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Writer's pictureAlmog Amar

The Easter Island Case

Greenland.


The largest island in the world, the seat of the Greenlandic Blanca, with a particularly low temperature due to its proximity to the Arctic Circle. It Contrebuted the relative stability of the nearby glaciers and ice-covered surface of the island.


That is, until humans came into the picture.


The population itself in Greenland is approxemly 58000 People on more than 2 million square kilometers - the world's low population-total ratio - and their impact on climate in Greenland is quite negligible. Relative harmony has served among the population of Greenland's wildlife.


It has recently been reported that half of Greenland's territory has begun to melt, which is not typical of this time of year. 40 degrees more than the average temperature, especially significant for loss of wildlife habitat in Greenland, headed by polar bear . This is another result of the global warming that has intensified over the last decade and accelerates unnatural natural processes - man-made Ones.


Does Only after the industrial revolution erupted into our life a person have the ability to influence his environment?


Living on a secluded island in the Pacific will forever depend on the tip of the knife. This is particularly evident in the case of the most remote and isolated island on land - Easter Island. Only 11 km wide and only 20 km long, Easter Island - or the "local ornamental" in the local language - stands as a fortress among the waves, stretching thousands of miles of ocean on all sides. It is the eastern vertex of the Polynesian Triangle - Māori in the South Pacific. In addition to the northern vertex of Hawaii and Western New Zealand.


A significant part of Polynesian-Moorish tradition and culture is the discovery of new territories. This is evident from the land shortage in the South Pacific region. Therefore, a culture of seafarers and a respectful relationship have been developed for the Pacific - which can provide sustenance but also take life if it is not properly appreciated.


The Polynesians flew over a vast expanse of vast water until they reached Easter Island around 800 - 1200 AD quite an achievment considering the fact they didn't have oversized ships like their European counterparts. The closest land to it is the South American act - a distance of 3658 miles from central Chile, making it the most isolated island inhabited by humans.


The most unique scenery on the island is the hundreds of giant statues spread out in it called "Moi" which are believed to have been carved in the image of ancient leaders of the islanders. It is hard to believe that such an advanced culture, erected by these huge sculptures, could have developed in such a desolate landscape - but is wasn't always the case.


The inhabitants contained the reservoir of trees in the island, as they used to pass the giant statues, in the end, not even enough for boats to fish or flee. Their homes were abandoned, and the foundations of those houses served as underground fortifications and cannibalism began to go unnoticed after all the edible (such and other) things ran out. The giant statues were knocked to the ground, apparently by sabotage of rival tribes.


Although the human spirit for new discoveries and territorial discoveries served the Polynesians like the Europeans. But also the tendency to self-destruct, natural resource depletion, and tribalism. Tribalism that eliminated cooperation among Easter Islanders created unnecessary competition for the production of huge stone sculptures to glorify the tribe at the expense of limited island resources anyway. It was a matter of time before the wasteland took over.


The fall of other cultures in the Pacific has happened in other islands as well, but there is no more dramatic evidence of this than the people of Rapha Noi on Easter Island. The island symbolizes the instability of life in isolated Pacific islands.


When the first Europeans arrived to the island in 1722 there were between 2000 and 3000 inhabitants. The island was deserted and almost devoid of trees or vegetation. The rats, which come with human ships everywhere, multiplied and ate from the fruits of the island, so the trees stopped breeding. Perhaps the fate of Easter Island was not decided by the humans who mined the last tree - but by the rat that ate the last palm fruit?


It is generally believed that at the height of the Polynesian settlement on the island, the population numbered about 10000 men and women. Of course, as happened at the South American and European Cultural Meeting, many Easter Islanders died from diseases brought by European sailors and the locals's immune system could not, and abductions of islanders' Peruvian slave traders. Thus, 111 men and women remained on the island.


However, Rapa Noi people live on the island till this day. They thrive again, entertaining and visiting visitors from the outside world. Trees have been planted, but it is too late for the large selection of life that has lived on this island in the past. Easter Island is proof that living on an isolated island can change a society from the ground up and strive for its foundations.


The Easter Island case serves as a warning sign, micro example for future generations. If pre-industrial Polynesian culture has consumed itself, the repercussions of modern-day, higher-capacity cultures on the environment are more dominant. The destruction of man has not changed whether it is now or centuries ago.


Thus, we see that the implications of the modern lifestyle for the unique and unique blue ball in which we reside are due both to technological advancement but also to the deliberate and human hand behind it. The same deliberate hand that existed in the pre-technological age.

There are differences between the settlers in Greenland - who did not harm their

surroundings - and the settlers on Easter Island - who destroyed their natural resources. But at the same time, man's long hand comes and influences everything. The same hand can also benefit and preserve, as can be harmful - either in the global or local aspect.


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