Toward a Sustainable World: The Earth Charter in Action (2005)




The world is confronted today with three major challenges which encompass all other problems: the challenge of security, including the risks associated with weapons of mass destruction and terrorism; the challenge of poverty and underdeveloped economies; and the challenge of environmental sustainability. No national government, even that of a super power, no group of countries, even the richest ones, can meet these challenges alone. The only answer is a universal coalition of informed, responsible, and active citizens.

[T]wo global documents are called to help the human community to cope with them. The first pillar is the Charter of the United Nations, which regulates the relations among states and thus sets the rules for their behavior in order to secure peace and stability. The second pillar is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which regulates the relations between states and individuals, and guarantees to all citizens a set of rights which their respective governments should provide. The importance of these two documents cannot be overestimated. But it has become obvious that another document is missing, one which would regulate the relations among states, individuals, and nature by defining the human duties towards the environment. In my opinion, the Earth Charter should fill this void, acquire equal status, and become the third pillar supporting the peaceful development of the modern world.

(Mikhail Gorbachev, Preface of the book)

 

This timely book tells the story of the actions that have transformed the Earth Charter into a global movement which continues, and must continue to grow, as a primary source of the devotion and determination of people everywhere to ensure that our Earth remains a secure and habitable home for all people and those other forms of life with which we share it. As this book demonstrates, we have made immensely encouraging progress during the past five years. But, until the majority of people and organizations everywhere base their motivations on the principles enshrined in the Earth Charter, it will remain unfinished business.

(Maurice F. Strong, Preface of the book)

 

There are enormously thoughtprovoking words in this document. What we should do, instead of just reading through, is to reflect on what the words mean so that we can be moved to action. In other parts of the world and in my own life, I love to do this because I can talk, I can reflect, and at the end, I can go home, dig a hole, and plant a tree.

As you will see from the stories in this book, many have reflected on words and principles in the Earth Charter so that they could be moved to action of many kinds. I encourage you to do the same – to find the words in the Earth Charter that speak to you and to give them meaning by reflecting on them. Then, allow yourself to abandon apathy and be moved to action!

(Wangari Maathai, Foreword of the book)

 

The Earth is one but the world is not. We all depend on one biosphere for sustaining our lives. Yet each community, each country, strives for survival and prosperity with little regard for its impact on others. Some consume the Earth’s resources at a rate that would leave little for future generations. Others, many more in number, consume far too little and live with the prospect of hunger, squalor, disease, and early death.

(Our Common Future, 1987, p. 27)

 

The Earth Charter principles result from a successful process of building consensus on values that are widely shared. These core values, so clearly articulated in the Earth Charter principles, give us much to go on as we work toward bringing a sustainable world into being. They are substantive and specific. Earth Charter principles articulate common ethical values that are compatible with many indigenous beliefs, worldviews, religions, and secular philosophies. They help us interpret our beliefs in light of the perilous trends of our current unsustainable development path. They express these values as a global, civic ethic of specific rights and responsibilities. In my experience, by articulating common concerns and common values, the Earth Charter provides a righteous vision. By being part of a participatory, inspiring process, it gives us hope that the vision is viable. By specifically articulating a vision of sustainable development, it provides a path forward to achieve it. The Earth Charter is a guide to such a path and an inspiration to action.

It is easy to talk about the crises of social injustice and poverty, of violent conflict, and of environmental disasters that create such suffering for all forms of life. The world is in agony and, as we improvidently exceed its carrying capacity, so is Earth. This book captures the stories of those who are doing something about these crises. It demonstrates the rich diversity of uses of the Earth Charter and points toward many future possibilities for its greater use.

Thematic and descriptive essays from around the world tell of action informed by the Earth Charter and demonstrate its utility in diverse cultural contexts. They show its promise in working across the divide between the northern and southern hemispheres, across the faith traditions, the nations, and the generations. Each Part of the Earth Charter, including the Preamble and The Way Forward, is given in full text, presented in a separate color, and is introduced by an extended essay on the overarching themes of that Part. Then, each of the sixteen main Principles is spoken to in either a thematic essay on its content or in a descriptive essay on a project related to the substance of that Principle.

The writers include the well-known whose action within an ethical framework has been enhanced by their work on the Earth Charter. The writers also include those little-known outside their circles whose heroic fortitude in putting the Earth Charter in action is often without recognition but which has been of critical importance. There are sixty-two essays by seventy-four contributors. They are from thirty-two nations and represent a wide diversity of geographies, cultures, and traditions. Several of the essays are by young people taking part in the great adventure of putting their high hopes and aspirations for a better world into action as inspired by the Earth Charter. Through these writers, taken together, we see that this is a people’s movement – even as the Earth Charter is a people’s treaty.

It is my desire that this book celebrates the ways in which the Earth Charter has been used. I also trust that it shows the efficacy of the Earth Charter in international law, religion, diplomacy, education, business, public policy, and many other fields – and that it points the way toward increasing usefulness.

Finally, it is my hope that you, the reader, will add your creative imagination to this endeavor of putting the Earth Charter into action – that you will live the Earth Charter, and thereby, join in the process of defining it as a living document.

(Peter Blaze Corcoran, Introduction of the book)

 

How to get the book

Earth Charter in ActionToward a Sustainable World: The Earth Charter in Action was published in 2005 by the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) in the Netherlands. It is available in English, Dutch, and Spanish, with other translations pending.

The book is available for purchase worldwide:
USA: Click here to purchase from Stylus
Europe and the rest of the world: Click here to purchase in from KIT

The book is also available for download chapter-by-chapter (PDF) here.

If you haven’t read the Earth Charter, be sure to read it here.

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Published::
11.13.07 / 11pm
Category:
Appropriate Science and Technology, Change in Change, Democratic Democracy, Ecosocionomics, Global Governance, Learning for Life, Life's Necessities, Man, Means, Paths, Ends, Spirituality, Unity in Diversity
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