[spectre] EARTH EMERGENCY - A CALL TO ACTION

domiziana giordano domiziana@nexus.it
Fri, 26 Jul 2002 15:20:49 +0200




EARTH EMERGENCY - A CALL TO ACTION

An acute State of Emergency exists on Earth, imperiling its climate,
 its life support systems and the lives of billions of people. The
 inter-connected crises of environmental degradation and the
 destitution of a third of humanity are worsened by a profound failure
 of world governance.

We are all called upon to implement the planetary ethic expressed in
 the Earth Charter - of respect for life and human dignity, as the
 basis for political thought and action. By working together through
 our global and local networks, accelerating initiatives already under
 way, we can shift the global balance of power in favour of restoring
 the Earth and assuring the sustainable well-being of present and
 future generations. In particular, we can use the current decade to -

1.    rapidly phase in renewable energy technology in place of current
 polluting energy systems
2.    shift taxes from labour to the use of resources, pollution and
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3.    create an ecological economy, compatible with the Earth's
 ecosystems - acknowledging that perpetual economic growth is not
 possible in a finite world
4.    build global co-operation towards restoring local economies -
 prioritising local production for local consumption, and minimizing
 the need for long-distance transport of goods
5.    make sustainable agriculture the global norm - assuring that
 security of food supplies is achieved with minimal environmental
 impacts
6.    honour and protect traditional knowledge and prohibit patents on
 life
7.    repay the historical and ecological dept of the countries of the
 north to those of the south
8.    reform worldwide monetary and financial systems to protect and
 enhance the well-being of human communities and the natural
 environment on which they depend.
9.    initiate a major shift of funds from armaments production towards
 environmental security - providing adequate water, nutrition,
 healthcare, shelter and sustainable livelihoods for all
10.    create a participative Earth Democracy - achieving fundamental
 reform of global governance  in response to the needs of people and
 nature rather than of powerful vested interests

Finance is always made available at times of war or disaster. We
 challenge world leaders at the 2002 Johannesburg World Summit on
 Sustainable Development to acknowledge the Earth's State of Emergency
 and to commit the resources required to restore ecosystems, alleviate
 hunger and misery and create sustainable human settlements.

To achieve these aims, we call for a global alliance of all sections
 of society. The creativity of all of humanity is needed, using
 traditional knowledge, art, design, engineering, modern science  and
 business as tools for creating a sustainable and thriving
 relationship between people and planet. Another world is possible.
 Let's make it happen.

To sign this call, please contact earthemergency@freeuk.com
 <mailto:earthemergency@freeuk.com>, or visit www.earthemergency.com
 <http://www.earthemergency.com>, or write to Earth Emergency, 21
 Lonsdale Road, London NW6 6RA.

Signed (so far)

Schumacher Society, Bristol
Positive News, UK
Sustainable Society, London
Gaia Foundation, London
Right Livelihood Foundation, London
Ecologist Magazine, London
L' Ecologiste, Paris
Resurgence Magazine, Hartland
International Society for Ecology and Culture, Dartington
Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology, Delhi
Henry George Foundation, London
ROSE, Findhorn
Simultaneous Policy
The Action Research Unit, Delhi
Management Institute for Social Change (MINSOC), Asia
Sustainable Development Network (SUSDEN), Malaysia
Sustainable Kuantan Initiative, Malaysia
Transnational Institute, Amsterdam


Vandana Shiva
Edward Goldsmith
Helena Norberg Hodge
James Robertson
Susan George
Charles Secrett
Fritjof Capra
Satish Kumar
Jakob von Uexkuell
Liz Hosken
Herbert Girardet
Jane Taylor
Nick Nielson
Francesca Romana Giordano
Michael Hill
John Bunzl
Shauna Crockett-Burrows
Annelies Borsboom


The 1972 Stockholm Declaration states a clear obligation to guard the
 environment and protect it from damage:

"Man has the fundamental right to freedom, equality and adequate
 conditions of life, in an environment of a quality that permits a
 life of dignity and well-being, and he bears a solemn responsibility
 to protect and improve the environment for present and future
 generations."
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Francesca Romana Giordano
Sustainable Society
----------------------------------------------------
21 Lonsdale Road, London NW6 6RA
Phone: +44 (0)20 7604 4321  Mobile: +44 (0) 7710 124 669
E-mail: francesca@franmail.freeuk.com
----------------------------------------------------
The Sustainable Society Directory
Web: http://www.sustainable-society.co.uk
----------------------------------------------------
Positive News
http://www.positivenews.org.uk
----------------------------------------------------








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DG / DSI                domiziana@DigitalSistersIndeed.org

It was pure bliss
 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 when I finally achieved silence.


> http://www.digitalsistersindeed.org/

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