International Jain Conference 1985 3rd Conference

Author(s): Satish Jain, Kamalchand Sogani
Publisher: Ahimsa International

Page 209

Dynamics Of Extinction
To satisfy human egoistic, political and economic objectives, the corporate exploration of the 'natural world-life proceeds space from the artict to the antarctic. Habitat loss, unhealthy competition for remaining finite resources, air-water pollution and species extinction are examples of devasting effect 'Homo-Sapies has exerted upon the planet.
Shri Bharatbhai B. Shah
Earth's biota now appears to be entering an era of extinction that may rival or surpass in scale that which occured at the end of CRETACEOUS' some sixty-five million years ago. What is unique and particularly frightening about the current global destruction is that for the first time, the crisis is going to be a result not of some catalysmic, intersteller event, such as the asteroid impact which forced the dinosaurs and about 55% of earth's other marine species into extinction but rather is being precipitated by an overshoot of carrying capacity by an everenlarging human population and ruthless destruction of animals and forests.
The steeply rising curve of exponential human growth superimposed on a plot of the rapidly declining life-sustained both should herald alarm and call for responsible emergency action. But instead there is increased political immaturity and instability as nations are themselves in an attempt to obtain ever-dwindling all natural resources of the world for their own self-centered economic benefit.
As the earth's expensiveness becomes seemingly smaller it is imperative to begin thinking in terms of members of an international community which can't survive without mutual trust and co-operation and love must supplant the patriarchal dominionistic attitudes of competing, warring nations. The homocentric assumptions which sanction the destruction have neither a moral nor rational basis and we all must challenge them on every front. The continued destruction of all animal lives and wild lands in order to obtain more legal tender to keep a frail economic system in power a little longer must be viewed as the genocide which it really is.
Although the violent history of humanity gives us a little cause for hope, we must also remember that in our bodies is the genetic information beginning with the dawn of biologic life and shared with all the creation. We have an inherent will