Listed below are statements from the Review of Collapse. Read the text and choose if the statements are facts or opinions.
Review of Collapse
Jared Diamond’s new book, Collapse, is a clear warning about the consequences of damaging our environment. In the book, the author describes several civilizations that collapsed because of the choices they made and their impact on the environment. One of the most disturbing examples in the book is Rapa Nui.
According to the author, Rapa Nui was settled by Polynesians sometime after 700 CE. They developed a thriving society of, perhaps, 15 000 people. They carved the moai, the famous statues, and used the natural resources available to them to move these huge moai to different locations around the island. When the first Europeans landed on Rapa Nui in 1722, the moai were still there, but the trees were gone. The population was down to a few thousand people who were struggling to survive. Mr. Diamond writes that the people of Rapa Nui cleared the land for farming and other purposes and that they over-hunted the numerous species of sea and land birds that had lived on the island. He speculates that the dwindling natural resources led to civil wars and the collapse of Rapa Nui’s society.
The lesson of this wonderful but frightening book is that in the past, humans made the choice to destroy their environment by cutting down all the trees and hunting animal species to extinction. Optimistically, the author points out, we can choose not to make the same mistakes today. The book is written well and deserves to be read by anyone who is concerned about the environment.
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- In the book, the author describes several civilizations that collapsed because of the choices they made and their impact on the environment.
- One of the most disturbing examples in the book is Rapa Nui.
- They carved the moai, the famous statues, and used the natural resources available to them to move these huge moai to different locations around the island.
- When the first Europeans landed on Easter Island in 1722, the moai were still there, but the trees were gone.
- The book is written well and deserves to be read by anyone who is concerned about the environment.