Ethical framework for a Sustainable World

The current millennium started with recognition by the international community of the many critical situations it faces, the most appalling of which are addressed in the United Nations Millennium Declaration: The United Nations Millennium Development Goals aims to address issues of hunger, poverty, gender inequality, child mortality, water crisis, and environmental decline. The world is confronted today with three major challenges which encompass all other problems: the challenge of security, including the risks associated with terrorism; the challenge of poverty and underdeveloped economies; and the challenge of environmental sustainability.

2012 is the crucial year on the calendar as it marks 20 years of United Nations Conference on Environment and Development at Rio de Janeiro which lead to formation of UNFCCC. 2012 is also the year in which the Kyoto Protocol expires. Kyoto Protocol was an important step towards protecting environment as it sets individual, legally binding targets for industrialized countries prepared to take positive steps to curb emissions of carbon dioxide and other GHGs from sources within their remit. “Common but Differentiate Responsibities” in the Kyoto makes it ethically correct as the countries (Annex 1) who are more responsible for this anthropogenic climate change should take the responsibility of combating and at the same time other countries (Non Annex 1) should also adapt sustainable development.

We must see climate change as an ethical problem because:

Ø  It is a problem caused by some people in one part of the world that puts others and the natural resources on which they depend at great risk

Ø  The harms to these other people are not mere inconveniences but in some cases catastrophic losses of life or the ability to sustain life

Climate change raises civilization challenging ethical question, any proposed climate change regime must be examined through an ethical lens. We must also understand that climate change is a global challenge and everyone living in this world should contribute to safeguard the environment. No national government, even that of a super power, no group of countries, even the richest ones, can meet these challenges alone.

It gives me pleasure to introduce an initiative which has principles to protect the mother earth, shares responsibilities with equity, care of human rights and believe in sustainable development. The Earth Charter is an international declaration of fundamental values and principles considered useful by its supporters for building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society in the 21st century. Created by a global consultation process, and endorsed by organizations representing millions of people, the Charter "seeks to inspire in all peoples a sense of global interdependence and shared responsibility for the well-being of the human family, the greater community of life, and future generations." 

The Earth Charter has four principles which guides the decision making process. They are;

·         Respect and Care for the Community of Life

·         Ecological Integrity

·         Social and Economic Justice

·         Democracy, Nonviolence and Peace

The Earth Charter is an unusual document since it reflects a new, universally-shared level of understanding of the interdependence between humans and nature. It also corresponds to the stage of globalization at which we find ourselves. The Earth Charter text can be found here.

I would like to end with few lines from Earth Charter Preamble for you to ponder over;  

“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.”