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A Dynamic Collapse Concept for Climate Change
Daniel Steel1, Giulia Belotti2, Ross Mittiga3
1The W. Maurice Young Centre for Applied Ethics, School of Population and Public Health, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Environmental Values
|March 30, 2026
Summary
Societal collapse definitions fail to address climate change impacts. We propose a new understanding of collapse as a loss of collective capacity and basic functions, distinct from necessary climate transformations.
Area of Science:
- Climate Change Science
- Sociology
- Sustainability Studies
Background:
- Growing concern exists regarding societal collapse risks from anthropogenic climate change.
- Current definitions of societal collapse lack consensus and adequate frameworks for climate change challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically examine existing definitions of societal collapse.
- To propose an alternative conception of societal collapse tailored to climate change impacts.
Main Methods:
- Critical analysis of existing literature on societal collapse.
- Development of a new conceptual framework for societal collapse.
Main Results:
- Existing definitions are inadequate for understanding climate change-induced societal collapse.
- A proposed conception defines collapse as a reduction in collective capacity leading to pervasive, difficult-to-reverse loss of basic functionality.
- This dynamic conception highlights subsystem interrelations and distinguishes collapse from necessary transformations.
Conclusions:
- A refined understanding of societal collapse is crucial for addressing climate change.
- The proposed dynamic conception offers insights into the relationship between collapse and sustainability.
- This framework aids in distinguishing societal collapse from adaptive transformations.
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