Reference no: EM133769425
Case: Deforestation and its consequences are a major environmental concern today. As we have already learned, this is not only a problem of the present day. What is commonly referred to as "Easter Island," but known as Rapa Nui by its people, has recently become an object lesson in environmental disaster. Certainly, it is a place where environmental conditions have been difficult at times. The article "Easter's End" by Jared Diamond, from his best-selling book Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, and the article "Ecological Catastrophe, Collapse, and the Myth of 'Ecocide' on Rapa Nui (Easter Island)" by Terry L. Hunt and Carl Lipo, from the book Questioning Collapse present very different accounts of what happened in this incredibly remote and isolated outpost of human settlement. As mentioned in HW 3 option A, Diamond's arguments are often questioned as he does not support these arguments well with scientific evidence and instead likes to paint a picture, so to speak, of what may have happened...and the public tends to engage with these stories very well, hence the best-selling author status. Lastly, we have a more recent (2020) academic journal on the ecology of Rapa Nui by Lima and colleagues from a prestigious journal, Proceedings B. Lima et al. (2020) approach this topic from a more ecological perspective.
Your Assignment:
Compare the two accounts of the deforestation of Rapa Nui. Which of the accounts do you think is most plausible? State your preference and offer an argument in its favor "An argument is a series of connected statements intended to establish a proposition" (Python, 1972). Explain which evidence supports your favored account, and which undermines the other. You should also admit if there is contrary evidence that you find difficult to refute. The goal is not to get the "right" answer, but to think carefully, clearly, critically, and logically about the merits of the competing explanations and how they hold up against the evidence and the counter- arguments thrown against them, and then to express your thoughts in a lucid manner.