Details: You have been asked to prepare a speech for the annual convention of Citizens for a Greener Planet, a national environmental group, on the idea of sustainable development. Since many of your listeners are not scientists, you want to use examples that lay people can understand. You have decided to illustrate the concept by discussing the social factors that brought about the collapse of the Easter Island civilization. You then intend to compare these events to the on-going deforestation of the Amazon rain forest. Conclude the speech by explaining what should be done to make sustainable development a reality.
Objective: Examine the sustainability of an ecosystem.
Once again, we are focusing on ecosystems and sustainability.
A good focus area here is deforestation.
Read about what happens with Easter Island. Then think about our current rates of deforestation occurring throughout the world. Do our current rates compare with what happened on Easter Island?
Do you think this area of environmental issues plays into what some people call ''environmental war''? Do we foresee a future like that of Easter Island?