“Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed” is a book for every student, parent, teacher and business man living on this planet right now. Jared Diamond, before venturing into his comprehensive list of collapse of societies, tries to pacify the readers of an education that will be imparted, and that the readers should not be worried and bang their heads against the nearest walls. But, it doesn’t last long, it only takes the first couple of chapters and we realise the intensity of collapse that is imminent on us. It is all over now; the damage that we have caused to this planet is irreparable. Diamond presents his case promptly, reiterates the findings over and over again to make sure that it has settled on us. But he is a benevolent man, so towards the ending he sits with us readers, and endeavours to grab a thin overhanging glimmer of hope branch to get us out of the quick sand. But, we will have our shoes dirty; he reprimands, and might have to hang them up after we get out of the sand.
The book opens with Montana’s forest fires; he discusses how they have contributed to Montana’s current state. From what Montana was hitherto, a rich, self sufficient and beautiful place, Diamond argues that the cultural divide between the old timers (who like their place lush green) and the new comers (who like to see the surroundings turn into golf fields) has left both the parties indifferent to the imminent decay of the place. Forest department’s reasonable beginnings-to see improved per capita fuel per acre, dousing off the forest fires and letting the small trees grow which understandably thickened the forest and improved the per capita fuel outcome per acre from the forest. But, the unnatural endeavour backfired whenever there was an apocalyptic conflagration, for now the small trees were bridging the gap and beating high flames up onto the tall trees which would have hitherto escaped the fires. About saline seeps, Diamond’s emphasises that logging of forests patch by patch has led to huge land slides, erosion and even the water table reduced for now there were no roots holding on to the surface water. The water found its way through the porous under rock and showed up as saline seeps downhill spoiling the crops in its wake. Even the government could not find a solution, for the natives would want them to put out the forest fires (which is unnatural, as discussed above). The natives won’t let the forest department continue logging, for the locals feel that felled trees would make their beautiful horizons (which Montana is famous for) go pale and depraved.
Diamond points out that the societies don’t realise the permanent damage that they cause to the eco system and to themselves. He does not find the natives culpable; instead, he argues that the Montana case is reminiscent of the collapse of ancient societies. In his analysis of Polynesian islands, Diamond observes that the tooth cavities found in six year olds’ fossilised remains are indicative of the paucity of drinking water in Easter islands (this was just before the date of the collapse). In Pitcairn and Henderson islands, from the packrat middens solidified by rat urine (which the gold miners ate, confused them with sweet hardened balls and later fell victims to nausea) served the archaeologists well by preserving the vegetation of the times that the rats had actually collected then. This, Diamond remarks was an indication of fall in nutrient value of the vegetation, for originally the packrat middens had high nutrient value and later towards the end of collapse had only weeds and dried grass.
In discussing the collapse of Ansazi islands, Diamond educates his readers on the tree rings and how they are used to find out the level of rainfall at the time they were formed. Wide rings (wet seasons) and narrow rings (dry seasons) in succession beginning from the centre of the tree meant seasonal rainfall. But outside, on the perimeter, there were only narrow rings, and frequent ashen rings (caused due to forest fires). This coincided with the collapse, observes Diamond, the forests were thinning out, frequent forest fires leading to soil erosion, low rainfall, low vegetation, civil outbreaks, cannibalism….
To familiarise readers with cannibalism, and also to prove that the islanders indulged (in desperation, towards the end of collapse) in cannibalism, Diamond points his readers towards the evidence. Human bones found in excavated sites, protein residual of human flesh in the pots that were used to cook, human faeces that had human muscle protein which is not the case in ordinary faeces or the ones with intestinal injuries. Obvious explanation is that the faeces were of the humans who consumed human flesh.
Then a little bit about Rawanda’s genocide. Diamond explains how extreme measures have stooped the human values, and how a society blinds itself of human values at the brink of collapse. Sons killing father, blaming him for un-equitable distribution of land, younger brother killing the elder, etc
About China, Diamond elaborately puts his point forward. China is the largest contributor of pollution (air, land, and water), largest consumer of proteins, technology, fish, and water. To emphasise, Diamond notes that the average blood lead levels of urban Chinese populace is more than any other place on the planet. Then, he turns his attention towards the mining in Australia. Australia thrives on its mining industry, but gold mines are not renewable, the deeper you dug, the more harm you are causing to the environment. In addition to that you will be investing more and more to pull out ores the deeper you foray. And, where does all the mining waste go? Australian soil is the oldest, but it is now depraved of its nutrients. Volcanic eruptions (or some other natural cause) can replenish the nutrient value of the soil, but the ELnino southern oscillation (ENSO) effects that cause unpredictable rainfall and unforeseen damage to the crops makes it almost impossible for farming in Australia.
Diamond narrates an innocuous man made experiment (of the invaders) that is now haunting the natives. The British when they first settled down in Australia, were taken aback by the unfamiliar surroundings. In an attempt to make the surroundings more familiar, they introduced rabbits and foxes which are now contributing inconclusively to the collapse of society there. Foxes preyed on the natural mammals that had no evolutionary experience with the foxes, rabbits consumed much of the plant fodder that was intended for the local mammals. Diamond enlightens the readers that the introduction of rabbits and foxes was among other things, not a thing of frivolity. The british invested heavily, and only in the fifth and sixth attempt got it right. The first four attempts failed, for the rabbits were tame and eventually died in Australian conditions. Only upon introduction of the wild rabbits did the British succeed. But presently, a farmer has to laboriously kill all the rabbits in and around his fields to cultivate and farm. The ubiquity of rabbits has made it impossible for farming in Australia. And on top of that are the ENSO effects, and soil that is uncultivable for the lack of nutrients. Therefore the reliance on mining in Australia, but how long?
Diamond implores for the society that is on the brink of collapse to find solutions for their own good. But again, characteristically, with his usual charm, Diamond notes that none of the societies (past and ancient) did find solutions, eventually they did collapse, eventually, they did pay for the harm they have done to their surroundings. Here Diamond takes a brief pause and argues that the past societies differed from the present ones in more than one manner. All the societies are connected to each other inexorably, and hence the collapse of one society can easily trigger a chain of others until we all find ourselves buried under the rubble of the collapse. To prove his point, Diamond remarks that the Vikings’ collapsed when the trade routes collapsed. The extent of reliance of one society on other multiples the risk of collapse of all, that are connected.
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