Can the statues of Easter Island survive climate change?

Hundreds of monumental human shaped statues are motionless, and exposed to the elements, on Rapa Nui - also known as Easter Island. A name that dates back to 1722, when a Dutch explorer first saw it on Easter Sunday.

The statues, or Moai, were there centuries before that and are sacred to the Rapa Nui people.

They’ve also become a world famous tourist attraction and can be found in multiple outdoor locations across the small island. They are heavy and huge - sizes range from 1 to 20 metres tall. Some are upright on platforms, others are toppled over and broken.

Over the years, global weather has become more extreme and is having a devastating effect.

So this week on The Inquiry we're asking - Can the statues of Easter Island survive climate change?

Contributors: Sonia Haoa Cardinali, Archaeologist with the Mata Ki Te Rangi Foundation and coordinator of Easter Island's national monuments, Rapa Nui

Roberto Rondanelli, Meteorologist and Climate Scientist at the Department of Geophysics, University of Chile

Jo Anne Van Tilburg, Archaeologist and the Director of the Easter Island Statue Project

Pilar Vicuña, Culture Programme Officer, UNESCO (Santiago de Chile),

Production team: Presenter: Charmaine Cozier Producers: Lorna Reader and Jill Collins Production Co-ordinators: Liam Morrey and Tim Fernley Editor: Tara McDermott