It’s simpler than you may think. Ditto for AVOIDING collapse.

A study funded by NASA a few years ago found (confirming other analyses), a correlation between inequality and the fall of civilizations. Its authors wanted to come up with a balanced, sustainable society with a manageable carrying capacity for our planet. The study, however, made quite evident that “with the advent of unequal wealth distribution and disregard for abuse of resources in a society… the system eventually collapses."

What is collapse anyway?

Social collapse is, euphemistically, socioeconomic complexity becoming “quite a bit less complex”. That is, among other things:

“Markets and distribution systems begin to fail. Government currencies will fluctuate wildly or be supplanted by barter or other tokens of wealth. Populations greatly and permanently diminish…"

The study tried to figure out if it is possible to avoid collapse, by regulating wealth inequality and depletion of resources. It found it can be done. The problem is how, of course.

In synthesis, there is hope if we concretely “begin to moderate wealth inequality and start to manage planetary resources”.

And this is why it is urgent (and already was seven years ago)

(as commented here, with respect to US, but even without COVID-19 many other countries, especially but not only in the West, are going in the same direction)

“The bottom 20%, the poorest Americans, are an average $6,000 in debt. That’s nearly 70 million people edging towards thinking they have nothing to lose if civilization collapsed. It might even represent opportunities for them to get ahead."

The commentary continues here, and here is the original paper, titled “Human and nature dynamics (HANDY): Modeling inequality and use of resources in the collapse or sustainability of societies”.