its military and government structures in anticipation of a potential attack. The U.S. is amassing arms in Australia as a precaution against (or deterrent to) a potential conflict with China over Taiwan.
An American individual decapitated his father, influenced by internet conspiracy theories.
Investigations into American prison labor reveal that slavery has subtly evolved but remains entrenched in the nation’s agricultural sector.
Forced labor is infiltrating the automotive industry in Xinjiang.
In Sierra Leone, human trafficking and slavery are escalating as poverty deepens.
Despite the ongoing standoff between the U.S. federal government and the Texas National Guard over jurisdiction of a section of the U.S.-Mexico border, Chinese disinformation campaigns allegedly exacerbate the situation by claiming Texas has declared independence. Florida’s Governor, Ron DeSantis, is dispatching 1,000 guardsmen to Texas for support, with a press event scheduled for February 4.
French farmers are cutting off supply to Paris in protest against agricultural policies. For similar reasons, Belgian farmers have obstructed a port and initiated a vigorous demonstration in Brussels. Hundreds of thousands in Finland went on strike for two days to oppose welfare reductions.
Guerrilla factions in Colombia are engaging in internal conflicts, trapping tens of thousands in an isolated Amazonian region. Analysis of Ecuador’s internal strife suggests a protracted conflict, potentially concluding with a compromise of civil and political liberties for enhanced security.
Three years post-Myanmar coup, the ruling military junta finds itself on the defensive. A silent protest commemorated the anniversary as the nation grapples with a legitimacy crisis and political deadlock. Despite the junta’s dwindling morale, rebels are advancing, while the government reportedly expands prison and labor camps and strengthens existing ones.
The U.S. State Department and the U.K. are deliberating on recognizing Palestine as a sovereign state as a ceasefire in the Palestine-Israel conflict seems imminent. However, the Israeli Prime Minister has dismissed any ceasefire proposal that involves IDF withdrawal from Gaza. The Israeli military is establishing a buffer zone within Gaza, purportedly to enhance its security at the expense of Palestinian land. The dire state of Gaza’s healthcare system poses grave risks, particularly for pregnant women and newborns.
Russia’s forthcoming election is on the horizon, and Putin is conspicuously eschewing even the semblance of the democratic process, a move widely anticipated to secure him a resounding 5th term as Russia’s autocrat. Concurrently, in Crimea, a senior air force officer was purportedly eliminated by a Ukrainian offensive. Russia alleges a Ukrainian assault resulted in 20 fatalities in a city under occupation in Luhansk. Despite the United Nations apex court issuing rulings against Russia on several fronts last week, numerous significant charges were either dismissed or remained unaddressed. Nevertheless, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) lacks any means of enforcement, and Russia is expected to disregard the court’s verdicts. The E.U. has adopted a €50 billion support package for Ukraine following Hungary’s cessation of its objections. Speculation is rife about whether Zelenskyy will dismiss Valeriy Zaluzhniy, the top General in Ukraine’s Armed Forces — and a potential contender in the political arena, should elections proceed. Tensions between the two esteemed figures in Ukraine are unveiling rifts within the political-military landscape.
Inexpensive Iranian drones are revolutionizing warfare from Ukraine to Yemen. Following an attack by an Iran-supported militia in Iraq that resulted in the death of three U.S. soldiers and wounded over 40 at a base in Jordan, there were concerns it might herald the beginning of direct hostilities between the U.S. and Iran. Instead, the U.S. opted to retaliate against militant bases in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. Sixteen individuals have been killed thus far, with the counteractions still unfolding. Strikes by American and British forces against Houthi rebels have not diminished assaults on Red Sea commerce. The U.K. is dispatching an aircraft carrier to the Red Sea.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has forwarded cases of recent war crimes in Darfur, Sudan, to its prosecutors. Approximately 8 million individuals have been uprooted, and there are emerging reports of starvation. Ethiopia’s recent diplomatic engagements with Somaliland pose challenging dilemmas for Somalia, Egypt, and Sudan, each harboring grievances against Ethiopia amidst an unresolved civil conflict.