wells140's review
5.0
There is so much information in this book, much of which I haven't encountered before. It's an important resource for those of us who are concerned about the environmental status of our planet, and what route we should take to preserve it. The state of things are frightening, but it's also evident that there are innumerable measures that may be taken to make things better. There is a large 'further reading' section that I'd like to take advantage of in the future.
uderecife's review
3.0
You probably know the author from his masterpiece Guns, Germs and Steel. If you do, you know what to expect from this book. The same thorough explanations, the vast array of interconnected factors, all grounded on scientific data.
This is not the book for those who truly want an optimistic view of what the future holds for us. The title says it all: collapse. So the author guides us through many paradigmatic collapses of civilizations that acted either greedy, naively, or simply recklessly.
11 years from its publication and the rate of global destruction has not halted — in fact, it is accelerating, as predicted by those who are often called pessimists. So, in a sense, Jared Diamond’s call to action to make the change happen has not come to fruition. However, if you happen to read this book, you’ll probably become one amongst many contributing to at least slow down the rate of destruction. And that, by itself, if anything else, makes reading this book something truly worthy of your time.
This is not the book for those who truly want an optimistic view of what the future holds for us. The title says it all: collapse. So the author guides us through many paradigmatic collapses of civilizations that acted either greedy, naively, or simply recklessly.
11 years from its publication and the rate of global destruction has not halted — in fact, it is accelerating, as predicted by those who are often called pessimists. So, in a sense, Jared Diamond’s call to action to make the change happen has not come to fruition. However, if you happen to read this book, you’ll probably become one amongst many contributing to at least slow down the rate of destruction. And that, by itself, if anything else, makes reading this book something truly worthy of your time.
nucleareaction's review
3.0
It's worse the more I think about it. Still an interesting read, though.
suzanna_m's review
5.0
This is a great book carefully detailing and explaining how we impact our environment and what the ultimate results will be if we continue at our current rate of consumption. Diamond discusses the collapse of past archaeological societies and ties it to their relationship and reaction to environmental changes, and also provides case studies that responded positively to the environment and were able to survive against the odds. He then matches these archaeological cultures to modern day societies, for example, the failed states of Haiti and Rwanda, but also less obvious examples of Australia and Montana, to demonstrate how the situations are the same, except now we know what we are doing to the planet. He lists the major problems affecting the earth today, which include our resource use, over consumption and production, and pollution. He then provides cautiously optimistic plans on how to resolve some of these issues. This book is enlightening as it very clearly, without bias, states the problems afflicting the planet and how most are of an anthropogenic cause and how all will have an anthropogenic solution. It is a terrific read and I recommend it to all who are concerned about the welfare of the earth, and all those who deny the problems facing the planet now. So... everyone.
futurepres13's review
3.0
This book is about the dangers that have come to societies due to environmental damages. It started out very well with interesting stories, but got extremely dry for most of the book.
dajna's review
3.0
Troppo pesante per me, e alla fine non ho imparato nulla che già non avessi appreso da altre fonti