HOW CAN PEOPLE PROTECT THEMSELVES AGAINST POTENTIAL ECONOMIC AND CLIMATE COLLAPSE?

Collapse, like bankruptcy, will come bit by bit – and then all at once.

If there is total collapse, there is no future. However, collapse is likely to be an uneven process. People can take practical steps to adapt and protect themselves.

When widespread ‘events’ happen, the state is unlikely to be able to help much. It has been hollowed out and high-tech systems have replaced people. It no longer has the capacity it once had and will be overwhelmed.

It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to think about what to do if circumstances deteriorate.

1. Be more self-reliant. Do things for yourself or with people you know to reduce costs and increase collective capacity. Learn to survive on as little as possible. Work with friends and neighbours to improve community resilience and security.

2. Pay off debt unless it is at a fixed rate – go onto a fixed rate mortgage if you can. Avoid buying expensive things that you can do without and instead invest in things that will be useful if inflation rips or there is social, environmental or economic chaos – such as tools.

3. Learn a practical skill that can be traded. If you can make things or do things that people need to be done you can trade these for things you need.

4. Learn to grow ‘easy’ vegetable like potatoes, onions, beetroot and other root vegetables and learn which things that grow ‘wild’ can be eaten.

5. Make sure you have at least 3 months supply of food and learn how and where to store it. It is likely that there will be a series of jolts leading up to a major crisis that will create dislocations in everyday life – which will affect food and energy supplies etc. Keep dry goods like pasta, pulses, rice etc. Invest in freezers and stock up on frozen food.

6. Conserve energy, install solar panels with battery back-up. Buy mobile solar panels with as much battery back-up as you can get. Don’t rely totally on the electricity grid.

7. The most energy intensive things are heating, cooking and hot water. A wood burner can provide hot water and cooking facilities in an emergency and is a good insurance policy that gets away from total grid dependence.

8. Have an emergency petrol supply and get a generator.

9. Ensure a reliable supply of water through water barrels and get a water purifier.

10. Avoid being too dependent on technology and the power grid because if these things fail you are helpless.

Think about a contingency plan – what you would have to do if you lost your job, or if your area flooded or could be affected by fire, or if local shops run out of supplies.

We should approach the uncertainties of the future by thinking about them and planning for them. It is likely to be uncomfortable and even dangerous – but if we prepare then we can prevail.