For a discussion of the Moai and what happened to them and their creators, I recommend the book "Humankind" by Rutger Bregman
In shorter form, I recommend the 6th episode of the Fall of Civilizations podcast[0]. I've found the topic super interesting. Both the podcast and the book shared by parent argue against the previous Mulloy/Jared Diamond theory of ecological suicide by building more and more statues. [0] Easter Island - Where Giants Walked https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j08gxUcBgc
In a nutshell, what's the argument, compared to the "old" one by Diamond?