what is the thesis
suppose to do analysis of this essay to show its cause effect. How do i start it ?
June 15, 2001 - More than 13,000 years ago when humans first set foot in the Americas, there were no roads crisscrossing the landscape, no sprawling cities, no vast fields of food crops, no high-powered rifles or global positioning systems.
Instead, the visitors found a land of plenty - an incredible variety of unusual species, from massive 100-kilogram birds to saber-toothed tigers twice the size of today's great cats, to giant mammoths and kangaroos. And in less than 1,200 years, more than half of them would be extinct.
Last week, two reports in the journal Science pointed the finger squarely on human activities as the culprit in this mass extinction, and a similar one that occurred in Australia 35,000 years earlier. The reports both found that human hunting and related activities are the most likely cause of the extinctions. Those losses included 73 per cent of the plant-eating species in the Americas, and all of the Australian land mammals, reptiles and birds weighing over 100 kilograms.
This issue has been debated for years, as some scientists contend that a relatively small human population armed with stone-age weapons could not have been responsible for such widespread species losses. Instead, they argue that changes in climate, or an emerging disease of some sort, were the likely culprits.
But the North American report's author, John Alroy of the University of California, says that no matter how stupid and slow his models assumed the hunters were, they still ended up as the driving force behind the extinction of most species. He concludes, "Human population growth and hunting almost invariably leads to a major mass extinction."
If that was true 13,000 years ago, then it should come as no surprise that the rate of extinction today is so high. According to the World Resources Institute, human activities are driving species to extinction 100 to 1,000 times faster than what would occur naturally. Worldwide, more than 5,000 known animal species are threatened. And in North America, one in every three known plant species is threatened.
Of course, the most cynical of people may ask, "So what? The two studies show us that humans have continued to survive and thrive even after exterminating a huge number of important food species. We are the ultimate adapters."
That may be true. But what will it do to our quality of life? Healthy ecosystems cleanse our water, refresh our air and provide us with a tremendous variety of important resources. Most people recognize this on some level. According to a recent poll, for example, environmental pollution and natural resource depletion topped Canadians' concerns as "very serious" global problems.
Yet such problems continue to be put on the political back burner. Our federal government, for example, contends that we can substantially increase our production of fossil fuels for sale to the US, and yet somehow still reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. It also insists that proposed federal legislation can protect endangered species without protecting their habitats. Such attitudes overlook the exquisite interconnectedness of everything on the planet and do not bode well for the future.
Studies have shown that a diversity of species can make ecosystems more resilient against stresses like drought or disease. When an asteroid slammed into the earth 65 million years ago and triggered the great extinction that eliminated the dinosaurs, the "terrible lizards" may have already been in their twilight years. Some scientists say that changing weather patterns may have already taken their toll on dinosaur ecosystems, greatly reducing the diversity of life and leaving them vulnerable. The asteroid collision and the resulting rapid climate changes may have been the final nail in the dinosaur coffin.
Humans are a much more adaptable species. But our own survival is by no means guaranteed. If we continue to ignore the warning signs and behave as ignorantly as we did when our population was small and our most formidable technology was a spear, the last great extinction may one day be our own.
I believe that this is the thesis statement.
Last week, two reports in the journal Science pointed the finger squarely on human activities as the culprit in this mass extinction, and a similar one that occurred in Australia 35,000 years earlier.
The beginning of your your essay could be something like this: Have humans caused mass extinctions? Your thesis will then take a position (pro or con) for the answer, depending upon whether the author has convinced you of the validity of his thesis. The body of your paper should analyze the arguments presented by the author of this essay.
The body of your paper w
i think u got it wrong
we are suppose to id the thesis and then tell why its a cause effect essay
don't need any position
Ok. Sorry, I misunderstood your question.
I identified what I believe to be the thesis statement.
The effect is mass extinction. What are the causes?
What evidence does the author show that support his thesis?
thanks,
humans are causing killing all the animals, polluting the plants, pollution, ozone,
basically messing up the biodiversity of the species...
Right.
The thesis of the essay is the main argument or central point that the author is trying to convey. It is the statement or claim that the author wants to prove or support throughout the essay. In this case, the thesis of the essay can be identified as the following:
"Human hunting and related activities are the most likely cause of the mass extinction of species in the Americas and Australia, and if humans continue to ignore the warning signs, it may lead to another mass extinction in the future."
To analyze the cause-effect relationship in this essay, you can start by identifying the causes and effects mentioned in the text. In this case, the cause is human hunting and related activities, and the effect is the mass extinction of species. You can explore how the author supports this cause-effect relationship by providing evidence from the text.
To begin your analysis, you can start with an introduction that provides an overview of the topic and introduces the thesis statement. Then, you can proceed to analyze the essay by identifying and discussing the evidence provided by the author to support the cause-effect relationship. This can include referencing specific examples and data mentioned in the text, such as the extinction of species in the Americas and Australia, the impact of human population growth and hunting, and the comparison to the current rate of extinction. You can also discuss counterarguments or alternative theories mentioned in the text and evaluate their validity.
Finally, you can conclude the analysis by summarizing the main points discussed and restating the thesis in a concise manner. Make sure to provide a clear and logical structure to your analysis, using paragraphs to separate different ideas and evidence, and using appropriate transitions to enhance the flow of your analysis.