Collapse by Jared Diamond - Essay Example

All these societies have experienced different climatic, environmental, economic, and technological conditions. How the success or failure of these societies depends on these conditions and how these societies have responded to the changed condition is what the book is all about. The root problem, according to the author, in all but one of these factors leading to collapse is overpopulation. The factor of accidentally or intentionally introducing non-native species to a region has nothing to do with overpopulation.

However Diamond feels that environmental damage alone is not a major factor responsible for all collapses. For instance in the collapse of the Soviet Union and the destruction of Carthage by Rome in 146 BC, it was military or economic factors alone that were responsible. Part One describes the environment prevailing in the US state of Montana. It attempts to give a human face to the interaction between society and the environment by focussing on the lives of several individuals. Part Two describes societies that have collapsed.

Here Diamond considers the five factors that may affect society, namely climatic change, environmental damage, hostile neighbors and trade partners and lastly the societys responses to the problems caused by the environment. The Greenland Norse : Causes of collapse include climate change, hostile neighbours, environmental damage, loss of trading partners and also because of the unwillingness to change when confronted with social collapse At the end of Part Two Diamond discusses the success stories of three regions, namely the Pacific island of Tikopia, the agricultural success of central New Guinea and the success of forest management in Japan.

Diamond describes the terrible situations in Haiti and Rwanda. He also portrays the contemporary Third World where societies have failed because of overpopulation and depletion of environmental resources He is worried about rising mega