Much of human history has consisted of unequal conflicts between the haves and the have-nots.
Jared DiamondIn contrast [to trees and fish], oil, metals, and coal are not renewable; they don't reproduce, sprout, or have sex to produce baby oil droplets or coal nuggets.
Jared DiamondThe single most important problem is our misguided focus on identifying the single most important problem!
Jared DiamondThe metaphor is so obvious. Easter Island isolated in the Pacific Ocean — once the island got into trouble, there was no way they could get free. There was no other people from whom they could get help. In the same way that we on Planet Earth, if we ruin our own [world], we won't be able to get help.
Jared Diamond