Failed States

August, 2011

Failed StatesThe stakes are high, and time is not on our side. There is mounting evidence that our civilization is in serious trouble™"„„,. m » -'"'¦THERE ISMANY EARLIER CIVILIZATIONS were undone by environmentally induced crises. Typi­cally, they faced one or two destructive environmental trends, most often defor­estation and soil erosion. The Sumerian civilization of the fourth millennium B.C. was remarkable for its irrigation system, which supported a highly pro-ductive agriculture...