The people of Easter Islands, the Vikings, Mayans, and others have all disappeared from the earth. They have left behind their material cultures however. In his new book, geographer Jared Diamond combs through that record to reconstruct these societies' final days and finds ecocide the most compelling argument that runs through all of their stories.

But it's not all just bleak news. In his book, Diamond also relates the stories of a number of other populations, like those in Japan and Papua New Guinea, that appeared headed for similar dim fates but good leadership saved them from the brink. What does this all mean for today's world? Diamond says it all comes down to how we manage our environment.

Hear a conversation with Jared Diamond about his new book, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed."