Deforestation for example has arose in many cultures – some went down, some developed sustainable management practicesįor all the collapsed civilisations explored in the book, Easter Island is probably the most chilling.

If your partner comes weak for any reason, then they no longer can supply the essential goodsĭifferent societies respond differently to similar problems. The proximate cause is the conquest, but the ultimate cause that leads to the collapse is the temporary weakeningĤ – Decreasing support by friendly neighbors:Įither depend on imports of essential trade goods. A society may be able to hold off its enemies as long as it is strong, only to succumb in a moment of weakness. Relationships might be intermittently or chronically hostile. But in the past it was natural climate change, including the advance and retreat of continental ice sheets during ice ages from about 1400-1800 AD, or the global cooling from the enormous volcanic eruption of Indonesia’s Mt Tambora on 1815. Perhaps we can still learn from the past, but only if we think carefully about its lessons. Collapse by Jarred Diamond presents a 5 point framework of possible contributing collapse to societies:Ĭould be exceptional imprudence of the people and exceptional fragility in aspects of the environment, or both. Lurking behind the mystery of ancient ruins is the mystery with the nagging thought: might such a fate eventually befall our own wealthy society? Will tourists someday stare mystified at the New York skyscrapers, much as we stare at the jungle overgrown ruins of Maya cities?

Collapse by Jarred Diamond presents a 5 point framework of possible contributing collapse to societies. Perhaps we can still learn from the past, but only if we think carefully about its lessons.

Collapse book jared diamond