Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
As wars escalate, ecological systems collapse, and inequality deepens, traditional, nation-centered ideas of security and peace are no longer sufficient. “Planetary peace” links peace with ecological balance, regenerative economics, social justice, and planetary cooperation in this new human era.
Chris Smaje visits Crazy Town for some farmer-to-farmer straight talk. We cover Viking raids to agrarian populism, from societal collapse to the practicalities of making your way in a failed state. And they can’t get away from the shop talk of gardens, livestock, and home economics.
We’re talking dam removal today. So grab a sledge hammer, a few sticks of dynamite, and a wrecking ball, and come along as we explore the battle between concrete placement and concrete removal. And don’t miss our interview with Tara Lohan, author of Undammed: Freeing Rivers and Bringing Communities to Life.
If modernity cannot endure within planetary limits, what comes next? Dave Murphy and Tom Murphy debate the likelihood of collapse, the possibility of adaptation and what we owe each other in a time of ecological overshoot.
In a wide-ranging exchange, physicist Tom Murphy and energy scholar Dave Murphy explore the tension between optimism and planetary limits, debating whether modernity can endure or must give way to something entirely new.
Nate Hagens explores the growing sense that many people feel disoriented and overwhelmed in a world increasingly saturated with digital content.
It’s been fifty years since the collapse of civilization – why isn’t everything back up and running already? In the sci-fi novel “Earth Abides,” Ish tries to teach the next generation about the old ways but these dang kids would rather explore abandoned boulevards and overgrown shopping malls.
It’s really refreshing to hear from you, our listeners and fellow strugglers living in high-energy modernity (affectionately known as Crazy Townies). This mailbag episode offers the element of surprise, as it gives us a chance to respond with delight and spontaneity to your questions and comments.
From the archive | Having spent twenty years articulating the more-than-human predicament, Nate Hagens shares a timely first-pass framework for action and response organized around what to do now, which could be applied in various contexts and at multiple scales.
To find our way in our climate journey, we don’t need more information, we need orientation. Join us for a conversation with Katharine Wilkinson about Climate Wayfinding on May 28, 2026.
In his new book, the author argues that without a clearer view of the systems we’re embedded in, as well as our cultural and historical contexts, our responses to the polycrisis will continue to fall short.
The climate crisis demands urgency, not ideological uniformity. In an already fragmented movement, requiring adherence to specific positions on issues beyond climate action deepens division and opens space for anti-democratic influence.
