We often read of great civilizations crumbling in warfare, inner conflict, or oppression. Less often do we hear of societies reaching a downfall mainly because they let their environment die. Easter Island is one area we can look to for example. The inhabitants of the island were a very advanced society for their time. They created such structures, called moia, as symbols of strength and authority. However, these famously crafted monuments cannot mask an environment that has faced severe devastation.
Easter Island is just a small part of our world, and yet, our environment is like Easter Island because we too are allowing it to be depleted of its resources at an alarming rate. By the 15th century, the growing population of Easter Island had wiped out the once abundant forests, destroying the animals of the island along with them. The fall of the civilization was soon to follow. Though different research has suggested several possibilities as to the exact cause of the society’s crash, many archaeologists and scientists believe that deforrestation was what started the decline. Lacking a source of food, the people faced starvation, and even turned to cannibalism. How did such a skilled and intelligent people allow this to happen? The truth is that we may be doing the very same thing today.
Like the Polynesians, we face a growing population which demands a great amount of natural resources. However, we are using them up without enough thought as to future needs. No, we are not building giant stone figures, but our societies do focus on assembling other symbols of power, no matter what the cost to the environment.
Wiping out forests and jungles is just one issue, but it is an example of exhausting our environment far more than is necessary as we do in many other areas. We can’t afford to be careless with any of our resources. As the history of Easter Island shows, limits are necessary to survive. In the United States alone, we use far more than our share. As other nations continue toward greater industrialization, the situation will only become more desperate. With the amount of technology in today’s world, we should be able to continue finding more ways to preserve the environment.
sources: http://www.sacredsites.com/americas/chile/easter_island.html
