At the time of recording this video, we are almost 65% of the way through 2023, but it hasn’t been without a few challenges. From wildfires to heat domes to escalating international conflicts to deepening divides within our nation to out of control inflation, we are witnessing what seems to be an inordinate amount of disasters and problems that only seem to compound daily. But are more issues in store for us for the remainder of this year and if so, what should we expect? In this video, I will outline the five biggest threats we are facing for the rest of this year, and I’ll tell you what you absolutely must be doing now to prepare. Here’s what’s in store for the rest of this year.
ECONOMY
As I have covered in other videos, the economy is improving in some respects, but that may not translate to your finances. Inflation may be slowing on some items, but we will see a continued rise in others. The laws of supply and demand will drive some of this through the rest of this year. The demand for luxury goods or big-ticket items will wane as people tighten their belts. That will result in some bargains if you’re looking to make a big ticket purchase like a car.
However, this will not help if you plan on bolstering your prepping or food supplies. The cost of everyday items you need and will need to get by will continue to climb. Global uncertainty, wars, trade tensions, and disasters will continue to elevate food costs this year. Watch for little changes as a barometer of the overall trend in food prices. Currently, winter wheat harvests in the US are slightly higher than last year. Expect prices to rise if we start hearing reports of failed crops due to weather. Stories of Saudi Arabia purposefully throttling back oil production will drive fuel prices higher. More countries reducing their export of food and hoarding grain will drive global food prices higher. Rising tensions between the US and Chinese economies and governments will threaten supplies of everything from pharmaceuticals and foods to electronics, generators, and infrastructure components.
The cost of food, even in bulk, will increase. The Fed may not be done raising interest rates and mortgage rates and as a result, home buying may slow significantly. There’s lots of uncertainty remaining this year. The reality is things aren’t going to get any cheaper. I’m not trying to sell on a particular product, but things will get more expensive. Look at the current state of your preps and do with that information what you will, but focus on your preps. If there’s important purchases you’ve been wanting to make, now may be a good time to do so.
PUTIN PROBLEMS
The war in Ukraine increasingly looks like it will be slow moving, even a potential stalemate for the rest of this year; however, the recent death of the Wagner leader Yevgeny Prighozin, who reportedly died in a plane crash that may have also killed some of his top leaders, may change the war for Putin and Russia. Video shows the jet free-falling out of the sky, wingless, and not likely accidentally due to some malfunction. It’s pretty clearly an assassination. Also, Gen. Sergei Suro-vikin, a former commander of Russia’s forces in Ukraine who was linked to the leader of a brief armed rebellion, has been dismissed as chief of the air force, so Putin is obviously cleaning house. Prighozin’s private Russian mercenary army, known as the Wagner Group, threatened to march on Moscow again. In a social media video, Wagner fighters promised revenge and a march towards the capital. This previous coup attempt by this PMG exposed vulnerabilities in Russia’s territorial defense, as the group managed to seize Rostov-on-Don, a city central to Moscow’s military operations in Ukraine, and even advanced within 200 kilometers of Moscow before retracing their steps. With close ties to Russian military and political leadership, the Wagner Group is a global, potentially counter-Putin threat.
Putin is likely aware of these factors, so don’t overly consider the possibility of another march to Moscow. Given the open ground and lack of surprise, the Russian military would likely respond strongly to such an attempt. However, an increase in sabotage and assassination attempts on Putin and the potential for the Wagner Group to become a domestic terror group could occur. We could also see flare-ups and skirmishes in countries where the Wagner Group is deployed as the struggle for control and revenge continues. This could result in Sudanese gold flowing away from the Kremlin and potentially in the direction of the highest bidder, which would likely be China. This could result in many conflicts throughout Africa, Belarus, Syria, or any of the numerous countries where the Wagner Group is deployed. We will just have to see what happens as time passes, and we will watch it closely. For now, though, the Wagner Group could potentially be a massive wrench in Putin’s war machine and global aspirations, and we don’t know what Putin may do if and when he’s backed into a corner and could be dethroned. While some see Putin as a threat to the world, the concerning thing to consider is that he’s often seen as a moderate within his peer group. If he’s removed, it’s very likely his successor could introduce even more volatility into the world.
POLITICS
As you may know, I avoid political opinions on this channel, but I feel it necessary to address how politics can impact our lives, health, and safety. Whether that’s riots in the streets stoked by the angry rhetoric of divided politicians and political groups or contentious and bitter struggles between neighbors and communities at school board meetings, politics can threaten our peaceful existence within our communities.
You can’t really prep against politics, but you need to be aware to have a current barometer reading of what’s going on out there and how tensions are rising. While I don’t foresee any significant threat to peace and stability this year, there’s a lot of tinder being collected and stacked. Most significantly, we will see the rest of this year how multiple indictments of a former President will heighten tensions between people. Lately we’ve seen instances where lone wolves take it upon themselves to take action. It’s these individuals that concern me the most as the actions they take are unpredictable and expose us to acts of violence.
We have witnessed how these tensions and conflicts can spill over into our daily lives. While I don’t see any massive and daunting threat for the rest of this year in regards to politics, it would be wise to watch these escalating tensions. You may want to identify and steer clear of potential hot zones where civil unrest is possible such as political rallies. We must watch this for the rest of this year and into the next. Just be aware that people will seek to rile others up and intentionally or unintentionally will be stoking division, perhaps even in your community.
BRICS GLOBAL REALIGNMENT
BRICS is another global threat, at least to Western hegemony and established international order, that we are watching for the rest of this year and next. Putin used a 17-minute prerecorded address on the opening day of the meetings to lash out at the West over the financial sanctions imposed on Russia as punishment for its invasion of Ukraine. Putin wasn’t expected to attend the BRICS Summit in person because the World Court had an arrest warrant out for him. He did not mention Wednesday’s plane crash that left Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and some of his top lieutenants presumed dead.
BRICS, comprised of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, presents a rising challenge to Western dominance in global markets. This strengthening China-Russia coalition, backed by over 40% of the world’s population and a quarter of the worldwide GDP, threatens established financial hierarchies. Six countries have been invited to join the BRICS group, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Argentina, and Ethiopia. Despite past tensions, the seemingly improbable alignment of Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE in the same economic or political context emerged. The UAE initiated diplomatic re-engagement with Iran, and Saudi Arabia and Iran pursued a separate détente aided by Chinese mediation. Concurrently, China’s increased presence in the Gulf has led to closer relations with these nations, particularly Iran, potentially reshaping regional geopolitical dynamics.
BRICS is a strengthening China-Russia coalition threatening the West’s financial dominance in the world markets. No matter how you feel about that, the organization will have a high, as of yet unknown, level of influence over global markets and politics. All BRICS member countries have China as their main trading partner and little trade with each other. As this group gains power, it paves the way for potential global political and economic shifts. There has been significant discussion by the coalition for a de-dollarization that has ranged from creating their own unified currency to trading in their own national currencies and not the dollar. While the current strategy appears to be just favoring national currency, that approach has too much risk. What happens if one of those countries has a regime change and the currency becomes worthless, for instance? For at least the rest of this year, the rouble will suffer because of sanctions and the conflict in Ukraine. China’s Yuan will suffer because of the country’s deep financial problems. And the dollar will still dominate global trade even as inflation rises. We did a video on the channel recently you might want to check out as it outlines this threat in more detail.
WEATHER
If there’s a concrete threat I can confidently predict will impact your daily life, it’s the weather. Based on our data analysis, the likelihood of a significant weather event affecting your region is notably higher for this and the following year. Our recent videos have highlighted the impacts on our food supply and with a strong El Nino cycle, leading to uncertainties and certainties alike.
At the time of recording this video, we feel the initial impact now in the central US, with millions suffering under a powerful heat dome. Termed a “Ring of Fire,” this summer weather pattern involves a high-pressure ridge trapping a heat dome over the central and southern US. This leads to repeated violent storms along its edges, while the central area under the dome faces extreme temperatures. The current records being broken with 115-degree-plus temperatures for several days and nights were set back in the 1936 Dust Bowl era. Let’s hope history doesn’t repeat itself there, but it’s worth noting this detail as it relates to a threat to our food production. Already, Midwest and Southern farmers are feeling the impact. This pattern poses severe threats, causing flash floods due to deep moisture, threatening crops, overburdening infrastructure systems, and threatening people’s health and safety. This system will bring relentless heat to millions, even as others get severe thunderstorms, rain, hail, or high winds. Thankfully, this heat dome will collapse, which will dip storms in a swath across the center of the United States.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this is just the start. We will look back on this as one of the first extreme weather events of many more to come. Expect excessive rain and flooding in the Pacific Northwest for the rest of this year. Expect winter snowstorms of epic proportions in the Northeast. The strong El Nino patterns tend to limit the hurricane season, but this heat dome is strong enough to alter the trajectories of these storms that develop off the coast of North Africa and slam into the United States. Historically, hurricane season ends November 30th, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we see significant tropical moisture getting sucked into this heat dome or a few powerful storms making landfall before then. Let’s hope I’m wrong.
Weather predictions are possible forecasts, and while we lack absolute certainty in long-range forecasts, extreme weather is a near certainty where you live. According to the data, significant weather events are likely to affect your region, no matter where you live, for the remainder of this year and into 2024.
To prepare for this near certainty, you should first look at the current extremes of your area. If the possibility of flooding, strong winds, a hurricane or tornado, a snowstorm, excessive precipitation or hail, or a heatwave is very high and likely, ask yourself if you are currently prepared to endure those events. Is your community adequately prepared? Is your region adequately prepared? Then, take your assessment a step further and examine your area’s historical record. If that giant storm of 1800-whatever were to happen today with our modern infrastructure and interconnected systems where we all live on top of each other with sometimes one road in and one road out of our community, how are you prepared to endure it? Will your community endure that same storm, that level of flooding, snow, or those extreme and prolonged temperatures now?
WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING?
If those questions leave you with a certain level of uncertainty, it’s prudent to start prepping. If you’re new to preparedness, I’ll link to a recommended video titled, “3 months is all you need as a prepper”. In that video, I lay out the framework to build from 3 days of preparedness all the way up to 3 months. It’s up to you prepared you want to be. But if you can confidently prepare for 3 months, you’ll be ready for most likely scenarios and it will serve as a great springboard for going way past that timeline to be fully prepared.
This is the essence of why we engage in prepping. If there’s one thing I can confidently advise you to prepare for throughout this year and the next, it’s the impact of weather on our lives. Each year there are threats that are obvious, and for the coming year, this is the one you must monitor as the impact of weather on our daily lives has and will continue to grow. You may only experience high inflation from the economy faltering, which would drive up the prices for all your preps in the future. We, hopefully, won’t see an escalation of the World War brewing or Putin going nuclear because he gets backed into a corner. We probably won’t immediately be impacted by BRICS alliances or deepening political divides. We will, with certainty, though, be challenged by our weather in the immediate present and future. So, when you prepare, I would encourage you to give that strong consideration. And the upside is that you will be preparing for all these possibilities when you fully prepare for that one.
So, what should you be doing? Well, the start is to bring up your food supply. Start by ensuring you have that 90 days in place in case something significant occurs. Again, find out why 3-months may be all you need to get through even the worst of disasters by watching our video about that. This will help you establish reasonable milestones in your prepping. There’s still time to garden and produce at least something of your daily sustenance. There’s still time to get something in the ground. It wouldn’t be enough to carry you through a disaster, but it will help you learn a vital skill that can serve you through this year and for many more years to come. Even if you live in a zone with copious amounts of water, set some clean drinking water aside and have the means to filter and treat water. Address your energy needs and concerns. If there is a significant power failure for an extended period, you’ll be ready with the basics.
How things will play out the rest of this year remains uncertain. What is certain is that there are things you could be doing now to prep for an uncertain future. I would encourage you to do those things. Learn what you need to know. Prep what you need to prep. Build your community of like-minded preppers now because it will be much more challenging as this year progresses and we move into 2024.
If you have any thoughts or feedback, feel free to post that below, and as always, stay safe out there.