Collapse of Easter Island Lessons for Sustainability of Small Islands

Human-Dominated Planet Earth? Unprecedented increases in human activities have been changing the planet at faster rates, and in new ways than ever before

Six Global Indicators of Change n Increased concentration of carbon dioxide n Substantial modification of the planet’s land surface n Increased use of finite fresh water supply

Indicators Continued… n Vastly modified nitrogen cycles n Over exploited and or depleted fisheries n Beginning of the sixth mass extinction of species

The best of times, or the worst of times? Justifiably, we claim to live in the best of times from the stance of breath-taking, scientific, technological, and economic achievement Yet, is also argued that we live in the worst of times in the history of human evolution - threats to human survival on the crowded planet earth have been overhanging

Partnership or Proprietorship? Having dominated the planet Earth only for a speck of time, we are obviously deceiving ourselves by thinking that we are the exclusive owners of the Earth.

Fundamental Paradigm Shift Fundamental Paradigm Shift Unfortunately, our conceptual and analytical frameworks, based on traditional academic disciplines, for understanding and dealing with complex human induced changes…are becoming increasingly inadequate

Optimism vs. Destructive Growth With increasing technological optimism, mainstream economics continues to ignore the fact that all economic activity ultimately depends on a finite environmental resource base and the ecosystem contained therein.

Holistic Thinking Not that there is a lack of initiative, there is little understanding of the Total System. Thus, we tend to ignore the interconnections, feedback, and non-linear changes

Demise of Easter Island… From Rags to Riches, to Riches to Rags The parallels between what happened on Easter Island and what is happening today in the world, though more slowly today in the world, though more slowly on a larger scale, is as Diamond states on a larger scale, is as Diamond states “chillingly obvious” “chillingly obvious”

Margaret Meade (1976): On Small Islands We have in [all] small islands the greatest diversity of ecological, cultural, and economic style that we have anywhere in the world… Easter Island was a good model of planet Earth…

Easter Island n Lies in the South Pacific; roughly triangular shape:166km in area n 3200km off the west coast of Chile; 2000km from Pitcarin n Subtropical with a mild climate; fertile soil due its volcanic origins, and surrounded by resource-rich waters

n Biological evidence shows that Rapa Nui was covered by large forest of 12,000 palm trees n A.D. - prehistoric period of colonization of Rapu Nui by a group of Polynesian settlers

From Riches... Abundance of theses trees provided the essentials for survival:shelter, nutrients for the soil, transportation, food, fire, etc. “The first Polynesian colonists found themselves on an island with fertile soil, abundant food, bountiful building material, ample lebensraum, and all the prerequisites for comfortable living” (Diamond, 1995)

To Rags To Rags n Population reached more than 10,000 by 1550 n With the increasing population they cut down the trees faster than they could grow n Leading to deforestation, soil erosion, loss of biodiversity

Spiral Effects of Population and Stone Technology Spiral Effects of Population and Stone Technology n Malthusian trap n Ecological suicide via mass construction of stone monuments n Failure to see the interconnections between economy, ecology, and society

Avoiding Danger of Easter Island’s path n Trend can be reversed only by aiming to achieve a healthy ecosystem and to achieve a healthy ecosystem and ecological sustainability ecological sustainability n Sustainability of the ecosystems, not sustainable development, must receive greater attention in the global public policy arena

What we can learn from Easter Island 1) In the development of small islands, economic activities must not transcend the ecological limits and physical limits found in the islands’ system. 2) Economic perspectives should take into the fundamental properties of the biosphere

Need for an Overarching Sustainability Science - Sustainability Science - Transcending All Disciplines Transcending All Disciplines

Becoming One New Field ecological social economic Merging Natural, Physical, Biological and the Social Sciences Science of Sustainability

(Re)-Defining Progress n What is “Progress”? n Progress for Whom? n And at what costs? Is it sustainable?