Huge thanks to Gerry for being this month’s sponsor. He has asked me to post the following: Still alive in ’25 – we’re all in this together! Find supportive community and resources at postdoom.com (founded by Michael Dowd; RIP).
“California’s insurance crisis is a warning for America.
“Early estimates project that the fires will be among the costliest and most destructive in the country’s history, with losses so far between $135 billion and $150 billion… How will property owners pay for this? Insurance is offering inadequate answers.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/01/14/california-wildfires-home-insurance-crisis/
“Insurance firms are sending firefighters to defend homes amid LA wildfires.
“Private efforts to combat wildfires are not just for the superrich – many work for insurers seeking to minimize the policies they’d have to pay out… It’s an increasingly high-stakes issue for the insurance industry as the climate crisis fuels more frequent and intense fires.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/14/la-california-wildfires-private-firefighters
“Is the Catalyst For the Next Financial Crisis…Homeowners Insurance?
“…Over the past half-century, tens of millions of Americans have poured into sunny states like Florida and California that are catastrophically unsuited for large populations… Combine massive population increase with soaring home prices, then toss in recurring natural disasters, and the result is a doom loop…”
https://substack.com/home/post/p-154631768
“UK property insurance payouts are set to hit their highest level in nearly twenty years, driven by high building costs and the effects of climate change.
“Claims paid by insurers in 2024 will total £5.5bn… the highest level since 2007 when torrential summer floods broke records and were classified as a natural disaster.”
https://www.ft.com/content/cbcdff3c-1d5d-43d5-8800-804c0e1d5433
“Reeves vows action on growth amid rising debt costs [UK].
“Chancellor Rachel Reeves has pledged to go “further and faster” to improve economic growth after market turbulence saw the cost of servicing UK debt rise… Reeves said she was “under no illusion” about the scale of the challenge on the economy.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyw12qp19do
“Germany’s likely next chancellor vows to put economy before climate.
“Conservative chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz railed against the climate policies of the left-leaning parties he’ll likely have to govern with.” …Merz… suggested he would radically change course.”
“Germany’s AfD sparks firestorm by distributing fake deportation tickets to migrants…
““In your home country, it’s also nice,” read the flyers, which were labeled with a departure date of Feb. 23, the day of Germany’s national election.” …The stunt comes as the party’s national leaders increasingly embrace radical proposals to deport migrants en masse.”
“Don’t freak out: Austria tries to reassure Brussels amid far right’s bid for power…
““Austria is and will remain a reliable, constructive and strong partner in the European Union and around the world,” Schallenberg told POLITICO’s Brussels Playbook ahead of his visit.”
“Sweden has unveiled tough new ‘honest living’ requirements for citizenship as part of tighter immigration rules aimed at integrating migrants and upholding Swedish values…
“It also recommended extending the required duration of time spent in the country prior to obtaining citizenship – increasing to eight years from the current five.”
“Swedes born in 2007 can expect to be conscripted into military service in 2025…
“It is clear that the Nordic countries as well as three Baltic states are all very aware of the possible risk to their country following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and in fact Sweden has swung from one side to another, having conscription, then cancelling it and then reinstating it.”
“NATO to boost Baltic Sea patrols after cable ‘sabotage’ blamed on Russia…
“Several undersea telecom and power cables have been severed in the Baltic Sea in recent months, with experts and politicians accusing Russia of orchestrating a hybrid war.”
“EU Considers Gradual Ban on Russian LNG and Aluminum…
“Europe, which had previously been reluctant to give up Russian LNG, is watching nervously as gas prices creep up because of cold weather and new US sanctions on Russian energy.”
“Ukraine’s military has claimed its largest air attacks yet on Russian territory since the start of the war nearly three years ago…
“The Russian Defence Ministry on Tuesday said it will retaliate for the large-scale missile and drone attacks overnight, and accused Ukraine of again using missiles supplied by the US and the United Kingdom.”
“Russia launched a massive aerial attack against Ukraine on Wednesday, forcing the country to introduce preventive power cuts, the Ukrainian energy minister said.
““The enemy continues to terrorize Ukrainians,” Herman Halushchenko wrote on Facebook, urging residents to stay in shelters during the ongoing threat and follow official updates.”
“US encounters European skepticism in last-ditch push to seize $300B in Russian assets for Ukraine leverage.
“With just days left before handing over the keys to the US government, the Biden administration is making a last-ditch effort to seize hundreds of billions of dollars in Russian assets as future negotiating leverage for Ukraine, according to two senior administration officials.”
“North Korea launches multiple, short-range ballistic missiles…
“South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the missile launches were detected on Tuesday morning at approximately 9:30am local time (00:30 GMT) and were believed to have originated from North Korea’s Jagang Province…”
“South Korea’s Yoon Suk Yeol arrested after hours-long standoff at residence.
“Yoon said in a video message released before his arrest that he had agreed to cooperate with anti-corruption authorities to “avoid unsavoury bloodshed” in the latest chapter of a saga that has rocked South Korean politics and triggered concern among its international allies.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/14/south-koreas-yoon-suk-yeol-faces-fresh-arrest-attempt
“U.S. Sanctions on China’s Oil Firms Are Just the Beginning Under Trump…
“President-elect Trump has long seen China as at minimum an ‘adversary’ rather than as a ‘competitor’ as President Joe Biden did, and this has not changed, according to senior sources in his first and current presidential team exclusively spoken to by OilPrice.”
“China building new mobile piers that could help possible Taiwan invasion…
“Satellite images captured on Friday and reviewed by the Financial Times show six barge-like vessels equipped with extendable ramps under construction at China’s state-owned Guangzhou Shipyard.”
https://www.ft.com/content/36a00ba4-6178-4267-9786-3e0b59abe67f
“China, Philippines Hold Talks as ‘Monster’ Ship Fuels South China Sea Tensions…
“The Philippines has told China to immediately withdraw its 12,000-ton coast guard ship known as “The Monster” which was spotted 77 nautical miles (143 kilometers) off the Southeast Asian nation’s shores.”
“Myanmar Junta Airstrikes Kill 60 Civilians in a Week…
“Observers say the airstrikes deliberately targeted civilians rather than resistance troops. KIA spokesman Colonel Naw Bu told The Irrawaddy that the bombing of Tanai was unprovoked.”
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-junta-airstrikes-kill-60-civilians-in-a-week.html
“Iranian official alleges Israel sabotaged nuclear equipment with explosives.
“Vice President Mohammad Javad Zarif claims explosives found in centrifuge platforms bought for Tehran’s nuclear program; President Massoud Pezeshkian warns Iran will react to any attack on its nuclear facilities; ‘We do not fear war’.”
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/ryb6v1hvyg
“‘I hope peace will prevail’: joy and fear in Gaza amid reports ceasefire is near…
“Amid widespread reports that Hamas and Israel were in the “final stages” of agreeing a ceasefire agreement, residents of the embattled territory expressed mixed emotions: hope and fear for the future but pain and grief for the past 15 months.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/14/ceasefire-hamas-israel-gaza-airstrikes
“Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich indicates he is still undecided whether to support the emerging hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas…
“Yesterday, fellow far-right leader Itamar Ben Gvir called on Smotrich to join him in rejecting the deal and bolting the government if it goes through.”
“For second time in hours, Houthi missile attack on Israel triggers cross-country sirens.
“Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched ballistic missiles within hours of each other on Monday evening and early morning Tuesday, triggering sirens that forced hundreds of thousands of Israelis to rush into shelters.”
“A queue of tankers has built up off the Yemeni port of Ras Isa following Israeli airstrikes against Houthi targets.
“The vessels have been unable to dock due to a number of tugs being damaged in the Red Sea attack in late December by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), Yemeni sources told Bloomberg.”
“Mozambique inaugurates President Daniel Chapo amid deadly unrest over disputed election.
“Venancio Mondlane had already called for a national strike in the days leading up to the inauguration and threatened on Tuesday to curtail the new government with daily demonstrations… “This regime does not want peace,” Mondlane said…”
“Intense fighting in DR Congo.
“In eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, fierce fighting is still raging between the army and M23 rebels. They have been fighting particularly in the Masisi and Lubero areas of North Kivu.”
https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/eye-on-africa/20250114-intense-fighting-in-dr-congo
“Halt illegal imports of conflict minerals from DRC, campaigners urge EU…
“The European Union has been urged to clamp down on illegal imports of conflict minerals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) after evidence was found that current regulations had been breached.”
“Nigeria military kills 16 civilians in air strike ‘mistake’…
“Residents told local media the victims were members of local vigilante groups and civilians defending themselves from armed gangs notorious for kidnapping people for ransom.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn0y30766kjo
“Civilian casualties of explosive weapons at highest level in more than a decade.
“Action on Armed Violence (AOAV), a monitoring group, said 61,353 non-combatants had been killed or wounded during 2024, an increase of 67% on last year, previously the largest amount it had counted since it began its survey in 2010.”
“Nobel prize winners call for urgent ‘moonshot’ effort to avert global hunger catastrophe…
“Citing challenges including the climate crisis, war and market pressures, the coalition called for “planet-friendly” efforts leading to substantial leaps in food production to feed 9.7 billion people by 2050.”
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You can read the previous “Economic” thread here. I’ll be back tomorrow with a “Climate” thread.
“Is the Catalyst For the Next Financial Crisis…Homeowners Insurance?..,Combine massive population increase with soaring home prices, then toss in recurring natural disasters, and the result is a doom loop…”
“natural disasters” I am getting rather tired of this term. Since they aren’t really natural, are they? It’s an easy way to avoid mentioning climate chaos.
Right, Cassandra. “Extreme weather events” would be less disingenuous, as it allows for the likelihood that there is an anthropogenic component.
I know that attribution studies have their practical uses, but I recall Paul Beckwith saying that we have changed the chemistry of the atmosphere such that the entire context within which weather occurs is no longer natural, which is about where I get to with it.
Humans never took the cautionary tale of reindeer on St. Matthew Island seriously, so we continued overpopulating, overproducing, and overexploiting all available resources. Dear Nobel prize winners, we can’t stop what’s coming. Embrace the collapse and enjoy a few good days left. Reindeer are us.
Yeast, reindeer, cancer – all of these doomer analogies are pretty apt, unfortunately, Goran.
If you look at the multiplicity of lifeforms Earth has hosted in its history, it feels as if the Universal Intelligence delights in novelty. We could look at the human experiment as supercharging novelty-creation and taking it in weird and wonderful new directions with our art, music, literature etc. and the incredible richness of our personal experiences and collective history. Perhaps that was our “purpose”.
I draw some comfort from that framing, setting us apart, as it does, from the reindeer, even if it doesn’t adequately explain why we have to inflict so much suffering on the planet and each other in the process.
Goran,
You mustn’t use o-words, it could offend breeders & hurt their feewings.
😉
There’s too many of us & it’s too late to do anything about 8 billion habitat polluters.
Take cover! Looks like we are about to face a stampede of Black Swans with sharp beaks & webbed claws, Gray Rhinos & Elephants in the room.
The Swans can pick the bones clean after the Rhinos gore & Elephants trample the bodies of Clever Apes into the dirt.
Bet not one Rep/Con, Dem, Independent or Progressive in Washington DC has ever read C&E, once?
TR,
Good Luck on finding someone to take your bet.