collapses

In Jared Diamond's follow-up to his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel *Guns, Germs, and Steel*, the author explores how climate change, population explosions, and political discord are setting the stage for civilization's collapse. Environmental damage, climate change, globalization, rapid population growth, and unwise political choices have all contributed to the collapse of societies around the world, but some have found solutions and persisted. As in *Guns, Germs, and Steel*, Diamond traces the basic pattern of catastrophe, weaving a sweeping, global thesis through a series of compelling historical and cultural narratives. The collapse moves from the Polynesian cultures of Easter Island to thriving American civilizations like the Anasazi and Maya, and finally to the doomed Viking colony in Greenland. Similar problems confront us today and have already brought disaster to Rwanda and Haiti, even as China and Australia attempt to confront them in innovative ways. Despite the seemingly inexhaustible wealth and unparalleled political power of our society, ominous warning signs are beginning to emerge even in environmentally robust regions like Montana. The brilliant, enlightening, and deeply entertaining "Collapse" is destined to take its place as one of the essential books of our time, raising the urgent question: How can our world best avoid committing environmental suicide?