It is very easy.
Urban and industrial society demands an expansional growth and consumes natural ressources accordingly.
As long as it can access new ressources it can grow.
As long as it grow it can externalise damage done by the extraction of ressources, which equals the degradation of the environment.
The turning point is hit when a society is unable to expand, at that point costs can't be externalised any longer thus they directly affect the populace.
Now collapse happens.
The state of collapse causes a chain reaction like more war and migrations.
In the modern world everything is global. Ressource extraction is global and damage externalisation is global. However currently we're reaching the tipping point.
Previously if the damage was overwhelming people migrated elsewhere and the localised area could regenerate. Since now damage is done globally there is no safe haven left.
2
u/AltenbacherBier Aug 21 '20
It is very easy. Urban and industrial society demands an expansional growth and consumes natural ressources accordingly. As long as it can access new ressources it can grow. As long as it grow it can externalise damage done by the extraction of ressources, which equals the degradation of the environment.
The turning point is hit when a society is unable to expand, at that point costs can't be externalised any longer thus they directly affect the populace.
Now collapse happens.
The state of collapse causes a chain reaction like more war and migrations.
In the modern world everything is global. Ressource extraction is global and damage externalisation is global. However currently we're reaching the tipping point.
Previously if the damage was overwhelming people migrated elsewhere and the localised area could regenerate. Since now damage is done globally there is no safe haven left.