Easter Island's iconic statues are disappearing — and so is the island


Easter Island is the latest victim of climate change — and it has more than its iconic statues to lose. A dynamic visual story published Thursday by The New York Times reveals the remote island's dire circumstances.
Rising sea levels are eroding the island, putting its archaeological treasures at risk. Most of the moai — the giant stone heads the island is known for — and nearly all of the ahu — the moai platforms that often double as tombs — line the island's coasts. Some are only yards away from the ocean, and it's becoming common to find human bones resurrected by swelling waves.
Then there are the living to worry about. Easter Island is home to nearly 6,000 residents, many of whom are descended from the Polynesians who built the moai statues centuries ago. These people are losing the bones and culture of their ancestors along with their homes, thanks to rising sea levels.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The 15-mile-wide island draws more than its fair share of visitors, too; more than 100,000 tourists brought in more than $70 million last year. But with Easter Island's beaches and rocky seawalls fading fast, a huge chunk of its economy could also be in danger. Discover more through this interactive story from The New York Times.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
August 26 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Tuesday’s political cartoons include a simple guide to gerrymandering, a MAGA-approved Cracker Barrel logo, and an FBI raid at John Bolton's house
-
Four royal holiday hotspots
The Week Recommends Follow in the footsteps of royalty and experience the charm of some of their most popular getaways
-
The rise of the lost luggage auction
In the Spotlight Lost luggage hauls are attracting millions of views online
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play