Huge thanks to my sponsor for March, the splendid Professor Pongoo.
“Limiting warming to 2C above pre-industrial temperatures may not be enough to prevent “extreme global climate outcomes”, according to new research published in Nature…
“Prof Rowan Sutton, director of the Met Office Hadley Centre, who was not involved in the study, tells Carbon Brief that the study’s findings are “sobering”. He adds that the paper “demonstrates that the risks at 2C of global warming may be significantly higher than previously thought”.”
https://www.carbonbrief.org/limiting-global-warming-to-2c-would-not-rule-out-extreme-impacts/
“Another day, another preliminary record for the global sea-surface temperature, and so it goes.
“What makes today interesting is that SSTs are once again above a 10,000,000-to-1 event, assuming no climate change. The peak anomaly was 4,435,000,000-to-1, on January 9, 2024.” [Prof Eliot Jacobson]
https://x.com/EliotJacobson/status/2036844514112135409
“Water cooler fun fact:
“Earth’s global 2m surface temperature just posted the hottest March 23rd on record, and likely the hottest March 23rd in the last 120,000+ years.”
[Prof Eliot Jacobson]
https://x.com/EliotJacobson/status/2036784608566767623
“UK food supply at risk of ‘catastrophic failure’ by 2030, report warns…
“The assessment, made in 2024 but first reported by The Times on Tuesday (24 March 2026), found that climate change, environmental decline and geopolitical instability are putting increasing pressure on the country’s ability to produce food… For farmers, the implications are stark.”
“Germany’s Uniper warns EU methane rules will hit Europe’s energy supplies.
“The chief executive of German gas importer Uniper has warned that incoming EU methane legislation will restrict Europe’s access to energy, as the Iran war disrupts supplies and drives prices higher… Critics have warned that the requirements are so strict that few importers to the bloc will be able to meet them.”
https://www.ft.com/content/b8de67ac-b245-4a01-8211-af56d4f3a21a?syn-25a6b1a6=1
“Brussels plans to limit carbon prices under its flagship emissions trading system (ETS) after pressure from industries facing soaring costs because of the Iran war.
“An “emergency brake” that would apply if carbon prices soar would reduce how much companies are charged for their emissions.”
https://www.ft.com/content/faab45a3-2200-4952-90c2-a7cd81d9f633?syn-25a6b1a6=1
“EU unveils sweeping plan to tackle worsening wildfire threat.
“2025 was the worst wildfire season in Europe since records began, and the European Commission has published new guidance for EU countries on preventing, preparing for, responding to and recovering from wildfires.”
https://www.brusselstimes.com/2044181/eu-unveils-sweeping-plan-to-tackle-worsening-wildfire-threat
“Urgent warning in Canaries after ‘worst storm in a decade’ causes havoc with flooding and evacuations…
““We are facing historic circumstances in terms of the volume of rainfall and its impact on the island territory,” the president of the Island Council, Antonio Morales, said at a press conference on Tuesday. The rains have left more than 700 litres of water per square metre [28 inches] of the island across six days…”
“Extraordinary heat in the Sahel:
“Brutally hot nights with widespread Minimums >30c. 31.8C [89.2F] the Min at Ouahigouya. Is its hottest March night in history …previous record was just last year. Records in the Sahel are broken and rebroken year after year.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2036373734114927065
“WMO asks Nigerians to brace for extreme weather.
“World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has urged Nigeria to strengthen its resilience to the impacts of climate change. The advice followed a warning by the World Economic Forum in its Global Risks Report that the current extreme weather poses a growing long-term threat.”
https://guardian.ng/news/wmo-asks-nigerians-to-brace-for-extreme-weather/
“ABSOLUTELY CRAZY MINIMUM – 30.5c [86.9F] Juan de Nova Island.
“FRENCH SOUTHERN TERRITORIES RECORD HOTTEST NIGHT. The area has been with record heat for over 12 years.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2036712448699629883
“The number killed in floods in Kenya has risen to 88, the government has said, as two rivers burst their banks causing more displacement.
“More than 34,000 people have been displaced and at least 21 countries affected by the floods, which started earlier in March.”
https://news.sky.com/story/floods-in-kenya-leave-88-dead-and-thousands-displaced-13524249
“Heavy rain triggers flooding in Mubarak Al-Kabeer Governorate, Kuwait [also Oman and UAE].
“Cars are stranded and submerged in water after heavy rain in Mubarak Al-Kabeer Governorate, Kuwait, March 25, 2026. Heavy rainfall and unstable weather conditions affected several parts of Kuwait on Wednesday.”
https://english.news.cn/20260326/652e9c89f6ba435ea6386e28dc5b7597/c.html
“A Tornado Alley-style storm system is about to hit the Middle East — in a virtually unheard of atmospheric setup for the region.
“Parts of the Arabian Peninsula and Persian Gulf could be slammed by strong to severe thunderstorms Thursday, bringing the potential for damaging winds, destructive hail and a few tornadoes. Large expanses of the desert may flood, in some cases picking up a year’s worth of rainfall in three days.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2026/03/24/middle-east-storm-flooding-tornado-iran-dubai/
“3 die as homes damaged, water dam destroyed in heavy rains, floods in southern Afghanistan.
“Officials from the Helmand Department of Information and Culture said six people were also injured when the roof collapsed in the Sangin district. A newly built water dam in the Washir district of Helmand province was also destroyed.”
“The Third Pole is thawing. Here’s why Pakistan needs action on glaciers now.
“Pakistan’s ‘Third Pole’ glaciers sustain more than 220 million people, irrigate 90% of agricultural land, and generate a major share of hydroelectric power. But these same glaciers that have sustained generations of farmers are now threatening livelihoods across borders as they start to melt.”
https://www.weforum.org/stories/2026/03/third-pole-thawing-pakistan-needs-action-on-glaciers/
“President Asif Ali Zardari [of Pakistan] on World Water Day called on India to restore full implementation of the Indus Waters Treaty, urging compliance with international obligations.
“In his message, he condemned what he described as India’s unilateral suspension of the treaty…”
“Pakistan world’s most polluted country in 2025: Report.
“Pakistan was the world’s smoggiest country in 2025 with concentrations of hazardous fine particles known as PM2.5 up to 13 times higher than the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) recommended level, a report finds.”
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/24/pakistan-worlds-most-polluted-country-in-2025-report
“As Sri Lankans choke on bad air, authorities cite transboundary pollution.
“On certain days, Colombo’s skyline is barely visible. This is due to a thick haze that envelops Sri Lanka’s commercial capital, resulting in low air quality conditions. The fouled air is making people tear and cough more without knowing what causes such irritation.”
“Insane heat in Sri Lanka:
“38.7 [101.7F] Ratnapura trashed its March record again. Since weeks Sri Lanka has been recording 37/39C every single day: never happened anything like this in 150+ years of climatic history. We are witnessing something unbelievable.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2036755352080011543
“EXCEPTIONAL HEAT ALL OVER ASIA:
“From The Caspian to Siberia and Korea, Sri Lanka, Malaysia (5 days >38C / 100.4F] in the past 6, never happened before), Thailand. Records are being smashed everywhere. Next days we will see tropical nights and 35C in the former USSR. Thousands of records will fall.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2036748272300331418
“CHINA didn’t miss the party: 32.1C [88.2F] Jianmen – new March record of highest temperature.
“Records are falling in >150 countries: it’s an insanity and Asia anomalies are even more extreme than North America’s.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2036804078584635424
“Laos delivers emergency aid after over 2,000 households hit by rare hailstorm in Vientiane…
“More than 2,000 households across five villages were affected, with Viengkham and Chansavang villages suffering the most severe damage – each reported over 1,000 affected homes. Additional damage was recorded in Phonsomboun, Nongda and Tadthong villages.”
“Hail has now become a leading driver of insured losses, with modern storms now able to cause financial losses comparable to a Category 4 hurricane, a recently published Cotality report has revealed.
“For insurers and reinsurers, this shift demands a move away from historical data averages toward property-specific modelling.”
https://www.reinsurancene.ws/hailstorms-now-rival-cat-4-hurricanes-in-financial-losses-cotality/
“Wednesday night’s Ketanggungan flood was reported to be the highest in 20 years, reaching 2.5 meters [Java].
“The flooding that hit the Ketanggungan area of Brebes Regency on Wednesday night (March 25) was described as the highest in 20 years. Water levels reportedly reached around 2.5 meters, seriously impacting local residents and traffic flow.”
“Palm oil clearing advances in Bornean orangutan habitat despite red flags…
“Field surveys by Indonesian NGO LinkAR Borneo recorded at least 10 orangutan nests in the concession, the group said in a statement… First Borneo, the Jakarta-based conglomerate that owns ESR, did not respond to questions.”
“Tropical Cyclone Narelle shows potential for Category 5 upgrade as Western Australia residents prepare for landfall.
“Residents on Western Australia’s northwest coast are bracing as Tropical Cyclone Narelle begins its trip south, with forecasters expressing “high confidence” the system will make landfall again.”
“Australia’s largest lake is set for another rare flood year after record-breaking rains.
“It might not be raining men right now, but Australia’s largest lake is about to get very, very wet. Deep in the South Australian Outback, Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre flooded for just the fourth time in 160 years last year. Now, record-breaking rainfall is setting the stage for another extraordinary flood year…”
“Decline in migratory fish populations prompts fight for protection.
“Fish species that undertake mammoth migrations through rivers, lakes and ponds are facing a combined threat from dams, pollution and overfishing preventing them from reaching their breeding grounds.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr4105d93d3o
“‘It smells like a rancid fish and chip shop’: at sea with the Antarctic’s krill supertrawlers.
“…there is evidence to suggest that krill fishing is already having a significant impact on the Antarctic food chain. A peer-reviewed scientific study from a coalition of US and German universities suggest that the number of krill in the ocean is insufficient to sustain the existing whale population and commercial fishing.”
“HISTORIC WORLD RECORD – 76.4C [-105.5F] at Vostok ANTARCTICA.
“LOWEST TEMPERATURE EVER RECORDED IN MARCH WORLDWIDE. It dethrones -76.1C at Ago-4. Yes, cold records can still be broken amidst thousands of heat records and this is a really important one.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2036625459530891633
“Amazon wildfire emissions may be up to three times higher than estimated.
“…current scientific methods significantly underestimate carbon emissions, with actual carbon output potentially between 1.5 and three times higher. This has important implications for climate models and global carbon budgets…”
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-amazon-wildfire-emissions-higher.html
“Heavy rain generates 42 floods and 10 landslides in Manaus.
“The Manaus City Hall, through the City Cooperation Center (CCC), registered, until 5 pm this Wednesday, 25/3, 77 calls due to the rains. The demands were received by Dial 199, a direct communication channel with the Civil Defense…”
https://www.estadopolitico.com.br/chuva-intensa-gera-42-alagamentos-e-10-desabamentos-em-manaus/
“HISTORIC HEAT IN GUYANA:
“37.6C [99.7F] at Lethem is HOTTEST MARCH DAY IN GUYANESE HISTORY. Followed by Lethem March hottest night. Thousands of records are falling between Americas, Asia and Africa these last days of March: absolute madness.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2036474048113426696
“Mexico Bets on Supercomputer to Combat Extreme Weather Events…
“Mexican researchers will work along with Barcelona’s Supercomputing Center to standardize Mexico’s weather data to improve climate forecasts and early warnings, according to Fabián Vázquez Romaña, the coordinator of the National Meteorological Service.”
“This Texas city has just a few months’ worth of water left — and insatiable industry demand…
“Lake Corpus Christi is a key water source for the city of Corpus Christi, a petrochemical and oil refining hub nestled on the Gulf coastline, but it has shrunk to historic lows as the region grapples with a five-year drought. It now stands at just over 9% of its capacity.”
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/03/25/climate/water-shortage-corpus-christi-texas-industry-drought
“As the first reanalysis data become available, I think I can say with a fairly high degree of confidence that the March 2026 heatwave will go down as the most anomalously extreme heat event ever observed at any time of year in the southwestern U.S.”
[Nahel Belgherze]
https://x.com/WxNB_/status/2036847148378062851
“I can’t believe we’re doing this again, but…we’re doing this again.
“Another day of record-shattering March heat across interior West & Central U.S., w/countless March (& even some April) monthly records broken. Some locations are even breaking monthly records set…last week.” [Daniel Swain]
https://x.com/Weather_West/status/2036914723522785580
“EXTRAORDINARY US HEAT… The Death Valley took the lead today with 106F.
“101 NM Draw Near is NEW MEXICO NEW MARCH STATE RECORD… 90 WY Guernsey, Torrington, LIttle Goose WYOMING MARCH STATE RECORD TIED.”
[Extreme Temps]
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2036991564296413616
“Historic Las Vegas Heat Wave: Record-Breaking 8 Days and Counting.
“Las Vegas has now officially set daily record high temperatures for eight consecutive days, breaking the previous record of seven consecutive days set in August 2020 and July 2024. This historic streak is expected to continue through the weekend.”
https://www.fox5vegas.com/2026/03/25/breezy-times-wednesday-historic-march-heat-wave-continues/
“‘The situation is dire’: Lake Powell is heading for a record low as Colorado River states remain deadlocked…
““The situation is dire. The stakes have never been higher. And unfortunately the reservoirs have never been drier,” Estevan López, New Mexico’s Colorado River negotiator, said during a meeting of the Upper Colorado River Commission on Tuesday.”
https://www.sltrib.com/news/environment/2026/03/25/how-colorado-river-states-feds-may/
“Before and after satellite images show how little snow is left in the western US…
“Snowpack in the western US typically reaches its highest level by late March or early April, but instead it’s at record lows, meaning a host of potential impacts, including greater wildfire risk and less water availability to river basins come summer.”
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/03/25/weather/west-snowpack-melt-heat-wave-climate
“New research suggests deadly bat fungus is more widespread in western Canada than previously known…
“The fuzzy white fungus grows on the skin of infected bats during hibernation, resulting in dehydration, starvation and death. It has killed millions of bats across North America since it was first detected in New York in 2006, with some regional populations declining by more than 90%.”
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-deadly-fungus-widespread-western-canada.html
“Climate change fuels spread of dangerous Aspergillus fungus…
“Warming temperatures, a growing population of people vulnerable to infection and the widespread use of fungicides are creating new opportunities for resistant fungi to spread, a new preprint study in Research Square found.”
https://www.newsnationnow.com/health/climate-change-aspergillus-fungus/
“Antibiotic resistance among germs swells during droughts, study suggests…
“…the researchers found that pro-resistance conditions in soil link to higher frequencies of antibiotic-resistant infections in hospitals around the world. And with human-driven climate change, drought conditions are expected to increase.”
I rely on donations and tips from my readers to keep the site running. Every little bit helps. Can you chip in even a dollar? Buy me a coffee or become a Patreon supporter. A huge thank you to those who do subscribe or donate.
You can read the previous “Climate” thread here. I’ll be back on Monday with an “Economic” thread.
Absolutely brutal round-up today!
TW, you’re young, maybe you can be the first doomer to live on the moon in 2036! Meh, sorry…
https://tinyurl.com/5n77ec5d
NASA’s Jared Isaacman pictured in the article has an uncanny resemblance to Mr. BEAN!
These would be the first manned landings on the moon in my lifetime; the last were December 1972.
“The moon station will require radioactive isotope power sources, and eventually a nuclear reactor…” It all sounds hugely ambitious in an era no longer favourable to huge ambitions.
State of the Climate report finds Earth’s energy has moved dangerously out of balance, with oceans absorbing vast majority of trapped heat:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/23/earth-being-pushed-beyond-its-limits-as-energy-imbalance-reaches-record-high
Thanks, Flippr. I posted this the other day but I am happy for it to get another airing.
It feels like a victory for common sense that the Earth Energy Imbalance is finally being acknowledged as a core climate change indicator in a major report.
Quite good Ecoshock radio discussions on stratification and cyclones (except for the AI music, which is somehow managing to get worse – an example of too much learning being a bad thing maybe).
https://www.ecoshock.org/2026/03/your-planet-burns.html
This is the substack referred to, which I hadn’t seen before and looks pretty good.
https://drtomharris.substack.com
Thank you again George. What I find peculiar about our modern species is we have the ability to gather the dynamics of the most complex concepts, and are capable to convey the ideas to one another. Yet seemingly powerless to collectively produce any meaningfull deep behavioral transformation. This not only is in regard to what is discussed here today,,but pretty much across the board, so to speak. It really is the tragedy of existence. Reminds me of the book, “The Last Straw Revolution” where he points out we know everything but understand nothing.
I’d say we are evolved to maximise our genes in future generations and that is what we are doing, unfortunately that results in a race to the bottom for our species. Fundamentally it makes no difference to us at the deepest level whether the species goes extinct or it continues but has none of our genes (beyond maybe a second cousin type level that we would be close to in hunter gatherer tribe numbers).
The car soup recipes keep coming in!
For the richest, most delicious Pickup Stew, broil the vehicles before adding them to the broth, season the stew liberally with whatever is on hand (try sewage, toxic waste, and gasoline for a new exotic flavor sensation), then let the concoction simmer.
Allow any excess liquid to drain down into the nearest aquifer, or out into the nearest river, wetland, lake, or sea.
Bon appetit!
My compliments to Chef Homo colossus!
I will admit that the kid in me quite likes seeing the footage of cars tossed about like toys, as long as there aren’t people in them.
I recall a reader from South Carolina had his car destroyed by flooding from Hurricane Helene in 2024; and a friend of mine had £4K of damage done to his car in the Dubai floods the same year… Unsurprisingly, it is much less fun when it is your car. 😂
Stop worrying everyone, USA now has a “Senior Advisor and the Special Presidential Envoy for American Tourism, Exceptionalism, and Values.”
Feckin’ eh, I wish I was joking:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/us/politics/nick-adams-trump-tourism.html?unlocked_article_code=1.WFA.b04O.m47zWZn9R72W&smid=url-share
Fitting tune from way back in the early 1980s
Red Skies Tonight. The Fixx 1982 preformed LIVE on a Kids TV Show
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIc4M7IeGM4
Incredible and appropriate to today’s Headlines
Vince, I do like that early 80’s rock/indie sound. Saved by Zero is another great track of theirs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOiZP8FS5Ww&list=RDJOiZP8FS5Ww&start_radio=1
At Last, the Ground Comes Back Into View
The war in the Middle East is beginning to disrupt the global fertilizer chain. The disruption of the Strait of Hormuz and the shutdown of parts of petrochemical production in gas facilities in Qatar are directly affecting the global supply of ammonia, urea and other nitrogen-based products. Some scenarios now point to a potential decline of up to 30 percent of global production.
The consequences are predictable. Less fertilizer means lower yields, higher prices and growing anxiety in the agricultural sector. Without nitrogen, phosphate and potassium, modern agriculture grinds to a halt.
Yet within this seemingly “natural” fertilization cycle lies a remarkable blind spot.
Fertilizer is commonly seen as a supplement to the soil. In reality, for decades it has functioned as a replacement. Using fossil energy, we have built a system in which plants are fed directly, bypassing the complex processes of the soil itself. Nitrogen is extracted from the air, potassium and phosphate from mines, and together they form a fast and efficient growth medium. Everything else is phased out and treated as weeds or pests. The goal is a landscape as lifeless as possible, in order to maximize output.
This soil-anorexia system has delivered impressive results. Higher yields, stable production, and an agricultural model that appears largely independent of local conditions.
But beneath that efficiency, the soil itself has quietly disappeared from view. Monocultures, ryegrass and corn — that is what we want to see. Six or seven grass cuts per year, corn standing tall to the horizon.
Soil life, structure, mineral balance and organic cohesion are inconvenient. So we replace them with a model of precisely dosed, sterile input and output.
The first signs of disruption were long treated as isolated issues: fungi, pests, depletion, resistance. But petrochemistry has a solution for those as well.
Remove it. Apply another correction. Add another treatment. More input. And when conditions turn against us — because not everything is under control — government support follows.
Now, under the pressure of scarcity, the scene is shifting. What becomes visible is not only declining yields, but a system that has become dependent on its own artificial cycle.
The paradox is hard to ignore. Fertilizer has taken over the role of an exhausted soil — until the moment fertilizer itself becomes scarce.
And then something long out of sight reappears: the soil.
Not as a romantic ideal or policy objective, but as a physical limit. A system made increasingly fragile by our own actions — one that cannot be scaled, cannot be quickly restored, and cannot be replaced.
At last, the ground comes back into view.
The forgotten foundation — and the cost of long-neglected maintenance.
Zip, the tangled webs we weave!
So much farmland is going to be too biologically depleted to provide food for desperate humans when these synthetic inputs are no longer available. Not everyone was on the bandwagon:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=budRFggGHXA&t=2s
A beautiful portrait of the old man, neatly dressed for the camera, bent with his two sticks, rooted in his soil as if it were his very soul. Thank you.
‘When first we practice to deceive’.
Not by intent, but by design.
We told ourselves that fertilizer was a supplement.
A support to help the soil along
The web was never just in markets or logistics.
It runs through the soil.
And what returns now is not a choice,
but a limit.
“…rooted in his soil as if it were his very soul.”
Zip, I suspect John Butler himself would agree wholeheartedly with that metaphor.
Here he is talking with mesmerising affection and enthusiasm about his old farming tools. We’ll miss knowledge like John’s as much as the synthetic inputs on which we’ve come to depend:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMWMrYprC-I&t=1s
Bang on Zip. The story of my life as an agricultural scientist (biogeochemist) is zero funding for research that I think matters – like trying to understand even the basics of soil microbial ecology and function in regenerative systems. Instead I find myself contributing to research that seeks to maintain ‘greenwashed sustainable’ systems that are unmaintainable without inputs and to creating biological ‘innovations’ that will make money. It’s increasingly demoralizing but I’ve got to pay the bills somehow… I’ve been banging on to whoever will listen about the incoming energy-economy-environment train wreck since about 2016 and have been labelled Dr Doom more than once. It is not pleasing to be witnessing things I’ve been reading about for the last few decades playing out in real time. FUBAR.
Craig, at least you see through the BS, so in your shoes I would take the view that I was using the system as much as it was using me.
Most of us so-called doomers are forced to play the BAU game in one form or another until the music stops.
“38.7 [101.7F] Ratnapura trashed its March record again. Since weeks Sri Lanka has been recording 37/39C every single day: never happened anything like this in 150+ years of climatic history. We are witnessing something unbelievable.”
Sri Lanka is quite humid so 38C is right on the threshold of survivability if not a tad over it. I can’t imagine spending five minutes in heat like that let alone months!
Jupiviv, good point. 75% humidity would make 38C a lethal wet bulb temp, and Ratnapura is in Sri Lanka’s very humid “wet zone”.
How bad is it in the west really bad. I was watching an interview on the weather channel yesterday with a Utah climatologist and they basically have 1 year of water in their reservoirs system and he even called the situation as really dire. The upper Colorado dam could go dead pool by this August or before. Lets see how long they cover up the stoppage of water flows to states and power outages and down play it. Things are getting really real this year. The party is over.
Heather, it does feel like we are onto the dregs.
On the Seneca Downslope: Will the velocity of money eventually affect the accuracy, quantity, and velocity of missiles & artillery?
An important economic concept to understand is the ‘velocity of money’ or how quickly a unit of exchange goes from buyer to seller, then that seller buying something else, and so on throughout the economy. The money moves one direction, the goods move the other direction.
A pure barter system, by definition having no recognized unit of exchange, results in a very slow movement of goods thru an economy. Why is barter process so slow?
——————–
from Wiki:
The ‘double coincidence of wants’ is a fundamental concept in economics that illustrates the limitations of barter systems.
Barter and the double coincidence of wants
The double coincidence of wants is a fundamental concept in economics that describes the challenge faced by barter systems. It refers to the situation where two parties each hold an item that the other wants, allowing them to exchange these items directly.
However, this requires both parties to agree to sell and buy each product, which is often impractical due to the improbability of their wants and needs coinciding at the same time. This problem is exemplified by a bar musician who is paid with liquor or food, items that his landlord will not accept as rent payment, when the musician would rather have a month’s shelter.
In such cases, a monetary medium can resolve the issue, allowing the musician to work on or give away other items of interest, instead of being burdened to provide a particular item to the landlord, impeding innovation in the long term.
The double coincidence of wants is crucial in understanding the limitations of barter systems and the necessity of money as a medium of exchange. It highlights the inefficiencies and friction in economies reliant solely on barter, where finding a party with the exact opposite wants is often difficult and time-consuming. Money acts as a common denominator of value, a store of value, and a standard of deferred payment, enhancing economic efficiency, supporting wider market participation, and fostering trade expansion.
It highlights the challenges of finding a trading partner whose desired good matches one’s own.
The introduction of money as a medium of exchange resolves this problem by allowing indirect exchange, where individuals can sell their goods for money and then use that money to purchase desired goods. This indirect exchange overcomes the limitations of barter, enabling more efficient and complex economic transactions. The economic velocity, or the rate at which goods and services are exchanged in an economy, is closely related to this concept, as it reflects the efficiency of the exchange process and the role of money in facilitating trade.
———————————-
ME: I asked Copilot: how much silver the does the US own for facilitating economic exchange versus silver as an industrial strategic element?
——————
Short answer:
The U.S. today holds virtually NO SILVER for monetary/economic‑exchange purposes, and it also does not maintain a meaningful strategic industrial silver stockpile. What is happening is a policy shift: Washington has reclassified silver as a critical mineral and is considering future stockpiling, but current holdings are effectively negligible.
The U.S. once held large silver reserves for coinage and monetary backing, but these were sold off or demonetized throughout the 20th century.
———————
ME: Now consider my previous posting where China is buying lots of silver [and gold too] and many Chinese citizens are now buying PMs.
============
My speculation–>Once the US grid goes down, the US will be back to the high frictional difficulty of barter; the double coincidence of wants will make for very slow trading. Meanwhile, China is actively working to have gold and silver coinage ready for easy trading when their grid goes kaput.
============
ME: From Wiki–>China has a long history of Bimetallism:
—————–
Bimetallism and China
The historical use of bimetallism in China is a topic of interest for economic historians and economists.
During the 1650-1850 period, China operated on a bimetallic exchange rate system, which was flexible and allowed for a dual price system. This system was based on the structure of the dual price system, where commodities were priced in terms of both gold and silver.
——————-
So, long before electricity, and the industrial use of silver [weaponry, solar PV, BEV, electronics, cellphones & credit cards, WWWeb, etc], China was very comfortable usings PMs for rapid trading. PMs helped increased the velocity of money over having a pure barter system.
Additionally, the Chinese abacus was a fast calculator that required no special materials:
——————————-
The Chinese abacus, known as Suanpan, is a calculating tool that can perform complex calculations at high speed. It can handle operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, and even square root and cube root operations. The efficiency of the Suanpan allows it to be used for both decimal and hexadecimal computations, making it a versatile tool for both historical and modern use.
——————
ME: Now try to imagine US GEN Z on the Seneca Downslope without electricity, computers, or cellphones. Being forced to use pencil & paper to compute and track barter trades and using paper ledgers for accounting balance sheets of assets & liabilities.
Conversely, China is far ahead of the US in having a more robust grid and strategic supply of critical Elements. They will still be making missiles, drones, and artillery and computing the ballistic fire solutions with calculators or abacuses while the US is badly fumbling its response. How can this be?
The Chinese people will gladly donate their personal silver for military advantage to the govt if it means no military draft of their children. More missiles & drones & PV panels, etc.
The US [having no silver coinage plus most citizens not holding silver either] will have no choice but to draft its youngsters to be cannon fodder for the Seneca Downslope.
As I have posted long before: I believe the Chinese play the strategic long game very, very well. The US [ at least so far] appears to not plan very far ahead.
Sun Tzu: “It is more important to out-think your enemy than to out-fight him.”
The Chinese far outpace the US in math computation skills and much more in education. Do the math or is that now too difficult for most Americans?
Bob Shaw Are Humans Smarter than Yeast
I agree that the Chinese are way ahead in many ways but in terms of CLIMATE they are in as deep doo doo as the USA. So IMO they as effed as the west. Hard to see 500 million urban Chinese doing well with the requirements of sudden rural living.
ME: from CNN
—————
How risky would a US assault on Iran’s Kharg Island be — and why might Trump consider it
https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/26/middleeast/kharg-island-us-assault-risk-trump-intl
—————
ME: Why put US troops on the island at all? Consider this strategy: totally scare and exhaust the island’s Iranians so badly that they willingly evacuate the island. With no knowledgeable oil workers on the island–> it is tactically the same as blowing up all the infrastructure and the incoming pipelines from the Iranian mainland. Even the IRGC leaders would understand that it would take decades to find & train new workers if the existing workers are killed.
Just drop leaflets first to let the Iranians know what is coming so they can choose to leave the island early.
If the US has already eliminated the island’s weapon stores by aerial bombing, then:
1. Drop super high-powered speakers that temporarily deafen the humans and cause instant bowel movements and vomiting. They cannot sleep if the noise is noxious sounding and loud. Kind of like the helicopter scene in ‘Apocalypse Now’ only now technically ramped up to 10.
2. Constant barrage of flash bombs to scare them even more; temporary blindness.
3. Constant barrage of smoke bombs to make for difficulty in breathing and seeing.
4. Release of various, non-lethal anesthetic gases to cause drowsiness, or anxiety attacks, or hallucinations.
5. Aerial spraying of huge amounts of natural allergens to cause constant runny noses, coughing up of mucus, watery eyes, endless sneezing. Makes it next to impossible to even fire a pistol or rifle.
6. Load each B-52 to max payload for aerial release of 70,000 lbs of freshly juiced potent onion juice in hefty plastic bags that violently rupture upon impact with the ground. Brings me to tears even thinking about this much onion gas in the air!
7. Repeat step 6 but use max payload of finely ground black pepper.
No expertise here, but maybe1-7 might meet UN requirements for legal non-lethal combat.
The next might be war crimes, but Trump and Hegseth don’t seem to care at this point.
8. Release of bacterial, fungal, and viral agents such as smallpox, Ebola, tuberculosis, blastomycosis, coccidiomycosis, etc.
9. Blast the island’s water supplies and/or surreptitiously infect so typhoid and cholera take hold. Hard to think of yourself as a martyr if you are dying from dehydration and diarrhea.
10. Sweep the island with powerful lasers that cause instant permanent blindness and skin burns.
11. WWI tactics of nerve gas, chlorine gas, etc.
Other readers may have more expertise on these topics than me.
Bob Shaw Are Humans Smarter than Yeast?
I’m being an aolehere, why pussy foot around a let loose the nukes and get it over with already?
It’s not like it’s not going to occur, because Harry Truman elected to use nukes on civilian cities to “test them ” and showcase the new prize “toys”.
A whole book has been written on it and the poet Thomas Merton penned a sarcastic verse on it also..
Original Child Bomb (1961): Merton wrote this, his most famous anti-nuclear poem, in response to the Hiroshima bombing. The title is a translation of the Japanese term for the atomic bomb. It is a satirical, 41-stanza “anti-poem” that meticulously details the events leading up to the bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, focusing on the apathy and technical detachment of the planners.
Original Child Bomb” was published with the sub-title “Points for meditation to be scratched on the walls of a cave.” Merton seems to suggest here that the bombing of Hiroshima risks returning humanity to the primitive condition of pre-historic cave dwellers.
The 41 sections of the poem contain 2,480 words. But it needs to be read in its entirety. Merton sets a chilling tone with his terse style and his compact use of language. It would not be a bad way to spend a few moments on this August 6, using Merton’s words to reflect on a painful and horrific event in our history.
I have read some Merton, but never heard of that poem before, VPK.
https://inaspaciousplace.wordpress.com/2012/08/06/hiroshima-original-child-bomb-by-thomas-merton/
A Time-Lapse Map of Every Nuclear Explosion Since 1945 – by Isao Hashimoto
https://youtu.be/LLCF7vPanrY
Sorry to say we deserve our fate.
😱
One advantage the Iranians have is that their entire elite seems to consist of 130 IQ polymath combat veterans with PhDs. Average decision-maker quality appears to be dramatically higher than elsewhere, especially qualified for shit-hits-the-fan situations
How many believe in the imaginary man in the sky?
A 130 IQ can’t save them from NTHE.
To paraphrase my favorite bumper sticker: If you’re so damn smart, why are you destroying you environment.
According to recent surveys about 78% of people in Iran believe in god. USA is about 81%.
What’s NTHE?
Near term human extinction
ME: more bad news as usual–>
———————
Collapse of US Agriculture
Potential disaster in 2026
The American Southwest has entered a state of terminal hydrological collapse. The mountain snowpack that sustains the region has failed pushing American agriculture toward a potential disaster in 2026.
This high-altitude frozen reservoir is currently at its lowest level in recorded history, signaling an immediate crisis for the 40 million people and the vast industrial complex dependent on the Colorado River. This is a structural shift in the region’s ability to support human life and economic activity…
…This regional water crisis collides with a global energy and fertilizer shock. Following Operation Epic Fury, Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, trapping 20 percent of the world’s oil, LNG, and approximately one-third of the world’s seaborne fertilizer. The loss of natural gas impacts fertilizer production globally. The loss of 50 percent of the world’s seaborne sulfur hurts phosphate fertilizer production.
This disruption occurred exactly as Northern Hemisphere farmers commenced spring planting, creating a global shortage of the chemical inputs required to sustain crop yields.
The simultaneous failure of the Colorado River and the fertilizer supply chain leaves American agriculture in peril this year. Compounding water and fertilizer shortages with high energy prices, American agriculture is getting pummeled by physical and financial shocks.
https://www.collapse2050.com/collapse-of-us-agriculture/
—————————
Are we ready to do manual stoop labor in the fields with a five-gallon jug strapped to our back as we hand pluck weeds and then pour a small cup of water around each vegetable plant?
C’mon kids! Who needs Disneyland when Desertland is right here!
Chevy Chase family vacation desert scene 2 minutes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4zfI-WyOfQ
“How Do the Fools Survive?”
No problem for 8 billion bricks in the wall.
This species is packing the sardine can full.