Vol. 16 No. 3&4 2005
By Jane S. Shaw
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jared Diamond's new book Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed argues that past societal collapses have occurred in large part because the societies failed to adapt to changing environmental conditions. He warns that modern societies and civilization too may be failing to adapt and may be on the brink of collapse. He uses conditions in western Montana as a template for this grim warning.
An extensive critique of Diamond's claims has been published in a special issue of Energy & Environment, a British peer-reviewed journal (Vol. 16, Nos. 3 & 4, 2005). Editors of the special issue are Julian Morris and Kendra Okonski of the International Policy Network.
PERC Senior Fellow Jane S. Shaw contributed an article, "." She explores why Diamond, a respected scientist, wrote a book that makes such extreme claims about the future.
Founded 30 years ago in Bozeman, Montana, PERC—the Property and Environment Research Center—is the nation’s oldest and largest institute dedicated to improving environmental quality through property rights and markets.
PERC’s publications, each designed to resonate with specific groups, move ideas generated at PERC to broader audiences.
Research is at the heart of PERC's work, with a focus on the question: What is the link between economic growth and environmental quality?
The goal of PERC’s programs is to fully realize the vision of establishing “PERC University,” where scholars, students, policy makers, and others convene to expand the applications of free market environmentalism.
PERC's fellowships share a common goal of exposing new scholars, students, journalists, and policy makers to free market environmentalism, as well as enable scholars already familiar with FME to explore new applications.
PERC continues to publish and present a broad range of research and discussion through podcasts, videos, and other multimedia channels.