[Book Review] Breaking Together
Stumbling onto the truth is painful for those invested in the lie of infinite-economics
reaking Together, published in the summer of 2023, offers a compelling—and at times, controversial—look at the intersection of environmental decline, economic instability, and societal collapse. The book, though grounded in ecological concerns, also explores the broader limitations of growth in an energy-scarce world. It is an important read for those interested in environmental theory, but it could also be provocatively subtitled Eco-Fascism and 21st Century Collapse.
The author, a well-known figure in progressive circles and one of the founding members of the extremist environmental organization Extinction Rebellion, frames the current ecological crisis through the lens of energy scarcity. He argues that as resources like petroleum and even renewable energy become increasingly expensive and harder to extract, the unchecked growth of industrial civilization will inevitably slow, halt, and eventually reverse. This is a theme that echoes many of the ideas found in works like The Ecotechnic Future, which also discusses the limitations of growth in a post-industrial society.
While the author is undoubtedly well-read on these subjects, his conclusions can seem a bit late to the party. He appears to have come to the realization—after a career spent supporting the very social structures that perpetuated this collapse—that the very systems he once championed are at the root of the crisis. This recognition gives the book an interesting, self-reflective tone, though it also highlights the author's somewhat late acknowledgment of the impending collapse.
Critics may argue that his approach is tinged with a certain elitism, as he writes from a position of privilege, frequently citing his connections to powerful figures such as Klaus Schwab and the "globalist elite." Still, his analysis of how environmental instability, population decline, and diminishing energy resources will lead to catastrophic societal failures is built on solid logical foundations. He describes, with striking clarity, how the failures of the monetary system and the interests of the political elite will only exacerbate these issues.
One of the book's most important—and perhaps most alarming—arguments is the idea that our current financial system, based on fiat currency and perpetual growth, cannot sustain itself without constant expansion. The notion of "kicking the can down the road" may work for a while, but eventually, the system will face a reckoning. As the author points out, we cannot simply "power down" our post-industrial society without destabilizing the very economic structures that support it. This inevitability is why calls like "In another ten years, it’ll be too late to stop climate change" are repeated so often—not because they are accurate, but because powerful interests benefit from keeping the public in a state of crisis and urgency.
While Breaking Together is thought-provoking and occasionally disconcerting in its conclusions, it ultimately serves as a sobering reminder of the challenges we face in the 21st century. Whether or not you agree with all of the author's views, the book offers valuable insights into the complex forces shaping our future. For readers interested in environmental theory, economics, or collapse scenarios, it provides an important perspective that is well worth considering.
According to Jem Bendell, the collapse of modern systems didn’t suddenly appear—it began quietly somewhere between 2005 and 2010. Historians will likely look back on the following fifty to one hundred years as the era when the Pax Americana, the supposed period of global stability led by the United States, began to crumble. Bendell points to the deflationary struggles of monetary systems, combined with rising energy costs and declining productivity, as key factors. He argues that these pressures, alongside a shrinking population, have created an unsustainable demand for constant growth.
Bendell doesn’t shy away from bold claims. He credits the so-called “Kung-Flu” pandemic as a critical accelerant, breaking down systems faster and more violently than anyone expected. The pandemic, he suggests, wasn’t just a health crisis—it was a stress test that exposed the cracks in the foundation of global structures.
Another major theme in the book is what Bendell calls “Elite Panic.” He argues that the Globalist Elites—the billionaires, policymakers, and corporate leaders who supposedly hold all the power—are just as vulnerable as everyone else. Their response to crises, particularly during the 2020-2023 pandemic, showed that they aren’t the masterminds many imagine. Instead, they’re reactionary and often clueless, resorting to funding violent left-wing organizations through non-profits and PACs. The Pandemic Response from 2020 to 2023 demonstrated that the Elites do not have secret all-knowing cabals; they instead flail wildly when confronted with a difficult reality. Often panic among the elites causes more harm than the original catastrophe they’re trying to deal with. Incompetence in the majority of their number due to DEI initiatives and the like has only made things worse.
The author spends about two cumulative chapters whinging about how sorry he is that he might make people feel sad by publishing this book. Two additional cumulative chapters are spent talking about “indigenous sustainable methods for survival” and deconstructing the neoliberal view of the world (both environment and human culture). The author argues that the natural world is not a machine that humans can simply adjust or fix. Instead, he emphasizes that human civilization is deeply embedded within the global ecology. As the ecology shifts—whether through climate change, resource depletion, or other pressures—human civilization, including the post-industrial systems we rely on, will inevitably shift along with it.
One of the book’s more controversial points is the author’s treatment of “moral civilization,” which he seems to equate with neoliberal ideals. However, he struggles to grapple with the Darwinian implications of his ideas. The book suggests that in times of collapse, the civilizations that survive will be the strong ones, highlighting the concept of “Might is Right.” Yet, the author undermines his own argument by critiquing “patriarchal” civilizations while ignoring the historical reality that matriarchal systems have consistently failed. Similarly, he fails to distinguish between the cooperative behavior possible in small human groups and the competitive dynamics that dominate larger societies.
Despite the frustrating layers of neoliberal framing, the book offers valuable insights. It delves into the psychology of the elites, exploring their fears and responses to perceived threats. Additionally, it provides a compelling breakdown of how the collapse of global systems is likely to unfold. While the author’s biases may test a reader’s patience, the underlying analysis makes the book worth reading.
The author presents his arguments through a purely materialistic and neoliberal lens, which leaves glaring gaps in his reasoning. For instance, he struggles to justify concepts like “doing the right thing without a guarantee of success.” While such ideas are easily supported within a spiritual worldview, the author’s strict materialism limits his ability to provide a satisfying explanation.
That said, the book does offer valuable insights. It sheds light on the mindset of the establishment elites and their left-wing enforcers, whom the author critiques as intellectually shallow and prone to violent reactions. However, one of the most amusing shortcomings in the text is the author’s understanding of what constitutes “the collapse of civilization.” For many readers, particularly those under 30, it’s clear that the collapse isn’t a distant event—it’s something we’ve been living through our entire lives.
Declining quality of life? Check.
Scarcity of resources? Check.
Falling life expectancy? Check.
Deteriorating food and housing standards? Absolutely.
Unreliable supply lines for critical resources? Unfortunately, Check.
For younger generations, these aren’t theoretical warning signs—they’re the everyday reality. Yet the author seems to define “civilizational collapse” as: the inability to take yearly vacations to Greece or sip champagne with academic and financial elite friends. While such inconveniences might feel catastrophic to some, for most people, they represent a step up from the struggles already faced.
The primary flaw in the text is the author’s narrow focus on environmentalism, ignoring the many other forces contributing to societal collapse. Civilization follows cycles, and the interplay of these cycles is just as critical as ecological change. The author overlooks key factors such as the profound biological and intellectual differences between peoples, the breakdown of the gender contract, the failure of political hegemony, and the reality of ultimate resource scarcity and economic scalability. For instance, most industries operate on razor-thin margins. If demand drops, production can’t simply scale down—it’s all or nothing. Producing a fraction of the current supply of cobalt, gold, or smartphones simply isn’t economical. Industry thrives on scale, and without it, production collapses altogether.
While the environmental aspect of collapse is undeniable, it’s only part of the story. The convergence of ecological change, energy scarcity, and other structural failures is creating a perfect storm that will likely make the coming century challenging.
While the author isn’t necessarily wrong or misinformed, there’s a clear lack of fortitude in his perspective. He appears confined to an economic bubble he’s hesitant to break free from. The reality he describes is bleak: humanity is running out of many essential resources. Writing from the UK, the author foresees a scenario where food rationing becomes necessary within the next 10 to 15 years—a prediction that many would consider realistic. The UK, heavily reliant on financial systems to sustain its imports, teeters on the edge of bankruptcy. The UK is already entering the territory of “developing country” or worse “failed state.” More wealthy British citizens emigrated out of the United Kingdom over the last few years than any other country on earth except for China. China has a population 20x higher than that of the UK. Citizens of the UK who can leave are leaving fast as they can. Per capita, the UK has the highest emigration rate on earth by a solid margin. Without that financial economic scaffolding, the country UK will collapse under its own weight.
The sense of panic the author conveys comes from recognizing this fragile house of cards. What’s fascinating, however, is how easily the core truths of this book could be easily reframed. Although the author packages his ideas within a neoliberal progressive framework, with minor edits—changing a few paragraphs and swapping out some key terms—this text could transform into an eco-fascist manifesto. It’s a compelling reminder that truth is often more malleable than we think, with its framing dictated by the political or ideological lens applied. The same facts can be spun to fit entirely different narratives, depending on the context.
“Privileged” → “Oversocialized”
“Imperial Modernity” → “Post-Industrial Society”
“Indigenous” → “Culturally Traditional”
“Global South” → “Traditionalist Strongholds”
“Money Power” → “[Financial Oligarchs]”
“Capital” → “Monetary Parasites”
“Capitalism” → “Parasitic Banking” or “Parasitic Bankers”
“Eco-Libertarian” → “Eco-Fascist”
“Patriarchy” → All of these sections can be removed as they are entirely ancillary to the arguments made and add nothing of substance to the text aside from left-wing framing.
“Eco-Authoritarianism” → “Ecological Progressivism”
Remove all of the whining about “making people sad” with the context of the book. The only people who will feel upset by the content are the globalist boomers like the author who are entirely unprepared for upset to their worldview.
“Colonial” → “Heroic” or “Imperial”
“Ecological Justice” → remove references and replace with “Civilizational Darwinism” emphasizing that weak and over-reliant cultures will die out.
One thing that the author acknowledges; breaching a taboo subject in the neoliberal worldview, is the role humanity plays as its own ecosystem. Humanity is just another part of the global ecosystem and alterations made externally are reflected internally. Something that a number of modern analysts have noted.
Still, while the the book acknowledges these subjects and goes into extreme depth, it fails to look at the most important questions with the sort of forward-thinking fearlessness required in a time of change:
What to do next.
At its core, the book is an extensive examination of the mechanisms driving societal breakdown and how these processes are likely to unfold. However, the discussion remains firmly rooted in a neoliberal framework that emphasizes concepts like “human dignity” and “global egalitarianism.” Those of us familiar with the realities of the modern world understand that such ideals will quickly lose relevance when basic needs, like food, are no longer met.
What stands out as more intriguing is the possibility that demographic and social collapse could short-circuit resource limits entirely. Historically, human societies tend to collapse at around 70% of their carrying capacity. If this pattern holds true, it suggests that a dramatic global restructuring—likely violent in many instances—will occur within the next century. The book implies that sociological stresses, rather than purely environmental limits, could drive the global population to shrink by half. What emerges from this upheaval could be something entirely different from the world we know today.
While the author is clearly well-informed, his analysis is often constrained by the lens of his own idealism. He struggles to look beyond the hopeful prism of his worldview, even as the evidence he presents points to a far grimmer and more complex future.
For a perspective on “after the collapse” the book “The Ecotechnic Future” may be excellently paired literature.
The authors concerns are all predicated on the end of cheap energy. Energy availability is inevitably, slowly, contracting at this stage of history… but that may not be the end of civilization. The author published his book just before a critical experiment was tested by CalTech. An orbital satellite was used to beam solar energy to the surface of the planet using microwaves. If that method proves to be energy-positive and scalable, we are looking at another 250 years of economic expansion. Gigantic solar collectors could be put into orbit to beam energy back to the surface via lasing cavity. Ultimately, heat dissipation limits would be the next big issue, the waste-heat of society at present growth rates may boil the oceans in 250 years or so.
The social collapse and restructuring must still take place, but the eternal-growth-economic-model may remain effective for a while longer. There have been a lot of doom-speakers in the past, and our civilization may yet thread the needle to achieve the impossible. Faustian Civilization does have a history of doing so successfully in the past… and none of the doom speakers have noticed this potentially enormous energy source in their works so far. Of course, it is likely that we will not thread the needle and instead sink into a post-industrial dark age.
I’m curious as to how the author would justify the tactics of Extinction Rebellion. It seems like a bunch of middle class types trying to obstruct and torment average people trying to go about their days. Then you add some wanton destruction of irreplaceable cultural heritage. Seems like a millenarian cult.
As England enters Starmer type austerity, it’s very easy to see how a British person could foresee the breakdown of society. If this is the case, however, adding a bunch of low productivity foreigners seems like the craziest thing anyone could do.
The fact that palaeohistory is such that we are able to burn such massive amounts of hydrocarbons seems like a miracle. I don’t necessarily foresee an imminent collapse but I don’t see how we can expect to add an Infinite number of Third Worlders to the industrial economy and expect to find enough resources and get away with the pollution.
> An orbital satellite was used to beam solar energy to the surface of the planet using microwaves.
AHAHHAHA If global warming was real this is the easiest possible way to accellerate it.