In Jared Diamond’s Collapse, the author describes a 5-point framework for analyzing
environmental collapse. Four out of the five criteria are not as definitive for environmental
collapse as the 5th one. The four non-definitive factors are: Four of those sets of factors are
environmental damage, climate change, hostile neighbors, and friendly trade partners may
or may not be of much significance to a society. The fifths factor, however is very
significant and that is the society’s response to its environmental problems.
The first criteria for environmental collapse is environmental damage. Montana’s
environment poses as great example of environmental damage causes by people over time.
According to Diamond, fish species have dwindled because of overfishing, water removal
for irrigation, whirling disease and less water in mountain streams due to human intrusion.
Montana has also been a major site for metal mining, and as many as 20,000 of the mines
have been abandoned. For this reason, the most prominent source of pollution in Montana
are residues from metal mining. Fur trappers from the U.S. and Canada who came to hunt
animals to profit off their hides and furs also contributed to the decline of biodiversity in
the state and contributed to the environmental damage as a whole. Because of disregard for
the environment, toxic wastes, deforestation, water depletion, soil corrosion have all lead
to the destruction of Montana’s pristine state.
The next component of Diamond’s 5-point framework for environmental collapse is
climate change. Climate change, according to Diamond can refer to the global warming
caused by humans and also to the years (decades and centuries) of changes in the natural
ecological stimuli that cause climate changes that have nothing to do with human
interventions. Examples of these natural stimuli include slight changes to the Earths Orbit,
natural events like El Nino and La Nina, the moon’s impact on ocean currents, the effect on
earth by naturally cool spots on the sun called “sun spots” and more. Diamond recalls that
in many historical cases, a society that was depleting its environmental resources could
survive as long as the climate was forgiving. This would allow them to rebound and
continue to live off new resources as the climate allowed them to restart. In many cases
however, the climate would not be benign, and there would be no forgiveness for
environmental damage. The climates in these cases became drier, colder, hotter, wetter or
more variable. This is not to be blamed on the climate however, because should the people
