Earth Charter Action

For many years now I have been wondering what an agreement on international cooperation that all nations could readily agree to would be comprised of. With the publication of The Earth Charter In Action, my musing is over. The Earth Charter is simple yet succinct; it is profound and compelling. The first paragraph from the PREAMBLE sets the tone: "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 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 people of Earth, declare our responsibly to one another, to the greater community of life, and to future generations." The Earth Charter book has the entire Earth Charter document interspersed with commentaries from it's many contributors such as: Wangari Maathai, Mikhail Gorbachev, Jane Goodall, Peter Blaze Corcoran, et al. The Earth Charter website also has the entire Earth Charter in a viewable and downloadable format. There is a large and growing body of world-wide endorsers at the website and the list includes almost every country along with an impressive and varied list of NGOs, schools, business, religious groups, and individuals. The Earth Charter will hopefully be the document that brings every person on Earth together for a peaceful, democratic, and sustainable future with a knowledge of our interconnectedness and interdependence not only amongst ourselves, but with all other life forms on Earth. My heartfelt thanks to the many contributors world-wide for this beautiful document!