Universal Message of Lord Mahavira

Author(s): Dulichand Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Page 51

Non-Violence In Today's World
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the convention of International Trade in Endangered Species voted to ban the trading of ivory.
Rain Forests
Rain forests are victims of timber and meat industries. Millions of acres are cleared and stripped annually to graze cattle for meat production and to grow billions of tons of soybean to feed cattle. If the United States, Canada, Sweden and Russia continue chopping down their forests, the results could be just as devastating for the global eco-system as the destruction of rain forests in Africa or tropical forests in New Guinea.
Industrial Accidents
Major accidents have been caused by chemical industries. As is well known, a valve broke out in 1985 at the Union Carbide Chemical Plant at Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, allowing 30 tons of lethal methyl-isocyanate gas to escape. Over 2000 people living nearby were killed and another 17000 received permanent injuries.
Nuclear Waste Toxic chemicals are the regular sources of danger but the most toxic is nuclear waste, and its safe disposal is a problem that has yet to be solved. Nuclear plants in the United States are holding over 15000 metric tons of high level waste, which will remain harmful to human beings for thousands of years. The worst nuclear disaster happened in 1986 at Chernobyl nuclear power station in Ukraine. An estimated 20000 people died and 500000 persons received high radiation doses as a result of this explosion. The blast was equivalent to 500 atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.