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Est. April 5, 2002
 
           
September 20, 2018 - Issue 756

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The Endangered Species Act
A Continuation of Noah's Ark

 


"It has been pointed out over many years, there
is so much to learn about the millions of plant
and animal species, so many of which hold the key
to cures for illnesses and disease, that it should
be a crime that the habitats are being destroyed
before we know the importance of them to all humanity."

The biblical story of Noah's ark is today more relevant than it has been for hundreds of years.

Remember it? All of the animals are shepherded onto the ark, two by two, so that no species will be made extinct in the coming flood.

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) was merely the modern-day embodiment of the act of saving all of the animals by making room for them to ride out the flood and begin anew to populate the Earth. It was that important to the early peoples, who obviously saw that Mother Earth would be greatly diminished, if all of the animals were drowned and only a few humans were left to live out their lives without the joy of companionship of the staggering array of other life forms.

Enter modernity and the post-Industrial Revolution and the world is facing the same trauma that the people of biblical times faced. Although we can't know exactly what was happening at the time of Noah, we can be sure that many were fearful of the loss of the irreplaceable and vital variety of living things that they could see all around them. Certainly there are those in the 21st Century who say that that was just a story and we should not look for any deeper meaning. They would be wrong. It was likely a warning to humans centuries in the future: Whether it is a natural disaster or a man-made one makes no difference, since the result would be the same: Catastrophe and collapse.

Whether it was intended or not, the ESA (signed into law by Richard Nixon) became the modern version of Noah's Ark. It was intended to protect all of life, starting with those species that were most in peril of extinction, but, by extension, to all species, including homo sapiens, which species seemed (and seems) hell-bent on exploiting Earth for profit and power, no matter the cost.

The cost is phenomenal, starting with massive human exploitation of the Earth's resources. There doesn't seem to be a place or substance under the ground that will be spared, if there is a dollar and mass profit to be made. To do this, humans need power and those who rule have accumulated great power. The stripping bare of the surface and bowels of the Earth continues unabated. When the substance sought is safely in the (few) hands of the international corporations which more and more rule the planet, they can sit back for just a moment and know that, in the process, they have accumulated more power, which leads to more profit. The average inhabitant of the planet has no idea where this will end. It's likely that those who plunder the resources and displace and destroy peoples and cultures don't even know. All they can see ahead of themselves is profit and money in their individual investment accounts.

The question for most people is, why bother? The lives of modern humans are so far removed from the soil and the creatures that live on it and in it that all of the rest of the biosphere might as well as be featured in the pages of a child's nursery book. There are so many other “vital issues” that exist that the most fundamental issue, survival of the planet, can be put aside. That is a profound mistake. The fight to protect and preserve all life on Earth is above all other concerns.

The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons,” wrote Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Russian novelist, essayist, philosopher, and journalist (1821-1881). One only has to look at the state of prisons in the U.S. to understand the “degree of civilization.” This nation has more people in prison (2.3 million in 2013) than any other nation and the conditions are often deplorable.

But prisons are only one way to look at society. Another way is to see the direction of the U.S. by way of its protection of the environment. This also gives us a measure of the commitment of the rich and powerful to the protection of life on earth and it appears that there is no commitment to anyone or anything other than their impulse to sweep aside any protective laws and regulations that are aimed at saving Earth or protecting humans and other life forms, just to make money.

Not long ago, President Donald Trump wondered why the U.S. is not encouraging immigration from such places as Norway, probably because Norwegians look more like him than those who are coming from the southern parts of our own hemisphere. However, Norwegians seem to be at times even more averse to recognizing the precarious nature of wildlife and the biosphere. According to Time magazine in 2016, “Norway kills more whales every year than some of the most notorious whaling countries combined according to a new report. Co-written by three environmental and animal rights NGOs—Animal Welfare Institute, OceanCare and ProWildlife—the report concludes that Norwegian whalers are responsible for killing some 12,000 whales since 1993. Norway killed more whales than infamous whale hunters Iceland and Japan combined, later exporting nearly 400,000 pounds of products made from whale oil to those countries and the Faroe Islands.”

The Time story also noted, “The International Whaling Commission banned commercial whaling in 1986, but Norway resumed hunting in 1994, according to the report. Since 2014, when Japan briefly put a stop to whaling, Norway has become the global leader in whale hunting.” So much for endangered species, even though Norway might be more protective of its wildlife than the U.S., except for whales and wolves. As in the U.S., there is a constant battle between agriculture and hunters and environmentalists and their organizations.

What is arguably the greatest threat to all species of life on Earth is the destruction of habitat, especially rainforests, where there is constant and largely illegal logging to sell lumber on the global market and clearcutting to make way for plantations of such crops as palm oil, which is used in myriad prepared foods that are sold widely in the rich countries. Indigenous people suffer in the plundered countries, particularly in Africa, Central and South America, and Asia. They are displaced and, in many cases, their very environment and culture are destroyed in the process. Where do they go? The exploiters don't care, as long as they're gone. That is, if they don't kill them outright.

There is no endangered species act for them and there isn't one for humans of any description. Should there be one, it is likely that the powerful would ignore such laws and go about their business. For example, see what happened to the water protectors on the Standing Rock Indian reservation in the Dakotas. They wanted no part of the Dakota Access pipeline that was driven through their land, even though 10,000 from a hundred tribes and other supporters gathered to keep the pipeline from going through, the victory was temporary, as the Trump Administration has opened up the way for the corporations involved to clinch their win over the people, once again. There is no endangered species act to protect the lands and cultures of Native Americans and, if there were, be sure that the powerful would use their influence and wealth to overcome the people.

Depending on the U.S. Constitution and all of the international laws and conventions that supposedly protect the people has proven that power and money will win every time. Even if governments were inclined to protect peoples (which most are not) from displacement and destruction, there are not enough monitors to ensure that they are protected and preserved. The Trump Administration is the most contemptuous of environmental laws and species protections, with an open attack on national parks and national monuments, either reducing them in size or opening them up for the extraction industries, such as exploring and drilling for oil, mining, logging, and unregulated grazing.

In the case of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) a few years ago, the power of governments and corporations was on full display. A highly militarized police presence pulled out all the stops and their actions led to the severe punishment of scores of water protectors, including long jail terms and surveillance and racial profiling of those involved in the actions. Many received long jail times for things that, in other circumstances, would have amounted to disorderly conduct or lesser charges. The severity of the punishments, governments and corporations felt, would prevent others from protesting or organizing opposition to the destructive and deadly actions of business interests.

So goes the war against wildlife species and the environment, itself, by those who live only for the next dollar, which it appears is their only god. All kinds of animals are endangered or on the brink of extinction because of human activity and, no matter how much lip service is paid to their protection and preservation, if the laws and people get in the way, they will be removed and silenced. It has been pointed out over many years, there is so much to learn about the millions of plant and animal species, so many of which hold the key to cures for illnesses and disease, that it should be a crime that the habitats are being destroyed before we know the importance of them to all humanity.

If you want to know about how humans are going to be treated in a human society in the 21st Century, study the treatment of endangered species and the laws that purport to protect them. Pay particular attention to what is happening in the U.S. So far in this nation's history, the laws that have been passed or agreements and treaties that have been signed to protect groups' cultures and human rights have, to the greatest extent, failed. A renewed effort needs to be made to see that the ESA does not fail and, by the way, society might make a concerted effort to see that the human species survives, in all of its glorious varieties.


BlackCommentator.com Columnist, John Funiciello, is a former newspaper reporter and labor organizer, who lives in the Mohawk Valley of New York State. In addition to labor work, he is organizing family farmers as they struggle to stay on the land under enormous pressure from factory food producers and land developers. Contact Mr. Funiciello and BC.


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