I think this is another great contribution to the public's understanding of crucial issues from the UCLA geographer Jared Diamond. This readable book is an examination of several societies that have collapsed i.e. Easter Island, the Vikings in Greenland, and the Mayas, as well as a few that have solved their ecological problems and succeeded. As in his previous Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Guns, Germs and Steel, Diamond takes a big-picture approach. The lesson is clear , we must take action to avoid the collapse of our interdependent global society. My only criticism of this fine book is that it devotes nearly 500 pages to examining various collapses of the past, and only a brief section at the end to examine our present crisis. In Chapter 16, Diamond presents a summary of the evidence that we are in a condition of overshoot, and in danger of collapse if we stay on our present course. He says we need firstly, long-term planning, and secondly a reconsideration of core values, in order to avoid going the way of the Mayas.
I believe this book will certainly appeal to historians, environmentalists and folks who want to know what the tree-hugging fuss is all about. For those who might be disinclined toward environmentalist assertions, this book can serve as an excellent framework for the serious concerns that must be addressed in some fashion.
