How does literature reflect the crisis we're collectively experiencing—and why do some of the novels published today fail to grasp both the intensity and complexity of our world?

The European elite who believe Trump in power is Whiteness in power fail to recognise just how little the New World cares about them.

Welcome to 2026, and this special episode of Planet: Critical where I discuss hope, collapse, effective action and what may yet be in store for us all. Here are your questions I chose this year: 1. What would be your trigger for a more drastic exit from society in preparation for collapse? 2. How are you planning to (or have already thus far) prepared for the coming collapse of western industrialised globalised economy? 3. After the collapse when healthier, egalitarian groups are forming, there will be remnants in the form of warlord bands. How can we defeat this phenomenon? 4. How do you avoid not pivoting most conversations to some form "the system will fail sooner rather than later" when talking to people that are not collapse aware? 5. How do stay hopeful when collapse is moving so fast and it feels like progress (or the shifting of human consciousness) is moving so slow? 6. Given the intensity and inherent heaviness of your work, the painful realities you interrogate, how do you answer the call to joy? What nourishes you? 7. What form of protest could be the most effective/efficient in halting capitalism and ushering in a new economy all at once? 8. Assuming government or big business does not provide us with solutions, what are you doing personally in as far as your own adaptation to a changing world, governance, and climate? 9. What do you believe have been some of the most effective things (images, ideas, experiences, stories) that have gotten people to wake up to AND take action that moves us toward community sufficiency? 10. Is it time to pull back from the echo chamber of much of the internet and social media, and focus as much as possible at our localities and effect as much change as we can here? 11. How can humanity quickly get out of the financial, economic, and military competition to properly deal with the climate and environmental crisis that's threatening all life on this planet? 12. I think we're all wary of people peddling solutions, but do you think there are levers that could push us towards a better future? 13. Is there a single most strategic leverage point (cognitively, institutionally or socially) that would accelerate meaningful and widespread transformation rather than incremental reform? 14. What positive stories of resistance from around the world can we take inspiration from going into 2026? 15. How will AI impact us during a time of climate breakdown? 16. How does one acknowledge the past but at the same time not become an apologist for its continuation in the same way going forward? And conversely how do you simultaneously acknowledge the past, acknowledge its cruelties and not sound like you wished it had never happened? 17. We had and have the answers in the cultures that were conquered by colonisation and extraction. Why doesn’t the alternative which has always existed in human history of preserving and respecting our Earth have to be reinvented by Western narratives? 18. While "prediction is difficult, especially if it's about the future" (to cite Niels Bohr), what future seems most likely to you for the world of 2050 and 2100? * * * _You can listen to the episode on a podcast app, in your browser,__download_ _it or_ _watch_ _it below (where automatic subtitles are provided)._ Support Planet: Critical today

Dear community, I'm back in wintry Scotland enjoying time with family and friends. I hope that, wherever you are, and whatever you may be doing, you can also carve out a pocket of peace to turn towards with those you love as the world keeps howling onward. It's that time of year again for the special episode, where subscribers submit their questions about Planet: Critical, Planet: Coordinate, and anything else on their minds. If you're new, you can get a feel for the special episodes in 2023 and 2024. Submit your questions via this online form. I pick around 10 for the episode. You can also use the form to submit feedback. I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for being here. The global economy has taken a significant downturn for the everyman since Trump took power, and I'm aware that those of you who support Planet: Critical with a paid subscription are feeling the pinch more than ever. I've noticed how many people are having to downgrade their subscriptions this year, and have received personal emails from quite a number of subscribers explaining and even apologising. There is no apology necessary; we are all in this together. I am deeply grateful for those who can support my work with a paid subscription, and deeply grateful for those who support by sharing my work across the internet. I'm thankful you're all here, reading, listening and engaging with what began as a passion project and has blossomed into a career. You have given me so much. If you want to upgrade your subscription, or if you need to downgrade, you can do so by managing your subscription here. You can also leave a one-off tip. I will hold out and continue to do this work for as long as I can. I'm taking the next two weeks off to celebrate the height of winter, new year and my birthday, so you've got some time to submit your questions for the special episode. I'll be back the first week of January with my answers. Until then, I wish you warmth, grit and rest. With kindness, Rachel

You've heard of energy—but do you have any idea what exergy is? On today's astounding episode of Planet: Critical, scholar Tânia Sousa explains the concept of exergy—the quality of energy—and why it is critical to understanding our energy systems, our economies, and energy transitions. She explains energy degradation, energy efficiency, and the how differences in available energy actually create the necessary gradients for life to happen. What this means, however, is that the pockets of high quality energy deposits around the world are a gift—and when we go through them, by burning all the oil or mining all the mines, then we will find ourselves in a world where we are capable of doing much less useful work. Planet: Critical is approaching its five year anniversary, and yet this conversation felt like the very beginning of this journey when every episode was a revelation. And so it feels important to end the podcast this year with this mind-blowing hour. Support the podcast with a paid subscription _You can listen to the episode on a podcast app, in your browser,__download_ _it or_ _watch_ _our conversation on Youtube (where automatic captions are provided)._

Anger has kept me sane and determined in the face of injustice. But learning that one of the victims of the mass shooting at Bondi beach was a Holocaust survivor, I broke down in tears.

Geographer Samuel Miller McDonald on the myth of progress that has legitimised violence for over 5,000 years, revealing how it has been recycled through Holy Books, colonial legislation, international development, and even technological innovation.

You don't have to read between the lines to understand who Donald Trump is afraid of — and who he plans on beating into submission

Who's going to grow your food when our complex supply chains fail? Chris Smaje, academic turned small-hold farmer, is an advocate for hyper-local agrarianism—because that's going to be our future whether we like it or not. Chris returns to Planet: Critical to discuss his third book, Finding Lights in a Dark Age, which details the history of land expropriation, the inefficiency of modern, industrial farming, and the benefits to body, mind and spirit when we all muck in together and get our hands dirty. We cover all this and more, getting into the critiques and fears people hold around small-scale farming, with Chris explaining the racist and colonial ideologies that still underpin our attitudes towards farming in the Western world. And as he reiterates over and over again, making the choice today to get involved in your own community sufficiency is one of the best ways we can prepare for the inevitable fall-out of hyper-exploitation, hyper-consumption and hyper inequality. Support Planet: Critical _Listen to the episode in your browser, download it_ _here_ _or_ _watch on Youtube_ _._

We used to sit and hash out the differences in our analyses of the global situation, now we scheme about how to navigate a world without commercial planes, without NATO, without food imports.

European invaders genocided cultures, languages and ideologies. Feminist philosopher Jules Falquet this legacy lives on in our minds when we uncritically accept the racial and gender categories which stem from that colonial conquest.

Choosing whether or not to have children has been a critical component of cultures around the world for millennia, and the choosing not to has always been as important as the choosing to.

Natural Scientist, Fernando Racimo, on why the Scientist Rebellion movement is critical—and how it must evolve to truly confront the rot deep at the heart of universities.

Complexity scientists Dave Snowden explains why good intentions never leave the conference centre.

I had never before thought of the term “mass grave” in reference to more-than-humans but it was the first description that came to mind, and the most apt I have come to since. I was swimming across the bodies of millions, perhaps billions, of dead and dying beings.