Easter Island: A Warning About Resource Consumption

Throughout the course of history, mankind has differed from the animals because of our ability to recall the past, and to use that memory to avoid mistakes in the future. Historians and archeologists struggle to uncover what has worked, and not worked, for previous civilizations. Through this information, we are able to understand our own society much more fully. Also, more importantly, it is possible to learn from the mistakes of our ancestors, and adjust our behavior accordingly, so that we do not end up in the same situation. Sometimes, the lessons are global, and we must listen to those teachings most carefully of all.

Looking at a microcosm is a good way to see how events take place in the larger world, and to make predictions based on the history of the microcosm. This is especially true in cases such as Easter Island, where something quite obviously went very wrong. It was initially clear to researchers that the people presently living on the island did not have the manpower, technology, organization, or tools to have created and erected the Easter Island Statues. This mystery caused scientists and historians to dig into the past in search of answers to two questions: how the earlier inhabitants had accomplished so much, and what had happened to them.

In the course of the research, it was discovered that, in fact, life on the island had once been very different. The population was much larger, there was a centralized government, and the people even frequently ventured out into the sea, something obviously not possible for later residents. The island itself, scientists found, had once been a virtual paradise. There was a forest, plentiful food in the form of birds and sea creatures (as well as non-native chickens and rats), and an abundance of fresh water.

These findings explained the initial confusion about the ability of the people to have created the massive statues. With large trees, ample manpower, and food with which to fuel the people, the seemingly impossible task would certainly have been possible. However, this information left scientists with a new mystery, the solution to which should chill us all.

How, wondered scientists, had this obviously advanced civilization, living in paradise, been reduced to cannibalistic remnants living in a wasteland? The answer slowly became clear. Throughout the course of the statue building and general lives of the people, they began to use more resources than were replenished. They gradually deforested the island (with the help of a non-native rat infestation), and consumed the birds that were essential to their diet. As they ran out of large trees, they became less and less able to fish and to hunt dolphins. They turned to smaller trees to suit their uses, and smaller. As they ran out of food, they turned to each other.

It seems impossible for things to have gotten so bad without the inhabitants noticing, or attempting to do something to arrest the process. It is probable that they did notice, but that the change was so gradual that it did not seem a pressing worry. Clearing one strand of trees didn't seem like a big deal when new trees were growing. Having a feast of wild bird was no problem with nests of chicks hatching every year. However, there came a point at which the people's demand on the resources of the island became too great. From that point onward, when the land was unable to regenerate what was being taken, things probably progressed much more quickly, with each year containing less food, less trees, and less people.

By the time the gradual changes became a noticeable (and worrying) issue, it was likely already too late for any but the most futile attempts at repair. All that could be done was to struggle for survival with dwindling resources, because the damage had been done, and was irreparable. The resources were gone, and there was no where else to turn to replenish them. It is possible that a mass exodus could have been (and may have been) attempted to reach another island, but by the time the need was seen, the large sea-worthy canoes were probably in short supply, as was food and fresh water for the journey.

The lesson to be learned for the modern student is that we still, essentially, are living on that island. Every year more trees are cut down, and more wildlife driven to extinction. The water and air grow more polluted every day, and we have even managed to turn the planet into a giant greenhouse, which promises to change the world as we know it. The changes are gradual, and each generation seems to think that the next generation should be the one that steps up and does something to solve the problems we face.

There will come a day when, without realizing it, someone will catch the last fish. Someone will cut down the last oxygen-supplying tree to build a fire to cook that fish. Before that time comes, a critical moment will be reached, a moment beyond which it will be impossible to heal the damage we have done, and ensure the planet's health for future generations. That moment is drawing nearer every day, and it may be almost upon us. It is impossible to predict when it will arrive. We can continue to hope that the next generation does something about it. We can hope that technology allows us to find and colonize suitable replacement Earths.

However, these are just ways of avoiding responsibility. A solution needs to be found, and employed, now. We need to realize that this gradual trend will someday stop being so gradual. We need to learn from the mistakes of the Easter Islanders and protect what we have, so that we can continue to have it. It is still possible, through careful management, to ensure many future generations the resources they need. And we must start immediately. After all, for the moment, this planet is still one large island, and not one of us has anywhere else to go.