The end of western democracies ?

European cand many other countries already trade with the BRICS ones (and each other of course), but President Trump's bull-in-a-chnia-shop approach wil cause problems for averyone - but he seems not to realise that - nor care anyway.

End of democracy?

Well, democracy based on economics and personal wealth alone is a fundamentally flawed because it bases the system on money rather than people. Rather, modern democracies work by constitutional equality of political, religious and cultural rights to all, irrespective of personal means; strengthened by those with little means being helped by those with more.

The problem lies in that last clause. We are not all "equal" by personal wealth, and if those with the least feel overlooked, ignored or not helped, they are very likely to turn to anyone promising them a "strong government" supposedly offering a better life economically despite becoming more and more constricted.

Then of course, when it doesn't they find it far harder to rid themselves of that "strong government".

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Climate change and resource depletion?

I don't think depressions brought climate change. Instead, wealthy times create much greater consumption of fuels, and of non-fuel minerals. Vitally though, alongside the sheer wastefulness within wealthy societies, the "developing nations" rightly want such necessities as reliable, safe water, sewerage and electrical services, and decent homes. Services and homes we in the "developed" world too easily take for granted... until a breakdown in any of them hints that we should take nothing for granted.

The threat of anthropocentric climate-change was first raised more than a hundred years ago, but based on the contemporary rate of burning coal, the universal fuel then, and it placed the danger-point so far ahead it was easy to ignore. Anyway the early 20C was marked by a touching faith in "taming Nature", with rapidly-evolving science and engineering forecast to solve all of Mankind's troubles. No-one is a seer so no-one could foresee some of these devolpments bringing their own problems.

However, this unbridled growth increasing climate-change and resources depeletion, could indeed threaten democracy in their own ways.

Minmising climate-change may need moves many people find unpleasant to contemplate because they may infringe their right to choose and use fuels as they wish. Shrinking availability of materials makes owning "stuff" more expensive and difficult. The alternatives would still alllow the critical freedoms but the "stuff" may become too expensive for many people.

Now, those are not themselves threats to democracy. We still have the constitutional rights but some aspects of our personal lives may be restricted by direct regulation or by increasing cost. Unfortunately, rather than accepting the inevitability of a cosy life taken for granted, and working with it, many people are likely to see it as "They" removing their freedoms for the sake of it. This will affect the well-off more because they tend to have hobbies needing costly equipment like boats, a lot of driving, and holidays in pricey foreign resorts.

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To summarise, strong democracies and their economies should survive the present crises within, and caused elsewhere, by the USA's present leadership; but the entire world irrespective of political systems faces far greater threats that may need very uncomfortable solutions.

In a democracy, those solutions will not or should not reduce our basic, constitutional, political, religious, economic and cultural rights. They may though need legislation, or will bring strong economic restrictions, impinging on our personal lives in material ways. We'd still be free to do the things we enjoy but no longer able to afford it.