A Man-Made Environmental Disaster
In his book Collapse, historian and author Jared Diamond argued that the Maya were ultimately victims of their own environmental mismanagement, a warning that feels particularly relevant today.
To fuel the construction of their massive monuments, the Maya cut down hundreds of thousands of trees. In fact, just one meter of building material required the burning of around 20 trees.
According to recent computer simulations, this deforestation had a devastating impact on the environment. Without tree cover, the land absorbed more solar radiation, reducing the ability of water to evaporate. This not only raised temperatures, but also led to less rainfall over the course of a century.
The cascading effects were severe:
Failed crops
Widespread famine
Collapse of trade routes
Mass migration in search of food
All of this was made worse by internal conflict, disease, and social unrest.
