Earth Protect Blog

Celebrate the World Environment day with the Earth Charter!

We are living in challenging times. As members of the community of life on Earth, we have jeopardized our own existence and the right to life of many other living beings through extensive environmental alteration. Our individual andshared responsibility to protect the planet is highlighted by the climate change crisis, which is one of the most obvious and pressing challenges to all life on Earth.

The slogan of the 2009 World Environment Day (WED) is: “Your Planet needs you! Unite to combat climate change.” In this context, the UN has launched the “Seal the Deal” campaign to call for world leaders to agree on a new framework to address Climate Change. Negotiations are scheduled to be finalized in Copenhagen this December, and this effort will clearly require the sensitive management of both the ethical and unethical dimensions of how to address climate change. In order to effectively join forces in addressing climate change, a “Shared Vision for Long-term Cooperative Action” is needed. Ethical values and principles such as respecting nature and caring for the community of life are essential in guiding efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

We are also living in exciting and promising times. This Friday, thousands of activities will take place around the world in celebration of the WED. The Earth Charter International Secretariat encourages you to consider, with understanding, compassion and love, all the different forms of life which surround you, are important to your existence and deserve your respect and care (Principles 1 and 2, Earth Charter).We invite you to take a look at the Earth Charter and find ways to use it during this World Environment Day and in your daily life.

Furthermore, we have a one minute Earth Charter TV spot which was developed in Brazil. It is currently being broadcast on several TV channels there, and we encourage you to use it in your World Environment Day event, or at other opportunities.

“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.” (Earth Charter Preamble).

Earth Charter International
San Jose, Costa Rica
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www.earthcharter.org