The environmental movement in politics is often exaggerated and causes people to lose interest in the issue, but Jarred Diamond makes it impossible to ignore the issue in his book Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. Jared Diamond hopes to capture the attention of as many people as possible; the name alone, “Collapse,” makes him sound like an attention-seeking alarmist. However, he has right to sue the company. He draws parallels with previous failed societies and modern societies, showing how the practices we employ are similar to these failed societies. He is suggesting that America, as well as other countries, are going down the path of ecocide, possibly global ecocide. Through his extensive research and numerous examples he makes his thesis impossible to argue with. Although all the examples seem redundant and like he is overemphasizing the point, he does so to show his thoroughness. He also does it to prove that he is right. Diamond doesn't want to be wrong; he is an important author who receives a lot of attention when he publishes a book. People try to discredit Diamond's work. For this reason it provides extensive resources to support this thesis. The book's prologue clearly states Diamond's thesis. He explains that past societies collapsed based on five factors: human-induced environmental damage, climate change, hostile neighbors, friendly trading partners, and society's response to environmental problems. It also explains how this book was written in a scientific way using the "comparative method", comparing different natural situations with respect to the variable of interest. There is a small flaw in this however. Showing these correlations between different societies,...... middle of paper...... the book is not without its flaws, it is definitely worth taking the time to read. It's incredibly informative and takes a look at approaching the environment in a slightly different way. People can identify with the ideas suggested by Diamond much easier than the typical “green” approach. While Diamond is optimistic about the future, he admits there isn't much time to act on what he's saying. By the end of the book, if it is read with an open mind, you truly understand what Diamond is saying and realize that the book is worth your time. It's not traditional environmental work; he is much more realistic in his expectations than most environmentalists. Because of this realism people must heed his warning and take his struggle to heart. As he said, ultimately humans created the problems and humans have the control to solve the problems we face.