The things that are different about this collapse include:
- Its very international reach so we don’t have a “rest of the world” (except for perhaps the few hunter-gatherers) to fall back on;
- Our dependence on international trade for making computers, LED light bulbs, and everything high tech;
- Our dependence on electricity as well as oil;
- Our super specialization. Hardly any of us are farmers. Most were farmers in past collapses, and could go on farming, so that food was not a problem for most. Water and waste were handled by simple local systems as well, so that basic needs for most people could continue to be met;
- The extent of our population overshoot.