Collapse: How societies choose to fail or succeed

I'm currently in the middle of this book by Jared Diamond. So far, pretty interesting stuff. He's covering the collapse of some old civilizations and the various influences (environmental, social, economic) that led to their collapse . Interestingly enough, the book starts out in Montana! It's enlightening and a bit sobering to read that in places such as Montana, which are generally considered remote and unspoiled, that there are numerous environmental problems that create significant socio-economic issues. Currently in New Zealand, also oft thought of as reasonably environmentally responsible, one doesn't have to look far to see problems here that could be managed better. If the "green" places of Earth can't hack it, what hope is there for the rest of the planet?!