Over two years ago I read and reviewed Collapse by Jared Diamond. Diamond looked at societies that had collapsed and made the claim that environmental conditions were the underlying cause. One of those societies was Easter Island, famous for their unusual and large statues.

I didn’t disagree with the book, but it left me uneasy. There was something about the book that felt like a narrative the author wanted to share rather than real proof of any thesis.

Well, my uneasiness might have been justified. In The Statues that Walked: Unraveling the Mystery of Easter Island by Terry Hunt and Carl Lipo, the authors argue that the harsh conditions of Easter Island was not about an environmental collapse. Their findings attempt to lay out a new history that flies in the face of a century of consensus.

Essentially, The Statues That Walked claims the island never was a paradise and that any environmental collapse happened long before humans inhabited the island. It’s a well researched and compelling argument. And if true, it changes the way we should look at the island.

The authors are not anti-envionrmental types. They aren’t arguing against the idea that overuse of resources is a myth (the way some argue). In fact, they state that the issue does need to be addressed. But they are trying to get the facts right about Easter Island, and the narrative that the island is a poster child for environmental collapse caused by human impact is simply not true according to their findings. They would say that overuse of resources and human impact on the environment is a real issue; just don’t point to Easter Island as an example.

Interesting book, easy to read, and informative.