EARTH'S sixth great extinction event is reaching its climax and life as we know it is going the way of the dinosaurs - July 29th, 2114 AD
Doomsday looms — without the comet.
75% of Earth's life extinct.
Animals. Plants. Entire ecosystems.
Gone. Forever.
What’s causing it?
Wars. Pollution. Hunting. Fishing. Farming.
Climate-change induced natural disasters.
Despite constant warnings from scientists people continued to undermine the ecological health of the planet and our struggling ecosystems increasingly started to hurt humans.
Bats. Birds. Monkeys. Even mice.
All were among species forced out of their habitats and into the ever-expanding human territory, thriving amidst the rubbish and under the eaves of our sprawling suburbs. With them came previously unencountered — or at least rare — forms of disease.
Bats evicted from their natural habitat were behind the worst outbreak of the devastating Ebola virus in history. This epidemic decimated human populations in western Africa before spreading uncontrolled across Europe and Asia. Billions of people died.
Beetles. Butterflies. Worms.
All were vital for the health and reproduction of plants; yet, they were the constant target of intense insecticide spraying and habitat-changing activities. The loss of such small creatures had a trickle-up effect. It not only prevented the fertilisation of wheat, barley, corn and apple crops: it also stopped the vital nutrient recycling and composting roles which kept soils productive. The people starved.
Elephants. Zebras. Whales.
Hunted to extinction. Large animals were at the forefront of the decline: rhinos and elephants being slaughtered for their horns, lions and leopards killed for the thrill (and their dried testicles), and whales hunted for the sake of tradition. But the greatest threat came from loss of habitat: Less space to roam meant fewer offspring, which in turn resulted in less viable populations. Attempts were made to reintroduce endangered animals but conservation focused on saving animals without preserving the habitats within which they would live and attempts ultimately failed. Eventually, attempts were made to introduce new predators to fill vacated niches, and lost animals were genetically rebuilt, but it was too late. The loss of such large animals had a trickle-down effect. In Kenya, after most of its zebras, giraffes and elephants had died the nation became overwhelmed by rodents gorging on the ungrazed terrain. A pandemic followed and more than 300 million people died.
As fish stocks vanished in one area, fleets needed to move to another. This caused increasing tensions, first in the South and West China Seas, then the Atlantic, then the Pacific. Declines in wildlife lead to economic and social stresses, which in turn lead to exploitative child labour practices and the proliferation of terrorism.
Then there were the wars…
Terrorist groups and rogue states attempted to take control of the remaining economies. At least 100 atomic bombs were exchanged. Millions of people died within a short period of time as a direct result of these exchanges. The fallout from this nuclear war put enough sunlight-blocking dust in the air to cause the opposite problem to global warming, that is, a deep plunge in surface temperatures. The earth stayed cool long enough for a worse catastrophe to ensue. Most of the incoming solar radiation was reflected back into space and the planet settled into a stable state at about - 50 degrees Celsius. The earth became almost entirely frozen over. Life clung on in a few sanctuaries heated by volcanic springs. The remaining humans had no other option but to flee the planet...
...and start a new life on a new planet: Mars
Your task is to prepare Mars for future human habitation. Form yourself into a small group (2-3 people) and follow the link to Step 1, below.
Good luck!
75% of Earth's life extinct.
Animals. Plants. Entire ecosystems.
Gone. Forever.
What’s causing it?
Wars. Pollution. Hunting. Fishing. Farming.
Climate-change induced natural disasters.
Despite constant warnings from scientists people continued to undermine the ecological health of the planet and our struggling ecosystems increasingly started to hurt humans.
Bats. Birds. Monkeys. Even mice.
All were among species forced out of their habitats and into the ever-expanding human territory, thriving amidst the rubbish and under the eaves of our sprawling suburbs. With them came previously unencountered — or at least rare — forms of disease.
Bats evicted from their natural habitat were behind the worst outbreak of the devastating Ebola virus in history. This epidemic decimated human populations in western Africa before spreading uncontrolled across Europe and Asia. Billions of people died.
Beetles. Butterflies. Worms.
All were vital for the health and reproduction of plants; yet, they were the constant target of intense insecticide spraying and habitat-changing activities. The loss of such small creatures had a trickle-up effect. It not only prevented the fertilisation of wheat, barley, corn and apple crops: it also stopped the vital nutrient recycling and composting roles which kept soils productive. The people starved.
Elephants. Zebras. Whales.
Hunted to extinction. Large animals were at the forefront of the decline: rhinos and elephants being slaughtered for their horns, lions and leopards killed for the thrill (and their dried testicles), and whales hunted for the sake of tradition. But the greatest threat came from loss of habitat: Less space to roam meant fewer offspring, which in turn resulted in less viable populations. Attempts were made to reintroduce endangered animals but conservation focused on saving animals without preserving the habitats within which they would live and attempts ultimately failed. Eventually, attempts were made to introduce new predators to fill vacated niches, and lost animals were genetically rebuilt, but it was too late. The loss of such large animals had a trickle-down effect. In Kenya, after most of its zebras, giraffes and elephants had died the nation became overwhelmed by rodents gorging on the ungrazed terrain. A pandemic followed and more than 300 million people died.
As fish stocks vanished in one area, fleets needed to move to another. This caused increasing tensions, first in the South and West China Seas, then the Atlantic, then the Pacific. Declines in wildlife lead to economic and social stresses, which in turn lead to exploitative child labour practices and the proliferation of terrorism.
Then there were the wars…
Terrorist groups and rogue states attempted to take control of the remaining economies. At least 100 atomic bombs were exchanged. Millions of people died within a short period of time as a direct result of these exchanges. The fallout from this nuclear war put enough sunlight-blocking dust in the air to cause the opposite problem to global warming, that is, a deep plunge in surface temperatures. The earth stayed cool long enough for a worse catastrophe to ensue. Most of the incoming solar radiation was reflected back into space and the planet settled into a stable state at about - 50 degrees Celsius. The earth became almost entirely frozen over. Life clung on in a few sanctuaries heated by volcanic springs. The remaining humans had no other option but to flee the planet...
...and start a new life on a new planet: Mars
Your task is to prepare Mars for future human habitation. Form yourself into a small group (2-3 people) and follow the link to Step 1, below.
Good luck!