Chapter 42: Collapse

Here is my first chapter readings review. This chapter was dedicated to example of how societies have collapsed due to unintended ecocide (ecological suicide). The chapter identifies 8 reasons for societal collapse. They are: deforestation and habitat destruction, soil problems, water management problems, overhunting, overfishing, effects of introduced species on the native ones, human population growth and increased per capita impact of people. The chapter seems to discuss not only collapse due to environmental effects, but purely political ones as well, if only for example. An example of the environment proving destructive towards man without our interference is the "the year without a summer" from summer 1816 where Mt. Tambora erupted and injected so much dust an ash into the atmosphere that North America and Europe saw famine. War between two culture such as Roman Empire and its fall to the "barbarians" is a more politicaly based example rather than environmental but this chapter discussed both. The article goes on to many other examples but at the end it touches upon how environmentalists and "Big Business" need to stop viewing each other as polar opposites on the debate about our impact on the environment. They need to work together to solve the issues of climate change.