Artefacts of a
Burning World

Opinionated collection of 52 articles, films, podcasts and other artefacts related to the climate crisis.

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Podcast

Fall of Civilizations

By Paul Cooper

Throughout history, civilisations have fallen and sometimes almost disappeared altogether. Paul Cooper tells their stories, but always in relation to our own time: how similar was the Bronze Age’s dependence on the eponymous metal to today’s dependence on oil? Could the Vikings’ refusal to adapt in Greenland be similar to today's inactivity? And how could the Sumerian’s change in diet be a role model for us today?

The disappearance of the indigenous people of Easter Island is particularly instructive: in contrast to the commonly told fable of a society responsible for its own downfall, Paul Cooper tells of their fate as the result of Western imperialism.

As well as being interesting, the podcast is excellently produced – often with multiple narrators and music from the time of the story. In this interview, Cooper talks about his “catalogue of the worst leaders”, which is also available as a book.

Same topics
The Cooled vs. the Cooked
An Environmental Crisis Haunts the Ruins of Gaza
Jevons Paradox
The Road Not Taken
Greta Thunberg at the Houses of Parliament, United Kingdom
Scientists have captured Earth’s climate over the last 485 million years. Here’s the surprising place we stand now.
How Air-Conditioning Conquered America
Overview of mitigation options and their estimated ranges of costs and potentials in 2030
Quick—tell us who you’re wearing!
Diablo IV advertising with wildfire smoke
Half Earth Socialism Game
The Sunday Read: ‘What Does Sustainable Living Look Like? Maybe Like Uruguay’
100 gute Gründe gegen Atomkraft
Same formats
Can I microdose veganism?
How Air-Conditioning Conquered America
The Sunday Read: ‘Has the Amazon Reached Its “Tipping Point”?’
Consider the Burying Beetle. (Or Else.)
The Sunday Read: ‘What Does Sustainable Living Look Like? Maybe Like Uruguay’