This is a difficult book to give one rating to. Some parts of it deserve four or five stars, some parts deserve one or two. Generally, Collapse lacks the consistency of Diamond's most well known book, Guns, Germs and Steel. Where Guns, Germs and Steel is nearly intuitive in the simpleness but universal applicability of its principles, Collapse is episodic and fractured. Diamond's basic thesis is that societies in ecologically fragile environments "choose" to succeed or fail based on how willing they are to adopt to their environment, and how conscience they are of environmental change.

I was very interested in the sections about the collapse of the Easter Island society, as well as Diamond's extended discussion of the Greenland Norse. There are also some chilling examples of island societies that disappeared entirely. Modern examples of collapses include Rwanda and Haiti.

The book started boring me towards the end, when Diamond stops telling the story of particular societies and begins to expound at length about the principles that unite these examples. It quickly becomes clear that there are as many or more principles and factors as there are examples in the book.

Overall, I would recommend reading sections of this book, but not the whole thing. If you are someone who cannot stop reading a book once you get into it, you should probably avoid Collapse, as it will trap you.

The thesis here is that the success or failure of any culture depends upon five factors:

Climate change,
Environmental preservation or degradation,
The presence of friendly external trade partners,
The presence of external enemies, and finally,
That society's ability and willingness to respond to the previous four factors.

To develop his theory, Diamond discusses about a dozen different societies, past and present, which had experienced various combinations of troubles with the first four factors, and each of which had responded differently to the challenges that it faced.

In describing the collapse of the society on Easter Island, he ponders what might have been going through the mind of the man who chopped down the very last of the trees that had been utterly indispensable to their civilization at its height. Diamond reasons that as the tree population declined slowly over the course of several generations, its importance in building and commerce likewise diminished, so that by the time only a handful remained, the once vital trees would have seemed nearly valueless. That woodsman would therefore most likely have had no idea how important those trees had been to his great grandparents and would have had no reason to understand the significance of destroying the last one.

In discussing the collapse of the Viking colony in Greenland, Diamond observes that the Vikings might have survived and flourished had they befriended their Inuit neighbors, and learned from them how to cope with the worsening climate. (Unfortunately for the Vikings, Greenland happened to have been uncharacteristically warm during their early years there, and they had no way of knowing that that warm period was to be short-lived.) The Norse colonists might, for example, have tried to copy the kayaks that served the Inuit so well for fishing. Instead, the Vikings looked down on the Inuit as inferiors and pagans (at this point the Norse had converted to Christianity), and clung vainly to a Northern European way of life that was unworkable in Greenland.

(The two examples above are only small samples of their respective sections of the book; neither represents the totality of those sections' arguments.)

Diamond concludes the book on a note of cautious optimism for the modern world's global society. With the advantages of our knowledge of past societies, and our modern technologies (and our understanding of the unintended consequences inherent in all technology), the world can overcome all of the political and environmental crises existing today, provided that governments and big business' are willing to respond intelligently to those crises. He adds that the only way they will have that will is if they're guided by conscientious voters and consumers.

The esteemed Jared Diamond, author of one of the most insightful and profound books of the previous decade: Guns Germs and Steel, tried to break the wave of his success on Collapse, a book about the failure of societies due to a laundry-list of (mostly environmental) issues. It’s too soon to render a verdict on the bearded Professor (unlike Paul Ehrlich and Rachel Carson) since he wisely chose topics which cannot be gauged within a human lifetime but the book itself was a real steaming pile of environmental compost. I can’t resist quoting Fred L. Smith Jr. of the Competitive Enterprise Institute: "[a] jumble of jigsaw puzzle pieces laid out on the table - no structure, no serious organization." Indeed, I was so pissed after reading this book that I wanted to rip out all 592 pages and use every single one to give the author paper cuts between his toes. Then set him out barefoot on the New Guinea lowlands about which he can’t seem to shut the flock up. But this is a book review and I digress because I’m getting all worked up again so I’m going to end this paragraph prematurely: *SPURT*

A book about environment, and how humans are exhausting the planets resources.

The author describes the following topics which were the main reason or contributed to the fall of societies in the past:

Deforestation and habitat destructions
Soil problems (erosion, salinization, and soil fertility losses)
Water management problems
Overhunting
Overfishing
Effects of introduced species on native species
Overpopulation
Increased per-capita impact of people

In addition to this, the following topics did not exist in the past but may contribute to the decline of humans in the near future.

Anthropogenic climate change
Buildup of toxins in the environment
Energy shortages
Full human use of the Earth’s photosynthetic capacity

The author presents various examples from past societies that declined because they over consumed a crucial element of their environment and did not adapt to it's shortage:

The Greenland Norse (climate change, environmental damage, loss of trading partners)
Easter Island (a society that collapsed entirely due to environmental damage)
The Polynesians of Pitcairn Island (environmental damage and loss of trading partners)
The Anasazi of southwestern North America (environmental damage and climate change)
The Maya of Central America (environmental damage, climate change, and hostile neighbors)

Jared Diamond gives some examples from the past where societies did manage to adapt to the changes:

The tiny Pacific island of Tikopia
The agricultural success of central New Guinea
The forest management in Japan of the Tokugawa-era, and in Germany.

In the second part of the book various modern societies are discussed and the author shows that they are on the sure path to exploiting or destroying crucial resources of the environment and apparently not much is done about it:

The collapse into genocide of Rwanda, caused in part by overpopulation
The failure of Haiti compared with the relative success of its neighbor on Hispaniola, the Dominican Republic
The problems facing a developing nation, China
The problems facing a First World nation, Australia

The book concludes with various ways the modern world can solve the environmental issues and what has already been done (not much)

Considering the action's (and non actions) by the current American president, Donald Trump, I found great importance in this book. The success stories of environment preserving in this book, started with recognition of the problem and willingness to make short term sacrifices in order to solve it. The recent actions of the American government (Pulling out of the Paris climate pact and increasing coal minning and other environment unfriendly activities) give this book increased importance.

If we eat more we’ll get
A handful of nothing
- Daniel Gildenlöw -

Collasso è stato probabilmente il primo libro ad avermi realmente terrorizzato. Avevo scritto un presuntuosissimo e pesantissimo commento. Questa è la versione (leggermente) potata.

Gildenlöw è svedese, come l'adolescente treccioluta che per qualche tempo ha attirato l'attenzione anche del distratto popolo italiano sul piccolo problema del cambiamento climatico. Poi c'è stato il toto-allenatori di Inter e Juventus. Per una Greta che passa, un Diamond è per sempre. E non di soli problemi ambientali/climatici muoiono le civiltà.

- Modalità spiegone spocchioso ON -
Non pago di averci spiegato le ragioni per cui, nel corso della storia, alcune società umane siano riuscite a prosperare più di altre (Armi, acciaio e malattie), Jared Diamond è tornato sulla questione, affrontando il tema dall'angolazione opposta, e ha deciso di illustrarci i motivi per cui alcune popolazioni non siano riuscite ad affrontare con successo le sfide che si sono presentate loro. Sono i declini e i crolli delle società umane, del passato e del presente, a rappresentare l’argomento di questa nuova fatica dell’autore, che non solo ne vuole comprendere le cause e le dinamiche, ma anche cercare di trarne utili insegnamenti per il futuro.

Diamond affronta lo studio delle vicende umane con un approccio molto differente da quello adottato dalla maggior parte degli “storici di mestiere”: fa infatti ricorso ad una metodologia che discende direttamente dalla sua formazione di biologo, e che mira ad una conoscenza “scientifica” dei processi di lungo e di lunghissimo periodo che hanno caratterizzato il corso della storia umana. Se in Armi, acciaio e malattie la ricostruzione, ad esempio, della conquista dell'impero Inca da parte degli spagnoli era diretta alla comprensione dei fattori che, negli ultimi 13.000 anni, avevano permesso alle popolazioni dell'Eurasia di sottomettere buona parte del mondo (fattori legati alle differenze ambientali dei diversi continenti), in Collasso lo studio dei tracolli delle società del passato e del presente è finalizzato alla formulazione di una sorta di “teoria generale del crollo”, sempre valida e applicabile nonostante le differenze che contraddistinguono i singoli casi presi in esame. Si potrebbe sostenere che Diamond abbia una visione “dualistica” (e semplicistica) della storia, in cui alcune società hanno avuto successo ed altre sono state sconfitte: un mondo popolato di “vincitori e vinti”, in cui non c'è spazio per distinzioni ulteriori. Ma bisogna ricordare che l'autore non intende dare giudizi di valore, e che solo l'interesse per i processi di lungo periodo permette di tracciare una netta linea di confine tra vincitori e vinti: i primi sono sopravvissuti, i secondi no.

Il metodo adottato da Diamond, in entrambe le opere citate, si rivela anche per altri aspetti peculiare: in primo luogo, per il ricorso alle più varie fonti di conoscenza (dall'archeologia alla botanica, dalla psicologia alla linguistica), comprese le esperienze personali dell'autore (come biologo e ornitologo, ma anche come rappresentante di una delle principali organizzazioni ambientaliste, il WWF, e come visitatore curioso dei quattro angoli del mondo); in secondo luogo, per l'adozione del “metodo comparativo” (o “esperimento naturale”), ovvero il confronto sistematico fra società del passato e del presente, differenti tra loro per alcune caratteristiche fondamentali e per il diverso grado di stabilità, necessario per scoprire “scientificamente” quali fattori abbiano avuto un ruolo determinante nel successo o nel fallimento di una civiltà.

Per crollo di una società Diamond intende “la forma estrema tra vari e meno gravi tipi di decadenza”, ovvero “una riduzione drastica del numero della popolazione e/o della complessità politica, economica e sociale, in un’area estesa e nel corso di un prolungato lasso di tempo”. A questo concorrono, secondo la teoria dell'autore, cinque gruppi di possibili fattori concomitanti, relativi rispettivamente a
- problemi ambientali
- cambiamenti climatici non causati dall'uomo (in particolare, le cicliche oscillazioni, con intervalli decennali, tra condizioni climatiche più o meno favorevoli per un determinato popolo)
- ostilità delle popolazioni vicine
- esistenza di partner commerciali con cui si intrattengono relazioni amichevoli
- risposte che la società dà ai problemi che si trova ad affrontare.
Anche se una sola di queste serie di fattori può rivelarsi fatale per la sopravvivenza di una civiltà, la maggior parte dei casi di crolli del passato e del presente si è verificata per il sommarsi di diverse cause, che tendono ad acuirsi reciprocamente: una società che deve fronteggiare gravi problemi ambientali, ad esempio, si rivelerà più esposta agli attacchi di popolazioni ostili, o ad un peggioramento delle condizioni climatiche. L'unico gruppo di “fattori di crollo” sempre e comunque importante sarebbe l'ultimo dell'elenco sopra riportato, ovvero la reazione della società alle situazioni problematiche (reazioni legate alle istituzioni politiche, economiche e sociali della società, oltre che ai valori culturali caratteristici della popolazione): secondo Diamond, proprio nell'atteggiamento assunto di fronte ai pericoli risiederebbe la differenza fra le popolazioni che sono sopravvissute e quelle che non ci sono riuscite.
- Modalità spiegone spocchioso OFF -

Seriamente, leggetelo. Regalatelo. Consigliatelo. Rendetelo testo scolastico obbligatorio tramite referendum. Io, già che ci sono, gli aggiungo una stella, perché mi terrorizza ancora.

https://youtu.be/qjevV7xczqY

A fascinating look at how different societies have failed, I read this many years ago, but just noticed that Jared Diamond has a new book coming out which reminded me. Years later and I still think of some of the examples from time to time. While this is not a quick or easy read, it was so compelling I never put it down for very long.

Jared Diamond looks at several societies that have collapsed as a result of misusing their natural resources, plus a couple (Tokugawa period Japan is the star example) that miraculously managed to pull back from the brink. At the end, he also talks about some present-day cases where we still don't know what will happen.

The one my thoughts keep returning to is medieval Greenland, which Diamond discusses in a long and detailed chapter. Settled in the 11th century by Vikings originally from Norway, the colonists brought with them their whole way of life, which was heavily organized around dairy farming. There is an eerie description of a huge barn with room for 80 head of cattle; the ruins can still be seen today. The colony survived for several hundred years, and was then wiped out to the last man by worsening weather and the decline in the European market for narwhale ivory.

But here's the really odd thing. The colonists never ate fish, despite the fact that it formed the staple diet of the indigenous Greenland Eskimos. Diamond says that every single archaeologist who's studied the settlement starts off convinced that there must have been some kind of mistake. How is it possible that these hardy, intelligent people could have failed to adapt their diet in such an obvious way? But the evidence from middens is apparently rock-solid. For whatever reason, they would not make use of this plentiful natural resource, which could easily have saved them; they perished instead.

Incomprehensible, isn't it? Needless to say, our own society's reluctance to invest more than a token amount of money in developing cheap solar power is different. The two cases are in no way comparable.
____________________________

Just back from Australia, where I had several illuminating discussions with various people about solar energy. Australia is almost certainly the country where it would work best. Population density is very low, and there is abundant sunlight. The technology already exists to build cheap solar power stations.

So why don't they do it? Apparently, building the power stations in desert areas isn't economically viable unless national resources are diverted to connect them to the national grid. But the powerful coal lobby hates the idea, and has blocked it at every turn. Neither left-wing nor right-wing politicians dare oppose them.

You often see individuals doing this kind of thing: even though a given course of action is evidently going to benefit them (leave their abusive partner, stop binge-drinking), they are unable to summon the willpower to quit. It's interesting and remarkable that whole societies exhibit the same behavior.
____________________________

As previously noted. Tony Abbott is really doing everything he can to consolidate his position as the new Dubya.

As usual, very informative, I enjoyed listening to the audiobook while I read the ebook. This book was published originally in 2005, so a lot of this information has been disseminated and accepted wisdom for years. Not the author’s fault, but my own for letting this languish on my nonfiction TBR list for so long! I definitely want to read the third of the trilogy as soon as possible. I enjoy the author’s expertise and style, but I am no expert, more of an armchair science nerd.

I was mostly engrossed and read closely the first half of the book, about ancient societies that have collapsed. I enjoy well-written and researched history and popular science, and this definitely fits the bill for me. In the last quarter of the book, as Diamond covers big business and their role in environmental problems, and what’s happening in “modern” society – modern being the early 2000s when this book was written - I found myself skimming. So much has happened in the last 10 years or so, not the least of which being the Covid pandemic, which has caused grave concern about our ability to handle big problems.

I found his description of what he says are the 12 intertwined biggest modern issues to be dealt with in determining whether we collapse most disturbing. He says all 12 areas are interrelated, and must be resolved within next 50 years, but we don’t know if they’ll be “…resolved in pleasant ways of our own choice, or in unpleasant ways not of our choice, such as warfare, genocide, starvation, disease epidemics, and collapses of societies.” (p. 498) Yikes!

In the years since publication, so much he predicted has come to pass, it feels like we are already there - and at least here in the USA, it feels like political gridlock and polarization make good decision-making unlikely. I wish I could feel his cautious optimism, but he seems to feel like grassroots pressure on our elected officials could bring about positive change and good decisions. But this book was written before the extreme polarization and growing anti-science skepticism of the last several years, I’m not terribly hopeful. I do plan to read his third in the series as soon as possible to try and get his latest ideas.

I like the choice of the word "choose" in the sub-title. While the world collapses around us, too many Americans think our problems are abortion, prayer in school, terrorism, immigration, and a lot of other not-shit issues. Meanwhile we have completely ignored issues like renewable energy, sustainable cities, and mass transportation. We are going to make Easter Island and the Norse settlements in Greenland look like the most well thought out societies in history because, baby, when we go down, we are going down hard. And we are choosing to do so. I guess we are all too busy with "So You Think You Can Dance" to give much thought to our collective futures.

0 stars if I could!! hated it!! great book if you're looking for pseudoscience that just proves one author's point!

Well, well, well...this book is a masterpiece. It's taken me a long time (at least to my standards) to finish the last chapters, but even though Diamond doesn't get to the point as quickly as he could, the read is definetely worht it.
By using collapsed societies' examples, the author explains the factors that determine the success or failure of a society, combining historical knowledge with climatic, biological, antropological and geographical ones.
In risk to oversimplify the book, I'd say that Diamond's whole point is something close to "don't be fucking idiots and take care of the planet".

One of Cambridge Sustainability's Top 50 Books for Sustainability, as voted for by our alumni network of over 3,000 senior leaders from around the world. To find out more, click here.

Collapse examines various societies throughout history that have collapsed (Easter Island, Pitcairn, the Maya, Anasazi, the Vikings/Norse in Greenland) and compares these to societies that faced similar conditions and yet succeeded (Japan, New Guinea Highlands, the Vikings/Norse in Iceland). Diamond identifies five factors that define collapse or success.

Looking specifically at environmental impacts, Diamond identifies various forms of historical 'ecocide', including deforestation and habitat destruction, soil problems (erosion, salinisation and loss of soil fertility), water management problems, overhunting, overfishing, the effects of introduced species on native species, human population growth and increased per capita impact of people. There is evidence of all these dangers in modern society.