The Last Americas Environmental Collapse And The End Of Civilization Summary

In Jared Diamond’s essay, “The Last Americas: Environmental Collapse and the End of Civilization”, Diamond discusses the collapse of ancient civilizations and how few among them realized, believed or even saw disaster was approaching. Destruction and depletion of the environment played a significant role in most situations, but it happened fast and usually when the civilization was at the peak of their power. In many ways the United States may be on this same path. Destruction of the environment and depletion of natural resources were the forerunners of collapse in most ancient cultures. Over-farming, deforestation, and the inability to store food played significant roles in collapse. Likewise, savage wars for power, wealth and glory between rival societies wreaked havoc on the populace. Leaders were less concerned with the wellbeing of the populace, and more concerned with their own selfish goals. Alone these were not enough to cause a civilization to fail; most collapses were associated with sudden and extreme climate changes. These extreme factors compounded already existing ailments and sealed their fate. …show more content…
The Mayan civilization was extensive by ancient standards. To support a society of this size immense areas were razed which lead to erosion. Over-farming of the limited land they had available led to a diminished return of crops. Poor choice in crops and the inability to store them were other issues. To sustain them through drought conditions reservoirs were built, however the length of time they would support crops and population was limited. Due to the lack of larger livestock, Mayans could not utilize animals for farming or transport of goods. Despite this they were able to grow and sustain a large, advanced