We have produced this website for a school project; The H.C.O. does not represent an actual entity.
Our Organization's Task
The Human Crisis Organization aims to prevent humans from making themselves self-extinct. Invasive species destroy the world and cause extinction, and spreading awareness about this makes us one step closer to preventing a huge problem.
The Staff
Noah runs as an environmentalist expert, pushing for awareness on the major concern involving extinction from invasive species.
Noah runs as an environmentalist expert, pushing for awareness on the major concern involving extinction from invasive species.
The Sixth Extinction (Facts or statistics from the book connecting to the task)
The book, The Sixth Extinction, by Elizabeth Kolbert, communicates the idea that humans will ultimately lead themselves to the sixth extinction- the extinction of humans themselves. Kolbert writes about the terrible impact humans have already made on the environment, where, from the beginning of the industrial revolution, humans have set fire to fossil fuels adding almost 365 billion metric tons of carbon to the atmosphere (113). This fuel released into the atmosphere kills animals, and having more than 365 billion metric tons of it definitely proves to be a problem! Kolbert proves how serious this problem can be, and how a modern investigation on African forest elephants deduced that, in the last ten years, their population has dropped by more than sixty percent (223).
The book, The Sixth Extinction, by Elizabeth Kolbert, communicates the idea that humans will ultimately lead themselves to the sixth extinction- the extinction of humans themselves. Kolbert writes about the terrible impact humans have already made on the environment, where, from the beginning of the industrial revolution, humans have set fire to fossil fuels adding almost 365 billion metric tons of carbon to the atmosphere (113). This fuel released into the atmosphere kills animals, and having more than 365 billion metric tons of it definitely proves to be a problem! Kolbert proves how serious this problem can be, and how a modern investigation on African forest elephants deduced that, in the last ten years, their population has dropped by more than sixty percent (223).
Illustrative content from the book connecting to the task
Little brown batThe little brown bat, otherwise known as myotis lucifugus, currently still exists but loses population every day. The bat has a length of 2.1 inches even as an adult. The book, The Sixth Extinction, by Kolbert, shows an image of this bat with white-nose syndrome, a very deadly disease that kills bats around the world every day (195). This disease can spread to humans, making them carriers of the disease, causing humans to kill bats even involuntarily. This proves that spreading awareness about these things can be important because if more humans were aware of the effects they could be causing just by invading on species' habitats, more of these species would exist. |
Steller's sea cowThe Steller's Sea Cow was a large aquatic animal, having brown-black with white spots skin color, similar to a manatee. This animal went extinct due to being hunted for its valuable fat. |
Illustrative content from the book connecting to the task
Panamian golden frogThe Panamanian golden frog, covered in The Sixth Extinction, was a bright yellow frog with black spots littered in seemingly random places on the frog. The book, The Sixth Extinction, by Kolbert, shows a strong sensory image of these frogs "all dead-lying bloated and belly-up on some rocks" (7). This image shows why our task of spreading awareness about invasive species proves to be important by showing the deaths of targeted species and these species being led to extinction. |
OUR GOALOur animals are disappearing. We need your help. |
(What determines an invasive species, where they exist, what makes a human an invasive species, and when a human becomes one)Understanding
The Burmese Python has been terrorizing the Florida Everglades, hunting down several varieties of species. Gale, a Cengage Company, explains in "Endangered Species" that an invasive species refers to "a species that is not native to a particular environment and that harms that environment when introduced to it by disrupting the natural ecosystem.” This information explaining what the term "invasive species" refers to by showing how to determine an invasive species.
These invasive species exist everywhere. The article, "Is The Planet Facing A Mass Extinction," explains this by explaining that "wildlife habitats are being overrun" by invasive species, who's population is increasing, while domestic species decrease in population (Paul Raeburn qtd. in NPR). The article proves invasive species exist everywhere by expressing the idea that invasive species are not only increasing, but also already located in all continents in every ecosystem. Humans, too, can also become an invasive species. In "The Sixth Extinction Is Underway-- and We're to Blame," Jeffrey Kluger states, "Overexploitation--which is to say killing animals for food, clothing or the sheer perverse pleasure of it--plays a big role, especially among the so-called charismatic megafauna." This killing turns humans into invasive species because humans become predators to these animals. A human becomes an invasive species or she destroys or damages habitats. The article "Endangered Species," by Gale, explains that "if humans develop wilderness, either for farmland or for cities, habitat can be destroyed in the process." A human developing new lands may sound good, but it will destroy thousands of wildlife in the process. |
(what currently prevents invasive species and where invasive species are prevented)The Current Effort
Current efforts to conserve wildlife do exist. According to Bill Freedman, in "Protected Area," parks and reserves are "protected areas" with the goal of defending species threatened with extinction and their homes. These areas can prevent humans from becoming invasive species by literally forcing these zones to be free from harm.
While invasive species are being prevented, no area has fully warded off invasive species. Freedman explains this further: "No country has yet managed to designate a comprehensive system of protected areas, in which all native species and natural ecosystems are represented and sustained." This article informs the readers that a district encompassing the entire country full of protected areas has yet to fully exist by explaining that not all life inside these countries are being supported. |
(How invasive species can be prevented and who can prevent them)We Can Change
Invasive species can be prevented by working together, globally, to help everyone understand the problem. In "Is The Planet Facing A Mass Extinction," the author states, "So I would agree 100 percent that the first step is getting it to a profile where people understand and realize why biodiversity is important, and secondly, working across nations and globally to make something positive happen out of what will be a very negative situation if we all continue just going our own way and doing business as usual" (Dr. Barnosky qtd. in NPR). Even just acquiring the knowledge to understand that invasive species cause danger provides support.
Another way invasive species can be suppressed is through governmental agreements. The article "Endangered Species" describes this perfectly: “The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES, pronounced SIGH-tees) is a multinational agreement that took effect in 1975. CITES aims to prevent the international trade of endangered or threatened animal and plant species and the products made from them. As of 2013, 177 governments had signed the agreement” (Gale). Pushing governments to sign new agreements that prevent the endangerment of species can lead to progression for a better world. |
Extinct and Endangered (Gallery)
Works Cited
"Endangered Species." UXL Encyclopedia of Science, edited by Amy Hackney Blackwell and Elizabeth Manar, 3rd ed., UXL, 2015. Gale In Context: High School, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CV2644300404/SUIC?u=kenn83672&sid=bookmark-SUIC&xid=f7ad45fd. Accessed 14 Apr. 2022.
Freedman, Bill. "Protected Area." The Gale Encyclopedia of Science, edited by Katherine H. Nemeh and Jacqueline L. Longe, 6th ed., vol. 6, Gale, 2021, pp. 3607-3609. Gale In Context: High School, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX8124402009/SUIC?u=kenn83672&sid=bookmark-SUIC&xid=9399ea53. Accessed 14 Apr. 2022.
"Is The Planet Facing A Mass Extinction?" Talk of the Nation: Science Friday, 14 May 2010. Gale In Context: High School, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A226423582/SUIC?u=kenn83672&sid=bookmark-SUIC&xid=b6dcbcf3. Accessed 14 Apr. 2022.
Kluger, Jeffrey. “The Sixth Great Extinction Is Underway--and We’re to Blame.” Time.Com, July 2014, p. 1. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ulh&AN=97274909&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Accessed 13 Apr. 2022.
Freedman, Bill. "Protected Area." The Gale Encyclopedia of Science, edited by Katherine H. Nemeh and Jacqueline L. Longe, 6th ed., vol. 6, Gale, 2021, pp. 3607-3609. Gale In Context: High School, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX8124402009/SUIC?u=kenn83672&sid=bookmark-SUIC&xid=9399ea53. Accessed 14 Apr. 2022.
"Is The Planet Facing A Mass Extinction?" Talk of the Nation: Science Friday, 14 May 2010. Gale In Context: High School, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A226423582/SUIC?u=kenn83672&sid=bookmark-SUIC&xid=b6dcbcf3. Accessed 14 Apr. 2022.
Kluger, Jeffrey. “The Sixth Great Extinction Is Underway--and We’re to Blame.” Time.Com, July 2014, p. 1. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ulh&AN=97274909&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Accessed 13 Apr. 2022.