Jacek Debiec, MD, PhD, DPhil 🌎 🧠

‘Self-termination is most likely’: the history and future of societal collapse An epic analysis of 5,000 years of civilisation argues that a global collapse is coming unless inequality is vanquished

"An epic analysis of 5,000 years of civilisation argues that a global collapse is coming... Past climatic changes that precipitated collapses... usually involved a temperature change of 1°C at a regional level. Today, we face 3°C globally."

#ClimateSky

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

I am afraid that there is no critical mass for an uprising. As I look around, a significant portion of the middle class is focused on mainting or improving their standards of daily living and they do not perceive the collapse as a real threat.

‘Self-termination is most likely’: the history and future of societal collapse An epic analysis of 5,000 years of civilisation argues that a global collapse is coming unless inequality is vanquished

"An epic analysis of 5,000 years of civilisation argues that a global collapse is coming... Past climatic changes that precipitated collapses... usually involved a temperature change of 1°C at a regional level. Today, we face 3°C globally."

#ClimateSky

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Optimism bias is a cognitive bias that makes an individual believe that they themselves are less likely to experience a negative event. An example of optimism bias may be a belief that contrary to past and ongoing experiences fossil fuel companies will voluntarily wind down fossil fuels.
#ClimateSky

An earlier report by the same Crimson staff writers.

bsky.app/profile/star...

I hear you. Understanding the ongoing events offers an opportunity to prepare for the future more consciously. The Harvard Crimson student reporters have done a good job. It seems that Harvard's motto still appeals to them.

I would leave judgments to future historians. We can all make only the choices we are prepared to make. However, if one thinks that turning the country back from its path to authoritarianism will occur without making inconvenient choices and sacrifices, they are wrong.
bsky.app/profile/drja...

17 heat records broken in Japan Seventeen heat records were broken in Japan on Monday, the weather agency said, after the country sweltered through its hottest ever June and July.

" #Heatwaves are becoming more intense and frequent worldwide because of human-caused #climatechange... On July 30, #Japan experienced its highest recorded temperature, a sizzling 41.2°C (106F)."

Human-caused climate change is a human choice.

#ClimateSky

phys.org/news/2025-08...

"Harvard has already taken steps that align with Trump’s agenda, including dismantling its diversity offices... Harvard suspended its Religion, Conflict, and Peace Initiative and pushed out leaders at its Center for Middle Eastern Studies."
#AcademicSky
www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...

ChatGPT dissidents, the students who refuse to use AI: ‘I couldn’t remember the last time I had written something by myself’ Some college students are beginning to limit their use of artificial intelligence, so as not to hinder their own creativity, discipline and critical thinking

A good trend.

"More and more students are ceasing to use artificial intelligence (AI) in their assignments. They feel that, with this technology, they’re becoming lazier and less creative, losing the ability to think for themselves.".

english.elpais.com/technology/2...

Norway should buy Harvard Academic excellence has never been more affordable.

Go for it, Norway!
"Harvard is no longer welcome in the United States.. Norway should seize this historic opportunity by using the Oil Fund to buy Harvard, construct a state-of-the-art facility near Oslo, and relocate much of its faculty and students to Norway"
#AcademicSky
www.dn.no/innlegg/norw...

Central European University is forced out of Hungary, moving to Vienna Central European University says the Hungarian government has forced it to move its main campus from Budapest to Vienna.

The article about Harvard's move out of the U.S. is thought-provoking. Still, there is a recent precedent when a university left an authoritarian country and moved to a democratic one to protect its mission.

"Central European University Forced Out of Hungary"
www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/12...

Norway should buy Harvard Academic excellence has never been more affordable.

Go for it, Norway!
"Harvard is no longer welcome in the United States.. Norway should seize this historic opportunity by using the Oil Fund to buy Harvard, construct a state-of-the-art facility near Oslo, and relocate much of its faculty and students to Norway"
#AcademicSky
www.dn.no/innlegg/norw...

Some Democratic politicians have been too busy with other matters to attend to the country's affairs.

thehill.com/blogs/in-the...

bsky.app/profile/impl...

"Moral injury is independently associated with suicidal ideation and suicide attempt in high-stress, service-oriented occupations... Examples of potentially morally injurious events...might include... restricting access to critical treatments due to lack of supply"

www.nature.com/articles/s44...

Naiwnoscia byloby sadzic, ze ta przejadajaca sie, smiecaca i halasujaca cywilizacja przetrwa. Jakies szanse maja jednak spolecznosci i narody, ktory juz dzis podejmuja madre, wybiegajace w przyszlosc, decyzje. David Suzuki wskazuje na geograficznie bliska Polsce Finlandie.
bsky.app/profile/drja...

Same.

"Like the concentration camps in early Nazi Germany and many other countries, the Everglades facility was built for the mass incarceration of civilians without any real trial."

- Andrea Pitzer, a historian and author of "One Long Night: A Global History of Concentration Camps"

"For a leading institution of American society to meekly surrender to such blatant illegality and to betray and imperil its core mission and values is a profoundly dispiriting and potentially significant defeat in the struggle to preserve a free society."

- Columbia Alumni for #AcademicFreedom

What to do, and not do, during a heat wave Tips for keeping kids, adults, and the elderly cool and safe—even sans air conditioning.

"Stay hydrated, avoid strenuous or prolonged activities outdoors, keep your environment as cool as possible... Keep in touch with elderly neighbors or folks with young children or pets who may not have access to an air-conditioned location."

#Heatwave
#ClimateSky
www.motherjones.com/environment/...

Blazing heat in Iraq as Baghdad, south top 50˚C Iraqis grappled on Monday with searing heat in the capital Baghdad and parts of the country's south, where the weather service said temperatures reached 51˚C...

"Blazing heat in Iraq as Baghdad, south top 50˚C [122F]... Iraq's 46 million people face rising temperatures, chronic water shortages, and year-on-year droughts, in a country intensely impacted by the effects of #ClimateChange."

#ClimateSky

www.gulftoday.ae/lifestyle/20...

Record heat in Turkey, temperatures reach 50 degrees Celsius Turkey's environment ministry said meteorologists had recorded a temperature of 50.5 degrees Celsius in the southeast of the country, a record for the entire country. The record temperature was record...

"Record heat in Turkey, temperatures reach 50 °C [122F]... The country is currently in the grip of a #heatwave and is battling fires in a number of regions."

#ClimateSky

telegrafi.com/en/Heat-reco...

Tehran Is at Risk of Running Out of Water Within Weeks

"Temperatures are so high that one day last month a part of Iran saw a heat index of 149 F [65 °C]...making it one of the hottest places on Earth... Tehran is at risk of running out of water within weeks."

#ClimateSky

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/26/w...

Iraq shuts down government offices as heat wave pushes temperatures past 52°C Public sector workers given the day off, Met office allays fears of 65°C temperatures

"Iraq shuts down government offices as #heatwave pushes temperatures past 52°C [125.6F]".

#ClimateSky

gulfnews.com/world/mena/i...

At least 17 killed in ‘apocalyptic’ Turkey wildfires sparked by record 50C heatwave as thousands flee their homes - NewsBreak AT least 17 people have been killed in apocalyptic wildfires tearing through Turkey as record-breaking 50C heat and howling winds fuel devastation across t

"Apocalyptic #wildfires tearing through Turkey as record-breaking 50°C [122F] heat and howling winds fuel devastation across the eastern Mediterranean".

#ClimateSky

www.newsbreak.com/the-us-sun-5...

Glacier in Antarctica that could drown cities is breaking apart Scientists are using satellite data to track fractures in Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier - before its collapse triggers major sea-level rise.

Glacier in Antarctica that could drown cities is breaking apart

"The Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica is nearly 80 miles wide, making it the largest glacier in the world by width. If it collapses entirely, the resulting changes could raise global sea levels."

www.earth.com/news/glacier...

“Staggering” Water Loss Driven by Groundwater Mining Poses Global Threat A new study finds that freshwater resources are rapidly disappearing, creating arid “mega” regions and causing sea levels to rise.

ProPublica: Nearly 6 billion people live in the 101 countries that a new study has identified as confronting a net decline in #water supply — signaling enormous challenges for #food production and a heightening risk of #conflict and #instability.

#ClimateSky

www.propublica.org/article/wate...

More than a thousand Israeli academics call for end to war in Gaza over 'moral collapse' Academics warn higher education has been 'silent for too long' over bloodshed in Gaza

"We cannot claim that we did not know. We have been silent for too long... As academics, we recognize our own role in these crimes. It is human societies, not governments alone, that commit crimes against humanity."
#AcademicSky
www.middleeasteye.net/news/1300-is...

Harvard scholars demand school not cave to Trump's 'assault' A group of prominent faculty members at Harvard University on Thursday urged the school to stand firm against legal and financial pressures being brought by U.S. President Donald Trump's administratio...

"Even if Harvard's administration believes that it is getting a 'good' deal, any 'deal' will be used to extort more concessions and destroy academic freedom elsewhere. This is not how the leading U.S. university should behave."

#AcademicSky

www.rawstory.com/harvard-univ...

‘Classic tinpot dictator’: Trump exports his assault on democracy to Brazil US president seems to be weaponizing tariffs to punish Brazil for its coup trial against his ally Bolsonaro

“I feel for the Brazilians. This is a very authoritarian political force that’s doing enormous damage to my country’s democratic institutions and rights.. It’s painful to see the [US] government do damage to other countries’ democratic institutions as well."
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...