Easter Island's statues are some of the most iconic structures across the entire globe, yet the mysterious Moai could completely vanish in a matter of years if a major warning from scientists becomes reality.
The world is home to countless natural and man-made landmarks, from the ancient wonders of history that largely remain as fragments lost to time, to the iconic structures built in the last millennium that continue to draw visitors every single year.
Easter Island's human-like statues are concretely one of the most recognizable landmarks on Earth, and their placement on the Chilean island territory continues to mystify many.
However, warnings from scientists reveal that these legendary statues could face a horrifying fate in the years to come, resulting in a future where they have vanished off the face of the Earth if changes aren't made.
What have scientists warned about the Easter Island statues?
As reported by the Independent, research published in the Journal of Cultural Heritage estimates that the Easter Island Moai, alongside around 50 other cultural sites on the island, are facing a severe risk of flooding that could leave them completely underwater in the coming years.
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It is all linked to global rising sea-levels as a consequence of climate change, as both melting ice sheets and expanding waters as a result of increased temperatures are causing the ocean to increase rapidly year on year.
Noah Paoa, lead author of the aforementioned study, asserts that "sea level rise is real," insisting that it's "not a distant threat" that we don't necessarily have to worry about right now.
The research team has created a 'digital twin' of Easter Island, known to its natives as Rapa Nui, and used computer simulation to estimate the future impact of waves in increasing amounts of sea-level rise.
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As a result, the simulation revealed that waves could reach Ahu Tongariki – the main and largest single collection of statues on Easter Island – as early as 2080, with it not being long after that it would engulf the rest and potentially even send the entire island underwater.
There are around 900 similar statues dotted across Rapa Nui that were carved by the inhabitants between the 10th and 16th centuries, and losing them to the sea would not only mark a significant cultural loss but an ancestral and historical one too.
"The results suggest urgency for sea-level rise (SLR) related assessments in other coastal cultural sites in the Rapa Nui National Park and encourage community consultation for adaptation and mitigation efforts," the study outlines, but it also hints towards a wider worry for cultural sites and even cities across the globe.
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Similar studies have illustrated how areas of New Zealand could be under threat in the coming years thanks to a combination of rising sea-levels and subsidence that would work together to accelerate the potential devastation of many coastal cities.
Reports shared by Forbes estimate that nearly half of the global sea-level rise since 1880 has happened in the last 30 years alone, and concerning trends surrounding climate change – especially as we appear to approach a climate 'tipping point' – only indicate that this will continue to get worse.