Optimism and The Fall of Civilizations

No, I have not forgotten about my little blog project to review, online, the Environmental Science textbook that I first read a few years ago. And no, it's not that I am too busy (although there are a few unrelated things that I have been exceptionally excited about lately). The reason I have not posted anything about it is that the next important concept the book attempts to teach is what you see above.

"What!?.." you may be thinking, "Stories about how we are bringing about the end of civilization? That's Kevin's specialty."

Well, that's just it. Some readers have remarked recently that my writing is growing more negative and doomy-gloomy. That is surely not the intent, and I can't stress enough how non-gloomy and good-humored my face is while I write. But, alas, the reader can not see my face and probably imagines this.

And, while what I am writing is simply an attempt to wrap my head around the way things are. Like it or not, history is a saga of rises and falls of civilizations, and there are parallels between the collapse of Easter Island and today. My belief, and obviously the belief of the textbook authors, is that the first step to making sure that our current global civilization doesn't go the way of so many smaller civilizations in days past, is to recognize those parallels.

Unfortunately, it seems that all too many people like to skip that step, jumping right to "innovating", believing that those who do recognize the negatives are, at best, pessimistic, at worst, reveling in the thought of global civil and eco-system collapse. I assure you I am neither.

So, I'm not going to write any essay about this point. Instead, I will simply suggest that anyone interested in truly understanding environmental issues, and why they are important look into this a bit on their own, keeping in mind that the point is not to spread doom and gloom or loose hope, but rather, to identify trends and factors that lead to the collapse, basic principles, if you will, showing how we can really screw up our world, allowing us to innovate without repeating the mistakes of the past.

Perhaps a good place to start is Michael Balter's site, which I just learned about this morning, and have not yet had a chance to browse. Or, perhaps, Jeremy Diamonds newest book, Collapse also which I have not yet had the chance to read (anyone out there with a used copy I can buy?). Or, if you don't have time, here is an interview with the author on Diane Rehm.

In his Pulitzer Prize-winning book Guns, Germs and Steel, Diamond examined the downfall of some of history’s greatest civilizations. In COLLAPSE! How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, he now asks: “What causes the collapse of great civilizations, and what can we learn from their fates?” Diamond weaves an all-encompassing global thesis through a series of fascinating historical-cultural narratives. From Polynesia to ecologically robust areas like Montana, he traces the fundamental pattern of catastrophe: environmental damage, climate change, rapid population growth, and unwise political choices — and offers solutions. Brilliant, illuminating, and immensely absorbing.