Easter Island2,300 miles off coast of Chile

900 AD Population: 30,000

400 Statues20’- 70’ Tall10 - 270 Tons

• Complex, diverse society• 11 or 12 intergraded clans

What Happened?

• Palm Trees disappeared by 1400• 21 native plant species vanished• 1722 - no trees over 10’ - virtually total deforestation• 1774 - Cook visit - described islanders as - “small,

lean and miserable”• Overuse of resources causes ecological collapse

Anaszi600 AD

Over 100,000 population

Complex farming societyFragile, dry environment

• Good solutions to water issues• Population increases

• Overuse of resources•Vegetation changes•Declining harvest•Coinciding issues with drought

•Environmental Damage(overuse)

•Climate Change

•Abandonment by 1150

Mayan Society250 ADPopulation: 8 million

• Creative and advanced society• Cutting edge of technology and culture

• Water shortage solutions - created reservoirs and cisterns• Branching out of population to hills and slopes• Deforestation and erosion• Issues with prolonged droughts - need water for crops• Issues with storing corn due to humidity

• Multi- kingdoms - politically divided• Competition for resources• Warfare intense and chronic

Collapse of society by 1150 AD• Overuse of resources• Climate changes (drought)• Hostile neighbors • Governmental Response

What were the Kings and Nobles doing?

“Their attention was evidently focused on their short-term concerns of enriching themselves, waging wars, erecting monuments, competing with each other , and extracting enough food from peasants to support all those activities”

Why Do Some Societies Make Disastrous Decisions?

• Failure to anticipate a problem before it arrives

• Failure to perceive a problem after it arrives

• Failure to attempt to solve a problem once it has been perceived

• Failure to succeed in attempts to solve it

Environmental Sustainability

The ability to meet humanity’s current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

The environment can function indefinitely without going into decline.

Maintain a healthy environment in which natural resources are not overused and excessive pollution is not generated.

Ecosystem Services

• Important environmental benefits that ecosystems provide – goods and services

• Purification of air and water• Mitigation of droughts and floods• Pollination of crops and vegetation• Detoxification and decomposition of wastes• Maintenance of biodiversity• Control of agricultural pests• Protection from harmful solar rays

What are services worth?

Ecosystem services (US Trillion $)Soil formation 17.1Recreation 3.0Nutrient cycling 2.3Water regulation and supply 2.3Climate regulation 1.8Habitat 1.4Flood and storm protection 1.1Food and raw materials production 0.8Genetic resources 0.8Atmospheric gas balance 0.7Pollination 0.4