Natural Resources key to society’s survival, prof says
A Utah State University professor challenges assertions by past and contemporary historians that societal collapse is caused by invasions, epidemics, environmental disasters and the like. Societies are doomed, Joseph Tainter said, when they become too complex to sustain themselves with the natural resources that they are supplied with.
As a society faces problems, it must rise to find ways to solve them, he said. Over time, societies can become so complex that they can no longer sustain themselves and that is when they fail, Tainter said. It has been shown with the Mayan, Roman and many other empires throughout history, he said.
In “USU Researcher Offers View on Collapse of Civilizations,” author Mary-Ann Muffoletto said Tainter uses Sept. 11 as an example of how the after-effects of that day caused the government to form the Department of Homeland Security, and how resources were poured into the department to develop more sophisticated defensive technologies. On top of this, she said Congress authorized the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, all of which take an incredible amount of resources.
Tainter developed this society theory as he was working for the forest service. He said he already had the ideas for it, but the theory came together when he read about the optimal foraging theory, which asks when animals stop foraging due to marginal return. Just as with animals, societies of the past have reached a point of diminishing returns and collapsed, he said.
Unfortunately, there are no easy solutions to this problem, he said. Energy is key to society, he said, and whether the present society can make a transition to offer alternative energy sources is crucial. Tainter said he believes America needs oil at $60 a barrel to look for alternative energy. When gas was extremely high-priced it was good motivation for looking for alternative energy.
Tainter has helped publish many books including his key book “The Collapse of Complex Societies” in which he said he delves into the idea that energy is the basis of everything and when energy isn’t sufficient enough, societies will collapse.
Tainter, historian and anthropologist, is head of the department of environment and society within USU’s College of Natural Resources. Tainter said he was in the forest service for 28 years, studying long-term human and environmental interaction in Albuquerque, N. M.
Tainter was featured in the French publication “Les Cahiers de Science et Vie,” where his work was cited among other great societal researchers of the past and present. While many of the ideas differ, Tainter said energy seems to always take part in why societies collapse.
Tainters’ voice was heard among contemporaries Jared Diamond and Chris Scarre, along with voices from the past such as historians Edward Gibbon, Arnold Toynbee and Oswald Spengler. Each of these people are seen as the best on the topic, Tainter said.
As well as being featured in magazines and books, Tainter has been featured in two large documentary films. The most recent, “Blind Spot” with Adolfo Doring, featured 18 scientists and writers studying the consequences of fossil fuel dependence, Tainter said.
Tainter was also featured in Leonardo DiCaprio’s video “The Eleventh Hour,” which is about the changing environment and how humans can adapt, he said.
The movie premiers were an experience, Tainter said. For both the filming of the documentaries and the openings of them, he said producers gave him the “Hollywood treatment, flying me in, picking me up in a limo, and putting me in a very nice hotel.” Tainter said he is glad he got the experience.
Tainter said he retired from the forest service in 2005. After retiring, he taught at the University of New Mexico for two and a half years before moving to USU two years ago. While no classes are taught on the fall of societies, he said he does teach a seminar yearly.
Tainter suggests reading his first book “The Collapse of Complex Societies” to find more information on this topic.
–adam.ward@aggiemail.usu.edu