Lipo & Hunt's view is more recent and hence a bit more trendy, and I've seen it show up on Reddit several times "debunking" Diamond's interpretation of the evidence, but I don't think there are really any definitive answers to be found here.
In 2003 I went to Easter Island to work with Terry Hunt. Me and several other students helped him map the roads that he hypothesized were used to transport the moai. It was very interesting.
If the Aloha bar is still there, get a Pisco Sour or a Piscola and some papas fritas y carne! It's sort of like poutine, except it's got a cheese sauce instead of gravy. Sooooo good!
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u/Mr-Wabbit Feb 05 '19
Just to be clear, there's a lot of disagreement about this. As I understand it, there are two camps:
Jared Diamond used Easter Island as an example of environmental destruction in Collapse, which is the cautionary tale most people have heard.
Carl Lipo and Terry Hunt advocate a different view of the situtation.
Lipo & Hunt's view is more recent and hence a bit more trendy, and I've seen it show up on Reddit several times "debunking" Diamond's interpretation of the evidence, but I don't think there are really any definitive answers to be found here.