Easter Island
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What Really Happened on Easter Island? Ancient Sediments Rewrite the “Ecocide” Story
A new study challenges long-held narratives of societal “collapse,” instead showing that Rapanui communities adapted to profound climate stress with resilience and innovation.
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Study Challenges Popular Idea That Easter Islanders Committed ‘Ecocide’
A popular trope says settlers overtaxed an isolated Pacific island, wrecked the environment and suffered a population collapse. A new study claims the opposite.
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Digging Into Easter Island’s Climate History
Sediments deposited over thousands of years provide a window to the past—and may perhaps shed light on what happened to the island’s now-lost civilization.
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How Can Changing Climate Affect a Civilization?
Billy D’Andrea is trying to understand Easter Island’s climate history over the last few thousand years and how communities dealt with past climate change.
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