A great follow-up to ‘Guns, Germs and Steel’, this book takes a really solid, straightforward look at issues (primarily environmental) that caused the downfall of past societies. This is interesting in and of itself, but the author really succeeds relating these collapses to issues we face today.

The second last chapter in the book is a great read in itself, describing the interplay between big business and the environment and describes how individuals can make a difference.