The Earth Charter

Values and Principles for a Just, Sustainable, and Peaceful Global Society in the 21st Century

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Compiled by Jaana Laitinen Hirsikangas Earth Charter International Youth Facilitator

What are

the current challenges

on Earth?

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What is common about these issues?

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• Have been produced mostly by un-precautious human activity

• Can no longer be solved by scientific and technological means only or resolved in an isolated manner

• Under the impact of industrialization, modern technology, the information revolution, and economic globalization, the world we live in is ever more tightly interconnected

– No society or nation can effectively address the environmental, economic, and social problems it faces and ensure the security of its people by acting alone

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• Often what happens locally has a significant global impact ecologically, economically, politically, or socially, and global trends and events influence local communities throughout the world

• This has led to recognition that the problems facing people locally and globally can only be addressed with holistic thinking and integrated problem solving as well as worldwide cooperation

• Humans as individuals and communities should recognize their responsibilities to solve such problems and this may be possible only on the basis of a fundamental shift in their outlook and value attitudes

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What is“Our Common Future”?

If these trends continue,what will the Earth look like in 50 years?

If we want to alter these trends,

what should we do?

What is the “buzz word”

for these types of activities?

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It is →Sustainable Development

• Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Brundtland Commission, 1987)

• Improving the quality of life within the carrying capacity of supporting ecosystems (UNEP, WWF, IUCN, 1991)

• …a process which enables all people to realize their potential and to improve their quality of life in ways which protect and enhance the Earth's life support systems (Forum for the Future, UK)

• Enough for everyone, forever(Billboard, Johannesburg, South Africa in 2002 during World Summit on Sustainable Development)

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• Sustainable development aims to meet all human needs without harming nature, thereby ensuring all people’s needs are met

• This concept demonstrates that social issues are linked to economic and environmental ones

• Similarly, local, national and international problems are interrelated • Therefore, the search for solutions to these problems requires an

integrated approach

• Promoting an environmental culture / sustainable development implies recognizing that our planet’s resources are limited and seeks to generate changes in attitudes, through creating a higher consciousness, and to improve citizen commitment, through their actions and the impact they have on the environment.

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•“Sustainable development” is not simply a synonym for environmental protection. Rather, it is a process which seeks to find convergence points between the needs of social justice, economics and environmental protection

In order to achieve sustainable development, we must remember that:

• Current behavior patterns place our planet’s safety at risk. • Economic development does not take environmental impacts,

social relationships or democratic processes into consideration. • All of us are part of the problem, and therefore we are all

responsible for taking part in the solution.

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The United Nations Division for Sustainable Development lists the following areas as coming within the scope of sustainable development:

Agriculture, Atmosphere, Biodiversity, Biotechnology, Capacity-building, Climate Change, Consumption, and Production Patterns, Demographics, Desertification and Drought,

Disaster Reduction and Management, Education and Awareness, Ecology, Ecosystem, Energy, Systems ecology, Finance, Forests, Fresh Water, Health, Human Settlements,

Indicators, Industry, Information for Decision Making and Participation, Integrated Decision Making, International Law, International Cooperation for Enabling Environment,

Institutional Arrangements, Land management, Major Groups, Mountains, National Sustainable Development Strategies, Natural resource management, Oceans and Seas,

Poverty, Sanitation, Science, Social equity, Sustainable architecture, Sustainable tourism, Technology, Toxic Chemicals, Trade and Environment, Transport, Waste (Hazardous),

Waste (Radioactive), Waste (Solid), Water

→ Sustainable development is an eclectic concept, as a wide array of views

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Sustainable development is not a technical term, but an ethical pursuit

What do we need?

→ a shared vision of basic values to provide a global ethical foundation

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Vision?

• Vision is the most vital step in all the work we do! We need to know where we want to go

• The process of building a responsible vision of a sustainable world is not a rational one - It comes from values, not logic.

• To bring our world toward sustainability we need to take different kinds of steps, which require different kinds of knowledge, talent, skill, and work.– Implementation – Models [very simple, explaining how we got to whatever state

we are in]– Information

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• In this discussion we forget the most important one: VISION! • the establishment of clear, feasible, socially shared goals

• What do we want? Where would we like all these models, this information, this implementation to take us? What is our vision of the world we are trying to create for ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren?

• The best goal most of us who work toward sustainability offer is the avoidance of catastrophe. We promise survival and not much more. That is a failure of vision.

• Even if information, models, and implementation could be perfect in every way, how far can they guide us, if we know what direction we want to move away from but not what direction we want to go toward?

– There may be motivation in escaping doom, but there is even more in creating a better world.

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Ethics?

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• Origin in the Greek word “ethos”, which means the behavior of a group

• It is formed by a set of principles that directs the attitudes of a group / society towards the communal property of this community system

• Principles are generated by values – They offer norms and guidelines for conduct and relate to reasoning and

decisions

• Values are related to the importance of something. They are subjective and are the first point that motivates an individual to make decisions

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• what is right and wrong

• Ethical issues have to do with the actions that everyone, or at least most reasonable people, agree to be moral

• A person’s ethical values reflect what kind of a person s/he chooses to be and what quality of community life s/he chooses to support and sustain

• People inherit ethical values from their family and culture

• Describes the characteristic of a community

• A set of principles that are acceptable for the common good of a community system

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What is good and bad for us?

How are we to live together?

How do we choose what to do?

• These are the main questions for ethics – discipline concerned in what is right and wrong

• Our propensity as humans to do good and bad actions makes important to have ethics

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What could be an unethical choice, decision or behaviour?

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Ethics and sustainability

• How ought we to live with/in the Earth?

• We are facing ethical dilemmas regarding the damages we are causing to the environment and the current inequities

• Approaches to sustainability ethics call for a global responsibility – toward the natural world and to attain global justice

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Motivational Ethics

• Human behavior is deeply rooted in the human, cultural, spiritual, social and ethical values which are the fundamental sources of motivation of the behavior of people and nations

• Ethic can motivate people to act in new ways – even against conventional assumptions, including the determination not just to do

what is right but also to promote what is right

• Motivational ethics need to be both emotionally and intellectually engaging

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Global Ethics

• A global ethic is an ethic which is about universal values and norms and which includes a principle of global responsibility

• In this interconnected world / global society (communications, transportation, and economic systems), with global dilemmas, global ethical consciousness is urgently needed to build a just, sustainable, and peaceful world community and to protect the integrity of Earth’s ecological systems

• We need something that combines concerns for human well-being with concerns for the environment

• So an ethic needs both to contain realizable requirements here and now, and, combined with these, ideals towards which we can strive

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Universal Responsibility

• Fundamental importance in meeting the critical challenges– should not be delegated to any organization or group alone

• People and countries have a responsibility for what happens elsewhere in the world – such as extreme poverty, violation of human rights, wars etc

– each and every person is equally responsible to the whole Earth community

• Civil society has a critical role to play in the transition to sustainable development:

– The new global civil society has become a third force along with government and business on the world stage

• It can use its soft power together with its political power and its purchasing power in the market place to move the world toward constructive change

• However, this will not happen without a unifying ethical vision and a new commitment to education for sustainable development

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We need…

• … partnership, cooperation, and collaboration that have become essential to survival and human development

• … mutual understanding and agreement on common goals and shared values, an ethical foundation – … that is widely shared among the world's diverse cultures

→ This will create the trust and sense of shared purpose that makes partnership and collaborative actions possible and effective

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• Humanity has reached a stage in its development technologically and economically where a world community is both possible and necessary

• Inner globalization must occur to build global cooperation and community and reverse negative trends that threaten the future

• Sense of ethical responsibility flows from an attitude of respect

• Humanity must undergo a radical change in its attitudes, values and behavior– Caring for people and caring for Earth are two interrelated

dimensions of one great task

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The Earth Charter Values and Principles

for a Just, Sustainable, and Peaceful Global Society in the 21st Century

There is nothing else in global civil society

with the demonstrated power of the Earth Charter

to unite people from across divisions

of culture, religion, and politics ...

background, sector, and profession ...

and inspire them to work together for a world that is

more just, more sustainable, and more peaceful.

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What themes were presented in the Earth Charter?

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Universal Responsbility

Respect

Community of Life

Common but Differentiated Responsability

Common Good

Peace and Non-Violence

Interdependency

Eradication of poverty

Equitable Economic Development

Human Rights

Democracy

Environmental Protection

Sustainable Living

Transnational Responsibility

Respect for Nature

Participation

Gender Equality

Key Themes of the Earth Charter

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The Preamble

• Explains the global situation, the beauty of our planet as well its current problems

• It highlights the challenges we face and the choices each one of us can make

• Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of universal responsibility

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The first principle

“Respect Earth and life in all its diversity”

is the foundation for the following three principles as well the remaining principles in the Charter

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The second, third and fourth principles

• deal with the three primary spheres of human relationships and ethical responsibility:

– the relationship between human beings and the greater community of life

– the relationship between human beings and society and – the relationship between present and future generations

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• Twelve fundamental principles in Parts II, III and IV describe the meaning of the first four principles in greater detail

• The titles of these three Parts Ecological Integrity, Social and Economic Justice and Democracy, Nonviolence and Peacedemonstrate the inclusive nature of the vision of the Earth Charter

• Sixty-one supporting principles address important issues and clarify the meanings of the sixteen fundamental principles

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You can compare the Earth Charter to a tree

• It has roots, a trunk and branches

• The initial and most important principles are like the roots, the base for those that follow

• There are four of these initial principles, and they can be compared to four parts of the roots

• The remaining principles are like the trunk, and the sub-principles are like the branches

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The Earth Charter

• The Earth Charter is a declaration of fundamental values and principles for building a just, sustainable and peaceful global society in the 21st century

– centrally concerned with the transition to sustainable ways of living and sustainable human development.

• It seeks to inspire in all people a new sense of global interdependence and shared responsibility for the well-being of the whole human family, the greater community of life, and future generations.

• It is a vision of hope and a call to action

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Earth Charter as global ethics

• Earth Charter is consensus on integrated vision on shared moral values, basic ethical principles and practical guidelines

– Expresses common core of attitudes that can unite people in the midst of all their diversity

• Recognizing that our environmental, economic, social, political, and spiritual challenges are interdependent

– The Earth Charter provides a new integrated framework for thinking about and addressing these issues

– The result is a fresh broad conception of what constitutes a sustainable society and sustainable development

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• It challenges people to think about ethical values and to expand their ethical consciousness

– A moral ideal – of how people could ideally live with one another and in relation to the natural world

• The Earth Charter provides a framework, a tool for testing our moral thinking

• It is important to recognize that the Earth Charter contains general ethical principles as distinct from rules

– Rules tell one exactly what to do in a specific situation – General principles tell us what to think about when we are deciding what to do– We also live in a complex world and there will be at times conflict between

different ethical principles • There is frequently a tension between individual freedom and securing justice for all• There can be tension between the needs of present generations and the needs of

future generations • Also between the short-term interests of people and the long-term health of

ecosystems

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• The Earth Charter should not be read as a final moral truth but as a tool for promoting international cooperation and solidarity for changes which need to be made in the way we collectively behave – Endorsing it or treating it as one's global ethic is not signing up

to everything in it nor should it be treated by others as so doing– It’s an ethical perspective from which one is prepared to think,

deliberate and engage in dialogue

• Many of the key principles are capable of different interpretations– it should not be seen as the final unambiguous set of moral

truths but a best approximation which humans can use and co-operate in using to forge common understandings and develop common goals

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• A product of a decade-long, worldwide, cross cultural dialogue on common goals and shared values

• Began as a United Nations initiative, but it was carried forward and completed by a global civil society initiative

• Was launched as a people’s charter in 2000

• The drafting of the Earth Charter involved the most inclusive and participatory process ever associated with the creation of an international declaration

• Over 5000 organizations and governments endorses and uses the Earth Charter

The Earth Charter

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Why Earth Charter?

• It is global in that it is actually accepted by large number of people from all over the globe– a public document available for endorsement by individuals who

do so in the knowledge that they endorse something endorsed by hundreds of thousands of others

– The values of the Earth Charter are not merely shared in the sense that they are the same for different people; they are shared in the stronger sense of people belonging to a community of shared values

• It is global in that it was formed as a result of a wide process of global consultation

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Why do we need the Earth Charter?

• To examine our values and choose a better way

• To realize our common ground although we are diverse

• To unify us in our work for change

• Earth Charter provides a valuable educational instrument in education for sustainable development

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What Earth Charter can offer

• A global citizen who is in search of reasonable global vision and ethics can find it in the Earth Charter

• Through the Earth Charter can be also found a genuine and real community of like-minded people across the world united in its inspirational power– It is not just an idea in the mind of the global citizen but actually

shared by agents from all over the world

• The Earth Charter provides an approach for educating and motivating people and governments to act with the necessary sense of universal responsibility– stresses both the inner motivational resources of individuals and

the external social structures and institutions

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• The UNESCO General Conference of member states endorsed the Earth Charter in 2003 as “an important ethical framework for sustainable development” and as “an educational tool.”

• UNESCO has chosen to emphasize the importance of teaching and learning about the values and life styles that communities must embrace, if they are to make the transition to sustainable development. – In this regard, UNESCO is recommending the Earth Charter as

a valuable ethical guide and teaching tool. The Earth Charter is already being used widely in schools, colleges, and universities

– Earth Charter was recently appointed as a UNESCO Chair on Education for Sustainable Development

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Conclusion• The principles of sustainable development help us think in terms of the

future, so we can leave the planet in a better condition for generations to come

• The Earth Charter is a tool which helps us adjust our attitudes so we can

create a better world • The Earth Charter is like a map, which helps us get oriented and figure

out which way we want to go. It also helps us make good decisions, not only for ourselves, but also for others and for its namesake, Earth

• Everything you do impacts this world. The Earth Charter helps us understand that each one of us has a responsibility to take care of our planet

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“We stand at a critical moment in Earth's history, a time when humanity must choose its future. As the world becomes increasingly interdependent and fragile, the future at once holds great peril and great promise. To move forward we must recognize that in the midst of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms we are one human family and one Earth community with a common destiny. We must join together to bring forth a sustainable global society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace. Towards this end, it is imperative that we, the peoples of Earth, declare our responsibility to one another, to the greater community of life, and to future generations.”

— PreambleThe Earth Charter 2000

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www.EarthCharter.org

Charter International

Earth Charter International Secretariat andEarth Charter Center for Education for Sustainable Development

at UN mandated University for Peace, Costa Rica

Contact the Youth Facilitator: YouthCoordinator@EarthCharter.org

www.EarthCharter.org/youth

Join the Earth CharterInitiative

ContactEarth

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Background reading: • Earth Charter Virtual Library, http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/invent/

The Earth Charter in Action Toward a Sustainable World

Mirian Vilela and Peter Blaze Corcoran History and Provenance of the Earth Charter

Building Consensus on Shared Values

Parvez HassanA thematic essay on the historical context and significance of the Earth Charter

Earth Charter: An Ethical Lodestar and Moral Force

Abelardo BrenesA thematic essay on responsibility to the whole Earth community and to promote the common goodUniversal and Differentiated Responsibility

Nigel Dower A thematic essay on global interdependence and universal responsibilityThe Earth Charter and Global Citizenship: A Way Forward

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Steven C. RockefellerInterdependence and Global Ethics

Steven C. RockefellerThe Earth Charter: An Ethical Foundation

Steven C. RockefellerGlobal ethics, international law, and the Earth Charter

McGrady, Andrew G. , Regan, EthnaEthics in a global world: the Earth Charter and religious education

Nigel DowerThe Earth Charter and Global Ethics

David ChalmersProtecting Life from Climate ChangeThe need for synergies between policy, ethics, and education

Alan AtKissonGlobal Warming is an Ethical Issue

Ibrahima SeckWinning the Struggle Against Global Warming

Donella H. MeadowsEnvisioning a sustainable world

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