Collapse by Jared Diamond
One of the better books I have read this year (it is from 2005), just could not put it down.
Diamond uses this tome to examine the failure of societies, which he defines as "a drastic decrease in human population size and/or political/economic/social complexity, over a considerable area, for an extended time."
While Diamond discovers other factors also play a role, he returns most often to the environment as a primary cause. In that search he finds twelve ways in which societies self-destructed by destroying their environment. This is colorfully described as ecocide, and includes: deforestation and habitat destruction, soil problems (erosion, salinization, loss of fertility), water management problems, overhunting, over fishing, introduced species harming local species, human population growth, increased impact per person, and more recently: human-caused climate change, toxic chemicals, energy shortages, and human full use of photovoltaic capacity.
Anyhow, a timely and well written book (you should also check out his other books like "Guns, Germs and Steel" or "The Third Chimpanzee")