The Perfect Storm
The Bronze Age collapse began with wars, earthquakes, and droughts. So will ours.
It is possible to ignore war, but not the weather.
El Nino is an intense warming of the world’s oceans, which has led to extreme weather around the world. Heatwaves in Europe and India have killed thousands. Violent storms and flooding have spread across the world. This week alone, flooding in southern China has killed 39, and hurricanes in central China have killed 11. In Beijing, where I live, the heat has been as intense as the rain.
In the past two months, there have been thirteen serious earthquakes, including two that struck Venezuela on the same day. So far, nearly four thousand have been confirmed dead, with 16,740 still missing.
These extreme geophysical events may unleash a chain reaction that culminates with empty shelves in the most privileged parts of the world and starving children in the least.
It does not help that there seems to be no political solution to either the war in Iran or in Ukraine. In fact, it seems both wars are about to escalate. NATO leaders met in Ankara this week, and Trump agreed to permit Ukraine to manufacture the Patriot air defense system.