Past civilizations: Deelopment and Decline

Question 1

What are causes named for collaps and decline?

Answer 1

• Resource overexploitation (soil depletion)
• Climate change
• Environmental pollution
• War among nations
• Class struggle and warfare from inequality
• Decline of social institutions
• Corrupt and greedy elites

Question 2

How does collapse/decline occur

Answer 2

A combination of material and social reasons. For instance, a combination of climate change and inequality. (etc.)

Question 3

The planet

Answer 3

Has never been in a steady state. (think of moving continents)

Question 4

Climate change mainly has to do with these 3 stocks of carbon:

Answer 4

1) Carbon in permafrost
2) Carbon in the atmosphere
3) Carbon in mass & surface of sea ice

These show 2 positive feedback loops that could have a big influence

(Missing, Carbon in the ocean)

Question 5

The essence of this lecture:

Answer 5

We have gotten past the exponential growth of the logistic growth curve and now have to stabilize it. How will we accomplish that when people have gotten used to growth and luxuries.

Question 6

The past indicates that … leads to …

Answer 6

Overexploitation

Decline

Question 7

Environmental change can be seen as a reason for

Answer 7

collapse

Question 8

The control dependence loop

Answer 8

Being developed creates vulnerability. Vulnerability leads to the need for control.

For instance, unintended environmental impacts make us vulnerable and leads to adaptation measures in a attempt to gain control.

Question 9

Accumulation of longterm risks

Answer 9

by creating short term solutions, long term problems can be created.

Question 10

We look at past collapse and decline

Answer 10

to better understand what caused it, so we can learn from it and prevent it in our society.