On Easter Island there once lived a people

who were content with life.

They were particularly proud of two things.

One of them was the fine canoes they were able to build.

They needed the canoes to catch porpoises

far out to sea

so that they could eat until they were satisfied.

The other thing they were proud of,

was the fine stone statues that they built to honour the gods.

With the aid of logs and ropes the statues were put in place.

They felled trees to clear land for cultivation

and for building houses,

so many trees had to be sacrificed on Easter Island.

But you cannot run out of trees, can you?

Time went on and the forest and the woods on Easter Island started to shrink.

The chieftains on the island became restless.

How could they build boats if there were no trees?

But an inhabitant said

that you can surely build boats from something else.

”But it is not just our fault”, said another one.

The other villages surely down more trees than we do.

A third said:

"if we stop building statues many will be unemployed

and the statues are our religion.

We must build higher. Higher than the other villages."

They continued to chop down trees

but built fewer canoes.

When many people starved to death

the Easter Island villagers understood

that food was more important than statues.

How could things go so wrong?

Let us do it again and do it right!

The statues are more important than the trees!

Surely you cannot take down more trees

than the number that grow in their place?

You ought to understand that the people

of the future need just as many trees as we do.

What egoists you are!

Are you not ashamed of yourselves?

Shape up!

You seem to lack concern

about future generations.

If only somebody had told them straight,

the Easter Island residents would have fared better.

Now we stand before a similar challenge.

The rich people in the world

have a life style that adversely effects the climate

and creates worse conditions for future generations.

So do what the Easter Island residents did not do.

Tell them off!

Fight for political decisions that are good

for the people of the future,

so that it turns out better this time.

Why not support the petition web site

Radikaliseraklimatpolitiken.nu for example?

And remember, the future generations are already thanking you for your effort!

The Story about the Easter Island

is adapted from the book Collapse by Jared Diamond.

This is a Swedish petition with the aim of influencing Swedish politicians.

Please act to influence politicians in your country to take decisions

that will decrease emissions in your country.