Structure

Collapse tells the stories of societies that mistreated their environment then failed and vanished and of those who knew how to protect and preserve their resources and were able to survive even during hard times. Collapse is separated into four main parts. Part One: Modern Montana, tells the story of the current environmental issues that are plaguing Big Sky Country.

Part Two: Past Societies, describes failed societies that collapsed due to their negligence in preserving their land and trees. The collapses of Easter Island; the Polynesian islands of Pitcairn and Henderson; the ancient societies of the Anasazi and other Native Americans in what is now the U.S. southwest; The Maya collapses; Viking settlements in Greenland, Iceland and Vinland that had mixed results; and, successes in Tokugawa Japan, New Guinea and Tikopia.

Part Three: Modern Societies, describes the starvation and ethnic hatred that led to war and...