Philadelphia Area Georgists Participate in Earth Charter Summit
Alanna Hartzok
[
GroundSwell, 2001]
The Earth Charter -- a worldwide "people's treaty" --
affirms that humanity's environmental, economic, social, cultural,
ethical and spiritual lives and hopes are all interconnected. It
seeks to inspire in all people a new sense of global interdependence
and shared responsibility for the well-being of the human family,
the community of other life, and future generations.
Part of the unfinished business of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, the
Earth Charter drafting process was revitalized in 1994 by Mikhail
Gorbachev, president of Green Cross International, and Maurice
Strong, Earth Charter secretary general. Steering committee
co-chairs were Steven Rockefeller (USA), Kamia Chowdhry (India),
Yolanda Kakabadse (Ecuador), and Ruud Lubbers (The Netherlands). In
a grassroots drafting process of more 12 years, thousands of people
in 56 countries gathered in cities, villages, meeting halls, schools
and in open air settings to weave the Earth Charter from their
shared dreams for a better world.
Among the goals of the Earth Charter are to gather together
people from all walks of life across the United States for
political, social, economic and environmental reform at the local
level using the Earth Charter principles as a guide; to encourage
and engage youth to contribute their ideas and energy; to create
working partnerships with at least 100 national and local grassroots
groups and organizations; and to distribute a national resource
manual describing and listing creative initiatives already using the
principles of the Earth Charter.
The historic launch of the Earth Charter in the United States was
held simultaneously in 12 cities connected via satellite on
September 29, 2001. Concurrent celebrations in Honolulu, San
Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, Austin, Indianapolis, Boulder, CO,
Portland, ME, Jackson, MS, and Philadelphia created awareness of the
Earth Charter's 16 principles addressing peace, non-violence, social
and economic justice, ecological integrity, and an overarching ethic
of respect and care for the community of all life.
The inspirational day was filled with well-known speakers,
including Danny Glover, David Korten, Steven Rockefeller, Hazel
Henderson, and Jonathan Granoff, as well as panel presentations,
discussion groups and entertainment.
Several Philadelphia area Georgists - Uda Bartholomew, Pat Lowe,
Brian Cole, Jake Himmelstein and Alanna Hartzok - participated in
the Earth Charter Summit in Philadelphia at Drexel University. They
placed a quarter page section in the Summit program, hosted a
literature table and contributed to the Social and Economic Justice
working group. Both the Center for the Study of Economics and the
Philadelphia Land Value Tax Coalition were listed as local
co-sponsors of the event. They intend to participate in the
follow-up workshop designed to boost the newly created coalitions
and projects on Sunday, November 4.
The Earth Charter Initiative will seek endorsement of the Earth
Charter by the United Nations General Assembly in 2002, the tenth
anniversary of the Rio Earth Summit.
The following Section of the Earth Charter is of the most
relevance to Georgists:
III. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE
9. Eradicate poverty as an ethical, social, and
environmental imperative.
a. Guarantee the right to potable water, clean air,
food security, uncontaminated soil, shelter, and safe sanitation,
allocating the national and international resources required.
b. Empower every human being with the education and resources to
secure a sustainable livelihood, and provide social security and
safety nets for those who are unable to support themselves.
c. Recognize the ignored, protect the vulnerable, serve those who
suffer,
and enable them to develop their capacities and to pursue their
aspirations.
10. Ensure that economic activities and institutions at all levels
promote human development in an equitable and sustainable manner.
a. Promote the equitable distribution of wealth within
nations and among nations.
THE EARTH CHARTER - A Declaration of Interdependence.
"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."
From The Preamble of the Earth Charter: Declaration of
Interdependence
PREAMBLE
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.
Earth, Our Home
Humanity is part of a vast evolving universe. Earth, our home, is
alive with a unique community of life. The forces of nature make
existence a demanding and uncertain adventure, but Earth has
provided the conditions essential to life's evolution. The
resilience of the community of life and the well-being of humanity
depend upon preserving a healthy biosphere with all its ecological
systems, a rich variety of plants and animals, fertile soils, pure
waters, and clean air. The global environment with its finite
resources is a common concern of all peoples. The protection of
Earth's vitality, diversity, and beauty is a sacred trust.
The Global Situation
The dominant patterns of production and consumption are causing
environmental devastation, the depletion of resources, and a massive
extinction of species. Communities are being undermined. The
benefits of development are not shared equitably and the gap between
rich and poor is widening. Injustice, poverty, ignorance, and
violent conflict are widespread and the cause of great suffering. An
unprecedented rise in human population has overburdened ecological
and social systems. The foundations of global security are
threatened. These trends are perilous, but not inevitable.
The Challenges Ahead
The choice is ours: form a global partnership to care for Earth
and one another or risk the destruction of ourselves and the
diversity of life. Fundamental changes are needed in our values,
institutions, and ways of living. We must realize that when basic
needs have been met, human development is primarily about being
more, not having more. We have the knowledge and technology to
provide for all and to reduce our impacts on the environment. The
emergence of a global civil society is creating new opportunities to
build a democratic and humane world. Our environmental, economic,
political, social, and spiritual challenges are interconnected, and
together we can forge inclusive solutions.
Universal Responsibility
To realize these aspirations, we must decide to live with a sense
of universal responsibility, identifying ourselves with the whole
Earth community as well as our local communities. We are at once
citizens of different nations and of one world in which the local
and global are linked. Everyone shares responsibility for the
present and future well-being of the human family and the larger
living world. The spirit of human solidarity and kinship with all
life is strengthened when we live with reverence for the mystery of
being, gratitude for the gift of life, and humility regarding the
human place in nature. We urgently need a shared vision of basic
values to provide an ethical foundation for the emerging world
community. Therefore, together in hope we affirm the following
interdependent principles for a sustainable way of life as a common
standard by which the conduct of all individuals, organizations,
businesses, governments, and transnational institutions is to be
guided and assessed.