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Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed
by DIAMOND, JARED
- Used
- as new
- Hardcover
- Condition
- As New/As New
- ISBN 10
- 0670033375
- ISBN 13
- 9780670033379
- Seller
-
Newport, Washington, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Penguin Group USA Inc, 2005. Hardcover. As New/As New. 8vo - over 7. Type: Hardback Book Club Edition. Hardcover Book and Jacket As New. 24 page illustration section, Maps, Further Reading Suggestions by Chapter and Index. Black paper-wrapped boards with bright and bold titles to spine. Jared Diamond, author of Pulitzer Prize-Winning "Guns, Germs, and Steel" examines why past societies succeeded or failed. He looks at cases in some detail and then connects them to troubling scenes from the 21st century--in Rwanda and Australia, China and Montana. He provides practical lessons for a world desperately needing to redefine "progress". 575 pages. 5.75 x 8.5 inches. 2005, Penguin Group, New York.
Synopsis
Diamond identifies five factors that contribute to collapse: climate change, hostile neighbors, collapse of essential trading partners, environmental problems, and failure to adapt to environmental issues. He also lists 12 environmental problems facing mankind today. The first eight have historically contributed to the collapse of past societies: Deforestation and habitat destruction 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 Further, he says four new factors may contribute to the weakening and collapse of present and future societies: Anthropogenic climate change Buildup of toxins in the environment Energy shortages Full human utilization of the Earth’s photosynthetic capacity Diamond also writes about cultural factors, such as the apparent reluctance of the Greenland Norse to eat fish. The root problem in all but one of Diamond's factors leading to collapse is overpopulation relative to the practicable (as opposed to the ideal theoretical) carrying capacity of the environment. The one factor not related to overpopulation is the harmful effect of accidentally or intentionally introducing nonnative species to a region. Diamond also states that "it would be absurd to claim that environmental damage must be a major factor in all collapses: the collapse of the Soviet Union is a modern counter-example, and the destruction of Carthage by Rome in 146 BC is an ancient one. It's obviously true that military or economic factors alone may suffice" (p. 15). Societal collapse Wavefunction collapse Collapse (Album), an album by the American metalcore band Across Five Aprils Collapse (medical) Collapse (structural) Collapse of the Soviet Union, the collapse of Soviet federalism Cave-in is a kind of structural collapse Collapse, the action a collapsible or telescoping object does Collapse (book) by Jared M.
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Details
- Bookseller
- The Parnassus BookShop
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 025240
- Title
- Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed
- Author
- DIAMOND, JARED
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- New As New
- Jacket Condition
- As New
- Quantity Available
- 1
- ISBN 10
- 0670033375
- ISBN 13
- 9780670033379
- Publisher
- Penguin Group USA Inc
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 2005
- Size
- 8vo - over 7
- Keywords
- SOCIAL HISTORY SOCIETIES PROGRESS RWANDA AUSTRALIA CHINA MONTANA EASTER ISLAND ENVIRONMENT
- Bookseller catalogs
- History. World;
- X weight
- 0 oz
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About the Seller
The Parnassus BookShop
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Newport, Washington
About The Parnassus BookShop
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Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Book Club Edition
- A generic term denoting a book which was produced or distributed by one of any number of book club organizations. Usually the...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
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