Philosophically Speaking: Annals of the International Philosophy Grou Philosophical-Annals-II-2017 | Page 14

Dambrot S M
The typical approach to addressing these problems, articulated by Einstein and many others –
whether sincerely or cynically – invokes ethics, culture, education, communication, social
programs, legislation and other indirect measures. Unfortunately, given the increasingly elitist
and militaristic activities trending on a global basis, this solution appears to be (except on a
limited and temporary basis) less than effective.
HUMAN-INDUCED MASS EXTINCTION
Much as global warming is only one factor in climate change, climate change may be part of a
much more severe event caused by capitalism-fueled human activity. A paper recently
published 16 by scientists at the universities of Stanford, Princeton and Berkeley found, even
using highly conservative criteria, that current extinction rates far exceed those known to exist
in our planet’s five previous mass extinction events 17 as determined by fossil records. The
researchers found that their estimates reveal an exceptionally rapid biodiversity decline over
the previous few centuries, concluding that a sixth mass extinction – one that would take
millions of years, with Homo sapiens disappearing sooner rather than later – is already taking
place.
Cumulative vertebrate species recorded as extinct or extinct in the wild by the International
Union for Conservation of Nature (2012). Source: Accelerated modern human–induced