Collapse Curriculum Podcast

The Supply Chain Is Cracking, and It Was Never Sustainable

Thank you for watching our combined Collapse Curriculum [https://open.substack.com/pub/collapsecurriculum] and Biocentric [https://open.substack.com/pub/maxwilbert] podcast. If you like watching, we ask for just one thing: Like and subscribe to our channels to keep independent media going. The supply chain is cracking. From fertilizer shortages to energy disruptions, the systems that feed and fuel the modern world are showing signs of strain. In this episode, we break down what’s really happening beneath the headlines: * Why global supply chains are more fragile than we’ve been led to believe * How industrial agriculture depends on unstable inputs * What these shortages reveal about the limits of a growth-based economy * And why this isn’t just an economic issue, but an ecological one We discuss greenwashing in an op-ed piece [https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2025/12/31/opinion-climate-goals-are-becoming/?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot], and it’s failed market approach to addressing ecological issues. We chat about record low Arctic sea ice extents [https://substack.com/@climatecasino/note/c-249883151] posted by Prof. Eliot Jacobson [https://substack.com/profile/44574237-prof-eliot-jacobson]. Also mentioned and discussed: Collapse Curriculum is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Collapse Curriculum at collapsecurriculum.substack.com/subscribe [https://collapsecurriculum.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

The Industrial System is At War With the Planet

In this conversation, Justin McAffee [https://substack.com/profile/14619037-justin-mcaffee] and Max Wilbert [https://substack.com/profile/14619024-max-wilbert] discuss the state of the world, the unraveling of ecological systems, and the question of how we’re meant to live in a time like this. We talk about the coming heat, food instability, and the growing cracks in industrial civilization. From water scarcity in the Southwest to the fragility of global agriculture, the signs are everywhere. Margi Prideaux, PhD [https://substack.com/profile/156441221-margi-prideaux-phd] was mentioned as an excellent Substack publication, including this recent post about the hunger gap coming [https://margiprideaux.substack.com/p/the-hunger-gap-is-coming]. At the center of this episode is a hard realization: “They are waging war against the planet and people… with economic weapons, with military weapons, with political weapons…” It’s a systemic, ongoing conflict against the natural world and, ultimately, against ourselves. We explore: * Why consumer choices and “green” lifestyles won’t solve systemic collapse * The difference and intersection of resilience and resistance * What history (like the Great Depression) can teach us about survival * The importance of direct relationship to land, food, and place * How industrial systems disconnect us, and why that matters * Why real change requires more than individual action We also share personal experiences from time spent living close to the land, to hunting, fishing, and witnessing what a truly non-industrial relationship with food looks like. We hope you enjoy the discussion. Let us know in the comments if you’d like to see more of this type of content, and if there are topics you are interested in seeing covered. Collapse Curriculum is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Collapse Curriculum at collapsecurriculum.substack.com/subscribe [https://collapsecurriculum.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

The State of Resistance: Live with Justin McAffee and Max Wilbert

Max Wilbert and Justin McAffee discuss a number of topics and current events related to political movements, resistance, rising fascism, climate change, and environmental degradation. Get full access to Collapse Curriculum at collapsecurriculum.substack.com/subscribe [https://collapsecurriculum.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Questioning the Invasive Species Narrative

In this episode of the Collapse Curriculum Podcast, host Justin McAffee is joined by environmental advocates Nikki Hill and Kollibri terre Sonnenblume [https://substack.com/profile/1287140-kollibri-terre-sonnenblume], author at Speaking for the Trees (no matter where they’re from) [https://kollibri.substack.com/], to explore the growing controversy around invasive species, ecological change, and the stories we tell about nature. Using the barred owl debate in the Pacific Northwest as a starting point, where one owl species is being lethally removed to protect another, the conversation moves beyond headlines and into deeper questions. They discuss personal journeys in environmental advocacy, the role of media in shaping perceptions, and the importance of relational understanding in addressing ecological challenges. The conversation emphasizes the need for respect and curiosity in our interactions with nature, as well as the potential for resilience in the face of environmental change. Kollibri terre Sonnenblume is a writer, photographer, tree hugger, animal lover, and cultural dissident, as well as the author of several books exploring the intersections of ecology and human culture. Their Substack is "Speaking for the Trees, No Matter Where They're From" at kollibri.substack com [http://kollibri.substack com]. Nikki Hill can be found chasing wildflowers throughout the western US. She is not sure when her adoration of plants began, but they share a kindred spirit. Nikki earned a bachelors degree in environmental science and botany which led her to the field of habitat restoration nearly 16 years ago. Disillusioned by methodology that focused on eradication, she struck off on her own. She spent six years growing food and medicine, first as an urban farmer and then as a nomadic rural farmer, and co-founded Daggawalla, a seed and herb company. Since 2014, she has been exploring her feral roots as a wildtender, planting gardens outside agricultural boundaries. Her hope is to foster habitat resilience by sowing a living seed bank for the future, in a spirit of collaboration with the non-human world. Her website can be found at www.walkingroots.net [http://www.walkingroots.net/]. Collapse Curriculum is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Collapse Curriculum at collapsecurriculum.substack.com/subscribe [https://collapsecurriculum.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Societal Collapse Through Loss of Connection and Meaning

Collapse isn’t the end of the world… unless we let it be. In this episode of Collapse Curriculum, Justin McAffee and co-host Mike delve into the final three stages of collapse: social, cultural and environmental... and why humanity must hold the line before the worst outcomes take root. Drawing on Dmitry Orlov’s framework, they explore how societies unravel from within, and how meaning and morality are the last defenses against total annihilation. You’ll hear why rebuilding trust, cooperation, and shared purpose not only more important to survival and storing canned beans and water, but why it’s a moral obligation to prevent the ultimate collapse: environmental destruction and mass extinction. Signs of Renewal: Justin closes with a look at war-torn eastern Ukraine, where abandoned farmland and villages are rewilding... proof that even in the ruins, life returns when the machine stops. Collapse Curriculum Assignment: Begin the work of renewal. Reconnect with one person, share a story or skill, and help rebuild the small bonds that make civilization worth saving. Collapse Curriculum Collapse Curriculum is survival education for a collapsing world, helping you understand what’s breaking, why it matters, and how to rebuild meaning and resilience in the ruins of modernity. Collapse Curriculum is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Collapse Curriculum at collapsecurriculum.substack.com/subscribe [https://collapsecurriculum.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]