London, UK, 22 August 2025
Rising Seas Threaten Moai Statues:
A new study warns that rising sea levels and coastal erosion could submerge Easter Island’s world-renowned moai statues within decades, imperiling a cornerstone of global cultural heritage and the island’s tourism-dependent economy.
A team of scientists has delivered a dire warning about the future of Easter Island, revealing that the iconic Moai statues are facing an existential threat from the accelerating impacts of climate change. A study published in the Journal of Cultural Heritage used advanced computer modeling to predict that powerful seasonal waves, driven by rising sea levels, could reach the monumental figures at Ahu Tongariki as early as 2080.
This site is home to the largest ceremonial platform on the island and its 15 towering Moai statues, which are a critical part of the Rapa Nui National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The research, led by doctoral student Noah Paoa from the University of Hawaii, built a high-resolution “digital twin” of the island’s eastern coastline to simulate future wave impacts under various sea level rise scenarios.
Their findings indicate that this coastal flooding also threatens over 50 other cultural assets in the area. The study underscores a broader global reality: as a recent UNESCO report noted, about 50 World Heritage sites worldwide are highly exposed to coastal flooding.
* A Direct Threat to Cultural Identity
The Moai statues, carved by the Indigenous Rapa Nui people between the 10th and 16th centuries, are not merely tourist attractions but are sacred figures created to honor important ancestors and chiefs. For the local community, these sites are an essential part of their identity and cultural traditions.
Their potential loss would represent an irreplaceable cultural tragedy, in addition to crippling the island’s tourism industry, which is the backbone of its economy.
* Seeking Solutions Before It’s Too Late
The threat of coastal erosion is not unprecedented on Easter Island. A 1960 tsunami triggered by a massive earthquake off the coast of Chile toppled and damaged several Moai.
The statues at Ahu Tongariki were subsequently restored in the 1990s, a project that highlights both the resilience and the vulnerability of these ancient structures.
The study’s authors hope their findings will spur urgent action and a proactive conversation about potential defenses. Possible measures range from engineering solutions like armoring the coastline with sea walls and building breakwaters to the more drastic and controversial step of relocating the monuments to higher ground.
The challenge is immense, requiring significant funding and a consensus-based approach that respects both the scientific data and the cultural significance of the sites.
The fate of the Moai statues serves as a poignant reminder that climate change is not just an environmental issue—it is a direct threat to the world’s most cherished cultural artifacts and the very identity of the communities that created them.
