Next round of updates for my #LivingLiteratureReview. This means I go back to the old posts and add new papers I found, to make sure that everything stays as up to date as possible. Posts which got updated this time:
* Mapping out collapse research (https://existentialcrunch.substack.com/p/mapping-out-collapse-research): Added Goliath's curse and improved the overview figures of different collapse ideas.
* Famine's role in societal collapse (https://existentialcrunch.substack.com/p/famines-role-in-societal-collapse): Added my new paper about crop production shocks.
* Climate anomalies and societal collapse (https://existentialcrunch.substack.com/p/climate-anomalies-and-societal-collapse): Added a study about how extreme weather events were related to major battles in the Roman Empire.
* Economic inequality and societal collapse (https://existentialcrunch.substack.com/p/economic-inequality-and-societal): Added a paper that empirically explores how the onset of capitalism was pretty bad for many societies.

If you want to read about the updates in more detail, you can check out the update post: https://existentialcrunch.substack.com/p/december-2025-updates

#SocietalCollapse #Food #Climate #inequality

Time for updates on my blog again. However, not only the articles, but also the infrastructure. Thanks to @rogue_scholar now every post has a DOI and can be cited. Also, to make things look nicer, every post now has its on fitting picture at the start.

When it comes to the contents I have updated, I wanted to highlight the article by Nord et al. (2025). In those times it is nice to sometimes come across articles that have something more positive to say. Nord et al. looked at how good democracies are at becoming more democratic again after they had some autocratic backsliding. At least according to their results, it seems like over time democracies have become better at this kind of course correction. In the last 30 years 73 % of all turns towards autocracy were quickly reversed. In addition, in contrast to earlier last century, these reverses now mostly happen before the country in questions becomes a full fledged autocratic regime.

If you want to learn more about this and the other articles I have added, you can find the new update post here: https://existentialcrunch.substack.com/p/july-2025-updates

#democracy #LivingLiteratureReview #RogueScholar

This month's post is about the hypothetical. Counterfactuals help us understand the world we live in by highlighting what could have gone differently and why. They also allow us to explore potential futures. For example, by examining a past catastrophe, we can ask: "What would have made this worse?" This allows us to better prepare for future challenges. 🌍🔍📖 https://existentialcrunch.substack.com/p/counterfactual-catastrophes

#counterfactual #LivingLiteratureReview #future #foresight #forecasting #storylines #ClimatCchange

In my work on #SocietalCollapse, the #FoodSystem 🌾 frequently emerges as a key factor. A critical aspect is the size of food stocks, which helps to endure periods of scarcity. But how much #food is actually stored worldwide? Check out my latest post to find out more. 🌍

https://existentialcrunch.substack.com/p/how-much-food-is-there

#resilience, #LivingLiteratureReview #scarcity

Throughout #history, #humans have often engaged in self-destructive behavior, creating incentive systems that harm society as a whole. These processes have recently been named "#AnthropoceneTraps." In my latest post, I explore this concept further: What traps have we fallen into? How deeply are we ensnared? What can we do to break free? 🌍🪤

https://existentialcrunch.substack.com/p/anthropocene-traps

#SocietalCollapse #Collapse #LivingLiteratureReview

What factors allow a #society to successfully navigate a #crisis? In a new post in my #LivingLiteratureReview on #collapse I do a deep dive into a recent quantitative #history preprint, which collected data from the #BronzeAge till the beginning of the #20thCentury to answer this question.

https://existentialcrunch.substack.com/p/what-factors-allow-societies-to-survive

What is the best place to weather the aftermaths of #GlobalCatastrophes? I explore this in a new post in my #LivingLiteratureReview. So, if you want to find out what makes a location resilient against such events, check it out:

https://existentialcrunch.substack.com/p/the-best-places-to-weather-global

#Australia #NewZealand #SouthEastAsia #resilience #GlobalCatastrophicRisk #Oceania