In his books, Guns, Germs & Steel, and Collapse, Jared Diamond makes it clear that sustainable production of excess food in any society is the key to development and the long-term ability to thrive. For an economic system to sustain our natural foundation, as opposed to destroy it, our way of relating with the environment needs to be mindful of our dependence on the ability of the earth to provide us with abundant food. Jared Diamond, in Collapse, How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, identifies five factors involved in the collapse of civilizations throughout history.