Millions of Americans return home each day from work or play to be greeted with indescribable affection and love from their pets. How would they react if the following scenario was unfolding? As the faithful pet owner walks up the sidewalk to their house, a neighbor is wringing the life out of their beloved cat or dog! Would the pet owner calmly ask, “Is there an economic or social reason that forces you to choke the life out of my pet?” Would the pet owner negotiate a compromise with this fool who is slowly draining the life of the pet? Would the pet owner sigh and retort, “You are bigger and more powerful than I, so goodbye dear pet”? Probably no, on all counts, and a majority of these pet owners would resort to instantaneous and forceful measures to protect their animal.

Worldwide, we are collectively wringing the necks of thousands of species, not only denying the beauty and the right of these species to exist, but unexplainably and arrogantly ripping the rivets out of the machinery needed for human survival. As E.O. Wilson, famed entomologist and foremost authority on biodiversity, states, “We dismiss the weeds and the bugs of the earth.” Yet, their ecological niches, or simply put, their jobs on earth, range from the generation of oxygen, recycling of nutrients, the creation of soil, and the pollination of flowers and they are inextricably linked in thousands of other roles: both known and unknown to the most dominant species on earth, humans. Maybe it is time to reconsider who are the true weeds on earth?

Millions of years of evolution have fine tuned life on this planet, with some scientists believing that the current number of species is between forty and sixty million, with only two or so million actually documented and named. Humans, with their brief presence on earth, have been graced with a plethora of organisms that some would indeed categorize as a “garden of Eden.” And the question that begs asking is relatively simple despite the efforts to cast it as overwhelmingly complex. “Why would a single generation of Homo sapiens knowingly eradicate one quarter to one half of the species on earth in a geological twinkling of an eye?” And in the later years of life, how are we going to explain the permanent loss of the most magnificent creatures the planet has ever seen to our children and grandchildren? Terms like profit margin, land rights, cost benefit analysis, and other excuses will ring hollow as our collective children look at the pictures of giant whales, tropical orchids, sea turtles, and tigers and ask, “Why are these species no longer on earth?” And if current trends persist, the species our children will ask about will be long and tortuous to ponder:

Peter Raven, the world’s consummate botanist, recently reported that 50 percent of all plant species might disappear in the next 30-50 years. And with those plants will disappear the genetic stock of current and future foods, cancer drugs and heart disease drugs, invaluable links in nature’s services and irreplaceable aesthetic gifts to the landscape; One quarter of all the world’s mammal species face imminent extinction. These 1,130 mammal species represent some of the worlds most unique and magnificent creatures. Ranging from the Blue Whale and the Siberian tiger to Florida Manatees and Black Rhinos, human disturbance of habitat and the poisoning of the seas could homogenize the planet for generations to come. And our nearest relatives, the great primates, could fade into oblivion in 2 or 3 decades; Some 82 species of fishes are in peril with nearly 30 percent of all fish endangered globally. The mighty great white shark to the mainstay of human fisheries (cod, rockfish and hake) is being sacrificed by a consumptive orgy never seen in recorded history. As we scour the seas with long, baited hooked lines, we also sacrifice the oldest reptiles of the seas: sea turtles; One quarter of all parrots species are on the brink, along with one in eight of all bird species globally. Some 182-bird species teeter on critical extinction, with a 50 percent chance of surviving the next ten years. Yet we assault our monoculture lawns with a dizzying array of pesticides and herbicides. We continue to ravage forests (76 percent of threatened birds occur in forests), with our own National Forests being fragmented into giant puzzles of clear cuts and green beauty strips; Seventy-two percent of all freshwater clams are endangered in the United States. For the uneducated, extinct clams seem like a small price to pay for our passion with virtual reality, theme parks, and uncontrolled development. But these organisms are indicators of water and river health, and it is these inconspicuous organisms, ranging from clams to slugs, that hold the fabric of forests, rivers, prairies and all ecosystems in balance;

This ongoing catastrophe has biological, economic, social, and cultural ramifications beyond human comprehension. Yet, the modern-day vehicles for screaming the alert are all but silent. In this age of email and lightning fast communication, the average person is educated by the “mass media.” In the barren wasteland of television and radio, those accountable for enlightenment have missed, most knowingly, and continue to omit the saga of the worst extinction period in the world’s history. To address this biological holocaust would point fingers at corporate powers consumed with profit and consumers who often know little about the biological ramifications of indulgence, and would ask questions of us we much rather push to the bottom of our daily agendas.

During the 2000 election the term environment, let alone global mass extinction, was missing in action. Will John Kerry and John Edwards change this trend come this fall? When was the last time President Bush spoke on global extinction? Has he ever discussed it, or could he even spell extinction? When was the last time Americans heard a policy speech, a prime time presidential speech to the nation or a segment of the State of the Union address the consequences of unchecked extinction? When has ABC, NBC, or CBS done a several hour special on extinction? Would Bill O’Reilly or Rush Limbaugh even be fluent in the basics of the extinction discussion? Yes, thank goodness for individuals like Jane Goodall and all those dedicated researchers, scientists and activists that toil in anonymity. Environmental magazines and grassroots organizations worldwide provide invaluable venues of data. Yet, without mainstream press and television coverage, extinction remains under-reported by the selective radar screen of corporate television.

We are wringing the necks of our companions on this planet that we share with them. It is an immoral, unethical, and an unforgivable legacy I would rather not have be an entry into the history books of the current century. For those who are religious, it is akin to ripping out the planks of Noah’s Ark. Did your God give you a mandate to liquidate creation? Aren’t you caretakers of Eden? For those who simply believe human life spans several decades on earth, what economic, social, or cultural equation epitomizes your existence? And why do you get to squander the interest on the earth’s biological capital? For those who have been granted political power, why do you abdicate your responsibility to ensure several generations to come will share the same beauty we now enjoy? Of those of the corporate ilk, we will confiscate your business charters if you arrogantly view nature as numbers on a quarterly profit sheet. And lastly, as residents on earth, particularly the citizens of more affluent societies, your insatiable materialistic desires place unbearable strain on the biological towers of life. And the extinction of species is as horrific and unforgivable as the terrorist act that drove a plane into a human tower of life on 9/11.

The steps are many to solve this human induced plague on the planet’s plants and animals. From demanding that the mainstream press cover the issue, to adopting a land ethic that mimics that bestowed upon us by Aldo Leopold’s “A Sand County Almanac,” we have little time for compromise. The United States can lead the way by developing a wilderness strategy that connects through a series of corridors all the ecosystems in our nation. We must call on our politicians to scurry up the bully pulpit and sound the clarion warning of mass extinction. Ecological damage must be incorporated in our GNP and other human created economic equations that knowingly omit environmental damage from the profit ledger. National forests and parks must be expanded and kept free of mining, logging and oil extraction. Global communities must avoid the rush to globalization, as if rows of McDonalds’s and Wal-Marts rather than herds of elephants and Asiatic Lions would better serve Africa’s grasslands and India’s forests. Meat production must give way to more energy productive and sustainable plant based agriculture. We must adopt a fossil-fuel free generation of energy strategies. Fisheries must be sustainable and practices that kill sea turtles or dolphins must be outlawed. The 3 R’s must include fluency in ecological sciences, that knowledge about wildlife be as common as the ABC’s.

This data is sobering and real. We do not have the luxury of time and despite all our technology, extinction is an environmental problem that will not be remedied by quick fixes. And it is the curse our children’s children are least likely to forgive us for.

John F. Borowski has been a teacher of environmental and marine science for 25 years. He sits on the advisory board of the Native Forest Council, and has testified in Congress on behalf of forest protection. His pieces have appeared in the N.Y. Times, UTNE Reader and numerous websites. He may be reached at jenjill@proaxis.com

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