ENVR 310 ENVIRONMENTAL GEOGRAPHY
(Spring 2024)
Diamond_Twilight at Easter shortened.pdf
1. Write a paragraph outlining Diamond's argument and specifically address: Why
did the Easter Island society fail? What choices did they make, in his analysis, that
led to this outcome?
In "Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed," Jared Diamond analyzes Easter Island to show the factors that contribute to societal collapse. Diamond argues that Easter Island's society faced a decline due to environmental mismanagement and overexploitation of resources. The inhabitants of Easter Island, in his analysis, made choices that led to ecological degradation, mainly deforestation. They extensively used the island's trees for constructing massive stone statues (moai, pg 109) and for other purposes, which resulted in the loss of critical resources. This and a lack of sustainable practices, led to soil erosion, reduced agricultural productivity, and a collapse in the island's ecosystem. Ultimately, he suggests that the failure of Easter Island's society was a result of unsustainable resource use and a failure to adapt to the environmental challenges.
2
. Diamond obliquely (in other words, from the side, not directly) compares European societies with the people of Rapa Nui. Write a short paragraph explaining to someone who hasn't read the chapter how Diamond views the local population of Easter Island in comparison to Europeans, and provide two quotes to support your argument. Diamond argues that the inhabitants of Easter Island, who faced an environmental disaster from deforestation, are not distinct from Europeans who have contributed to environmental issues. He implies that the actions of the Easter Islanders were driven by factors like those affecting modern societies. Two quotes supporting this perspective are: "Resulted in some unspecified way from disruption caused by unrecorded European visitors" pg.113 "Misfortune of living in one of the most fragile environments, at a high risk of deforestation, of any specific people" pg.118
