PBS Terra lists '5 Warning Signs of Collapse We're Ignoring' plus presidential pets for Presidents Day

I promised the sequel to PBS Terra explains 'This Is How the World Ends According to Science', so I'm sharing 5 Warning Signs of Collapse We're Ignoring.

Is this how civilizations end? As climate disasters intensify, some cities survive — and others collapse. So what makes the difference?

In this episode of Weathered, host Maiya May investigates what history reveals about system collapse, failed cities, and civilizations that didn’t survive climate shocks. Were they doomed? Or did they miss warning signs we’re seeing today?

With climate disasters and global warming accelerating, researchers Luke Kemp and strategic climate risk expert Laurie Laybourn break down the common patterns behind civilization collapse — and the 5 strategies that can help modern societies avoid the same fate.

If you’ve ever wondered:

Is it the end of the world?

When do systems collapse?

Can cities survive climate change?

How do we prevent total societal collapse?

This episode explores what history teaches us — and why it’s not too late to change course.

Because collapse isn’t inevitable. But survival isn’t automatic either.

When I created this blog, I called it "A blog about societal, cultural, and civilizational collapse, and how to stave it off or survive it." I've shifted away from that, making this more "A blog about sustainability with a science fiction slant and a Detroit perspective," as it says on the Crazy Eddie's Motie News Facebook page (if you're still on Facebook, please follow), but I've never changed the description here after 15 years. That's because, deep down, I still believe in the mission I set for myself in March 2011.

On that note, here are the five strategies Maiya May and her guests propose to avoid collapse: situational awareness, adaptation, speed, democracy, and storytelling. On this blog, I'm sharing and telling stories to make people more aware of the situation, get prepared for the future, and encourage speedy responses and democracy. The last two seem like contradictions, as democracy is not known for rapid decisions, but I agree with May and her guests that both are necessary, if not easy. I hope my readers and I are up for the task.

Today is also Presidents Day, but I decided sharing the above was more important and productive than writing this year's version of John Oliver on 'Trump 2.0' for Presidents Day. Donald "Hoover Harding Cleveland" Trump gets enough attention and I want to starve him of his narcissistic supply. Instead, I'm sharing National Day Calendar's PRESIDENTS DAY | Third Monday in February.

On the third Monday in February, the United States celebrates the federal holiday known as Presidents Day. The day takes place during the birth month of the country's two most prominent presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. While the day once only honored President George Washington on his birthday, February 22nd, the day now never lands on a single president's birthday.

Across the country, most Americans know the day as Presidents Day. More and more of the population celebrates the day to honor all of the past United States Presidents who have served the country. Throughout the country, organizations and communities celebrate the day with public ceremonies.

Marlo Anderson celebrated all the Presidents' pets, which reminded me that Hoover Harding Cleveland is in fairly sparse company. As Wikipedia notes, "Only James K. Polk, Andrew Johnson, and Donald Trump did not have any presidential pets while in office" — something else Hoover Harding Cleveland has in common with Andrew Johnson besides having a majority of Senators vote to convict him after being impeached!

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for more holidays, as tomorrow is a triple celebration of Lunar New Year, Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday, and a solar eclipse on Tuesday.