As of July 31, 2026, the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) held approximately 304.8 million barrels of crude oil, its lowest level since March 1983. From its historic peak of roughly 726 million barrels in 2009, the SPR has experienced a cumulative drawdown of approximately 421 million barrels—about a 58% reduction. The decline has been […]
Category Archives: Politics
The Two Sides of the Climate Crisis: Consumption and Production
by Daniel Brouse Climate change is often discussed as a problem of emissions, but emissions are the result of two interconnected forces: consumption and production. Q: What are the greatest drivers of climate change?A: Consumption and production. At present, I would rank our addiction to consumption and ecofascism as the two most significant drivers of […]
The States with the Biggest Climate Footprints Aren’t the Ones You Think
by Daniel Brouse When most people think about greenhouse gas emissions, they picture sprawling cities, crowded highways, and millions of people flipping on lights and air conditioners. It’s no surprise, then, that states like California, Texas, Florida, and New York usually dominate lists of greenhouse gas emissions. But those rankings tell only part of the […]
America’s New Tariff Landscape: Who Gets Taxed—and Who Really Pays?
Introduction The latest U.S. tariff framework is now in place, and while tariffs are collected at the border, it’s American families who ultimately pay most of the bill. 📊 Highlights:• Average household: +$2,000–$2,700 per year• Buying a new home and a new car? The added cost from tariffs on steel, aluminum, lumber, vehicles, appliances, and […]
Oil: A Slippery Slope (Literally and Figuratively)
Oil is one of those subjects that’s surprisingly slippery—both physically and economically. Most people know prices go up and down, but few realize that even storing oil comes with limits. Take the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). It’s often treated like a giant underground gas tank that can be drained and refilled at will. Not […]
Accounting for Climate Responsibility
by Daniel Brouse Comparing Two Approaches to Measuring Humanity’s Climate Footprint Climate responsibility depends on how emissions are assigned. Traditional territorial accounting attributes emissions to the country where they occur, but globalization has made that approach increasingly incomplete. Modern supply chains, international trade, and service-based economies often separate where emissions are produced from who ultimately […]
The Evolution of the American Economy: Capitalism, State Capitalism, and Socialism
Introduction For much of its history, the United States has been portrayed as the world’s leading example of free-market capitalism, while socialism and communism have often been presented as fundamentally incompatible with American economic principles. In reality, no modern economy operates as a pure ideological model. Instead, governments continually adapt their economic policies in response […]
Worldwide Water Wars
Climate Change, Water Scarcity, and the Geopolitics of a Thirsty Planet by Daniel Brouse Water has become one of the defining geopolitical resources of the 21st century. Population growth, aging infrastructure, groundwater depletion, pollution, and climate change have pushed many of the world’s major river basins toward what researchers increasingly describe as global water bankruptcy—a […]
Denialism and Ecofascism
Complex social-ecological feedback loops arise when human systems and natural systems react to climate change in ways that amplify one another. Because Earth’s climate operates as a nonlinear system, these interactions do not unfold gradually — they can accelerate suddenly, compound unpredictably, and push the system toward irreversible shifts. This nonlinear, cross-regional feedback behavior is […]
Climate Change and Civilization Collapse
What Is Civilization Collapse? Humans are unlikely to face immediate extinction under foreseeable climate scenarios. Our species possesses technological capabilities, global communication networks, and a remarkable ability to adapt to changing conditions. Let’s lower the bar then to civilization collapse and define the term. Not talking about timeframes, could you explain what that term means […]