Amitav Ghosh and Luke Kemp on learning from collapsed empires
From the fall of Rome to the climate crisis unfolding right now, history shows up a common pattern for how empires rise and fall. And two important factors are humans’ relationship with the natural world, as well as the unequal distribution of power and wealth. What can the wreckage of past civilisations teach us about avoiding our own?
This event was recorded live at the 2026 Sydney Writers’ Festival at Carriageworks.
Listen to Big Ideas – Why civilisations vanish
Speakers
Amitav Ghosh Indian-born novelist, essayist, and public intellectual
Author of The Nutmeg’s Curse: Parables for a Planet…
The skinny
The skinny isn't ready yet — notes appear once the transcript is processed.