Easter Island Downfall

Diamond describes the early parts of human history in a broad scope towards the beginning of the book. He focuses on both the evolution and spread of human beings, arguing that some civilizations had a head start over other ones because of when the period of human evolution took place. He explains how different environments shaped human history through an a example of how populations which inhabited the Polynesian islands developed differently due to the different environments and then by telling the stories about what happened as populations with better geographical advantages encountered more disadvantaged populations in the Americas. Diamond explains the many factors that influenced the historical progression of different societies. Diamond argues how food production was very much a primary factor in the advancement of each society. Societies

In 1835 the Chatham Islands were discovered by a British seal hunting ship approximately 500 miles off the coast of New Zealand. Because of an abundance of fish and food available, there were numerous inhabitants. However, they did not know how to fight and they had no real weapons to use when they tried to hunt the game accessible to them. The Chatham Islands become inhabited in 1,000 AD. However, the climate is too cold for them to grow crops, and they become hunter gatherers of lobster, shellfish, and seal. The island that was inhabited was too small to support a lot of people, so they castrated some men and boys to handle population control. Contrasting with this new generation, the people on the original island specialized in agriculture and therefore gave rise to more dense populations. The cultivation group-type slaughters the other type because their agricultural society made them more bloodthirsty and warlike due to the more complicated features that an agricultural community possess. This leads Diamond to develop six major environmental variations that can apply to all societies: Climate, Geological type, Marine Resources, Area, Terrain fragmentation, and Isolation. Environmental factors and innovation are key sources to the success or demise of a

The Once-ler was driven by the short-term benefit he saw in the truffula forest. The behavior of the Once-ler can be rationalized by the statement Garrett Hardin wrote, “As a rational being, each herdsman seeks to maximize his gain” (1244). While the Once-ler was driven by short-term benefit he was blinded to the long-term effects of his action. The people of Easter Island had similar circumstances. They too were blind to the long-term effects of their actions. The people saw great spiritual value in the Moai, as stated by PBS’s quote, “believed by most archaeologists to

Both Easter Island and The Lorax have many things in common , one similarity is overuse of resources. In the Lorax the once-ler invaded and cut down all the Truffula trees to make a thread for universal use. While on Easter Island the native people cut down all the palm trees to make canoes but to manly make boards to move there giant statues around that were made out of stone. Both the Lorax and Easter Island used up all their trees so production of their products had to stop, however they do have their differences.

In the article by Jared Diamond, many interesting theories are discussed about Easter Island’s history and decline. Diamond makes connections to the environmental challenges we face today and he compares the catastrophe of Easter Island to our current over consumption of natural resources. While this article makes for an interesting read, much of it is offered from a single perspective and little counter evidence is offered. The author writes in a way that could engage a non-academic audience who may not be interested in counter evidence, or proper referencing. The article lacks credibility due to its narrow scope and conversational diction. At the root of this discussion however, is the notion that the Rapa Nui people were

Chapter 1: Up to the Starting Line – In this chapter Jared Diamond attempts to answer Yali’s question by explaining how and where some of the first human settlements were located and where the earliest signs of evolution are. Diamond explains how many settlements had a clear advantage over others due to where they were located. He then shows the advantage by stating “… the earliest human fossil in Europe, the earliest evidence of domesticated corn in Mexico, or the earliest evidence anywhere…” This shows how the advantages played out. Diamond then goes on to explain how certain civilizations needed to adapt differently to survive. Diamonds last point describes how many of the civilizations were colonized and how certain colonies developed much

I found this chapter absolutely fascinating. For me the real insights were the role of the political system in the building of the giant stone statues that became Easter Island’s biggest mystery when it was discovered in 1722. There were hundreds of erect statues with no one there. Who built them? As Diamond explains, it was the dozen clans that controlled the island who built them. “The clans competed peacefully by seeking to outdo each other in building

He compares three places that all developed food production and in which place it was more effective than the other two: Western Eurasia, specifically the Mediterranean and Fertile Crescent zones, New Guinea, and the Eastern U.S. Diamond first describes advantages of the Fertile Crescent that made it so suitable for farming. First, the Mediterranean climate with long dry seasons caused plants to adapt and consequently they were able to be stored for a long time. Second, the flora of the Mediterranean was previously abundant and productive, so they didn’t need to change much to be able to be cultivated. Lastly, many of the plants were self-pollinating, therefore they could keep the positive traits they were selected for by humans. These adaptations allowed food production to rise quickly and allowed for people to begin the process of civilization. Thus, the Fertile Crescent became one of the first cites of

     The people of Easter Island came over to their new land, and recognized that it was ideal for them to settle. The land was lush; the sea was providing a bounty of fresh fish, and other seafood. The earth was dark brown, and very rich. Everything was just the way it needed to be to support a growing community of people.

The humans living in that period were unable to supplement their previous diet, which was rich in protein, and their culture was devastated as a result; this then, is an example of progress (better hunting methods) that led to the failure of an entire culture as its problems were left unsolved. In his third chapter, Wright examines two particular civilizations that thrived but eventually declined due to resource depletion. What is interesting is the similarities that can be drawn from the examples of Easter Island and Sumer, like the widespread ignorance of the masses to actively prevent the abrasion of their land, the perpetual idleness of people to not do anything even when there was enough time to stop the tragic collapse, to current-day situations of people who even flat-out deny climate change and claim it to be part of the left-wing agenda. On Easter Island, it was over-logging that led to their collapse, since as their ecosystem withered away, logging became scarce, and wars broke out for those sparse resources. In Sumer similar environmental destruction occurred (i.e. overgrazing, land clearing), which should alarm the world population of today of what may become of the high levels

Lush to barren, bio-diverse to disturbed, blooming beauty to foul crudeness—is a common theme plaguing the natural world at this precise moment in time. Humans are overtaxing the splendor of nature, altering it into an unrecognizable wasteland ravaged by greed and economic lust. Such a modification can even be fatal, extinguishing green eternally in replacement of stark soil that sadly anticipates some form of aid with the capability to maybe replenish it. Within “The Lorax” and the land mass known as Easter Island, both environments are victim to the immoral whims of humanity and the consequent demolition it wreak, the two merely differing in the advancement of technology.

This sentence refers I just eat chicken for dinner, maybe a piece, an order, a dish, or even two chickens.

Over the years this has been a mystery on just how the Moai statues on Easter Island got to their final resting places. The tallest statue is “Paro,” stands at almost 10 meters (33 ft) and weighs in at 74 metric tons (82 tons). All the statues seem very hard to move. In the early 80’s researchers tried to recreate some of the statues and move them using only the

In 1722, European explorers landed on a remote island in the pacific. They were welcomed by 887 Moai. Moai are stone statues that look like humans. They were made from hardened volcanic ash. The statues are enormus in size. They stand about 13 feet high. That is the average hieght of a female giraffe. They weigh around 14 tons. That is equal to the weight of three elephants. Some Moai stand facing the sea. Others are in a construction area miles away. Many Moai are lying between the two places. There are many unanswered questions about the moai. The biggest mystery is how the islanders moved the stone giants. The only tools available were stone, wood, rope, and man power. Perhaps they rocked the statues side to side. Maybe they rolled them

Easter island has been called ‘the best historical example of a society collapsing’. From roughly 700 to 1400 Easter Island flourished; they had a stable