A Charter for the Protection of A Living Planet
❧ WORLD MAGNA CARTA IN THE 21ST CENTURY ❧
PREAMBLE
❧ “We have to save the ‘Living Planet’ that gave us life, before we decide how we are going to live on it”. ❧
The World Magna Carta is invoked in this, the Anthropocene Epoch, to assert and affirm the Rights of Nature and its underlying philosophy of Earth jurisprudence. The immense and detrimental impact of human activity on the planet’s climate and ecosystems, the biosphere, brings us, as one body and one voice, to this 21st century magnitude declaration.
We proclaim our resolve and intent to this purpose, which in turn demands of us the making of a mea culpa, an atonement, inexorably wrapped as we are in the historic long-standing injustices to Peoples and Lands across the face of the Earth.
We acknowledge all the work on behalf of Earth, humankind, the plants and animals that have preceded this, those who have dedicated their lives to regeneration, sustainability, protection and the rights of all beings. We acknowledge and assert that we stand as the living generation between what has been wrought and what may in our Time be secured, that we may by our humanity herald a new kinship with the Earth that sustains us, that there may arise in this Age a true triumph of the commons. In this, we stand with the prevalent faith communities of the world including the continuum indigenous traditions embedded in the web of Life for millenia.
Baha’i: “Nature is God's Will and is its expression in and through the contingent world.” (Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 142)
Buddhism: “Our ancestors viewed the earth as rich and bountiful, which it is. Many people in the past also saw nature as inexhaustibly sustainable, which we now know is the case only if we care for it.” (Dalai Lama, 1990a)
Christianity: “We must treat nature with the same awe and wonder that we reserve for human beings. And we do not need this insight in order to believe in God or to prove his existence. We need it to breathe; we need it for us simply to be.” (Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, 2010)
Confucianism: “… sustainable harmonious relationship between the human species and nature is not merely an abstract ideal, but a concrete guide for practical living.” (International Confucian Ecological Alliance, 2015)
Hinduism: “There is an inseparable bond between man and nature. For man, there cannot be an existence removed from nature.” (Amma, 2011)
Islam: “Devote thyself single-mindedly to the Faith, and thus follow the nature designed by Allah, the nature according to which He has fashioned mankind. There is no altering the creation of Allah.” (Qur’an 30:30)
Jainism: "Do not injure, abuse, oppress, enslave, insult, torment, torture, or kill any creature or living being." (Mahavira)
Judaism: “And God said: 'Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed—to you it shall be for food.” (Gen 1:29)
Shintoism: “I will give over to my child the rice-ears of the sacred garden, of which I partake in the Plain of High Heaven.” (Nihongi II.23)
Sikhism: “You, yourself created the Universe, and You are pleased… You, Yourself the bumblebee, flower, fruit and the tree.” (Guru Granth Sahib, Maru Sohee, page 1020)
Taoism: “This original nature is the eternal law. To know the nature’s law is to be enlightened. He who is ignorant of the nature’s law shall act recklessly, and thus will invite misfortune. To know the constant law of nature is to be generous. Being generous, one is impartial. Being impartial, one is the sovereign. Sovereign is the nature itself.” (Lao-Tzu,Tao Te Ching, Chapter 16)
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To: The Governments of The World, Greeting:
Know – That a fundamental transformation of our management of the planet must come if life on Earth as we know it, habitable for current diversity and for humans is to survive. Therefore, it is our wish to have the following resolutions and actions granted and confirmed for us and our heirs forever. ❧
Know – That the present decay of Nature and Climate cannot continue without serious repercussions for life on Earth. That profound changes must take place in our relationship with Nature, together with our dependence on non-renewable natural resources, such as fossil fuels and rare minerals, as well as the sustainable use of renewable resources in order to prevent catastrophes caused by unchecked Climate Change which is already resulting in a need for damage control and remediation, Biodiversity Loss, Land degradation and Pollution. Our overarching priorities must be those of rapidly phasing out use of non-renewables and devoting respect, care and management of our vital Natural Heritage, for future generations, forever. ❧
Know – That, globally, monitored population sizes of mammals, fish, birds, reptiles and amphibians have declined on average 68% between 1970 and 2016, according to the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF), Living Planet Report 2020. People face ever increasing threats to their homes and livelihoods. The future of their children and grandchildren looks bleak. Scientists say that the critical 1.5 °C global temperature rise highlighted in the 2015 Paris Agreement will be passed by 2050. Even if all existing pledges by world governments are met, the rise will still approach 2.0 °C by 2100. The impacts on the lives of millions, many living in the poorest countries, will be incalculable. Sea level rise will displace whole cities, while vast tracts of lands devoted to food production will become unviable. Hotter summer temperatures will make whole regions unsafe for us to live in. Oceanographic impacts mean that vital fish stocks face serious depletion and possible species extinction. ❧
Know - It is untrue that the responsibility for this situation rests equally on all humanity, for the industrialised rich nations have had by far the greatest impacts on climate and nature.
“The top 1% have lifestyles that give rise to twice the emissions of the bottom 50% of the global population.” (Kevin Anderson). “It is the sufferings of the many that have paid for the benefits of the few” (Greta Thunberg).”We must govern and manage the global commons – all biophysical systems that are critical in regulating the state of the planet – within planetary boundaries that provide a scientifically defined safe operating space on Earth” (Johan Rockstrom). Hence, Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR), recognises that Parties to UN conventions have different duties and abilities to address the negative environmental impacts of human interventions, but all countries have an obligation to address the changes. ❧
Know – That principles of equity and justice must be observed in determining our plans and programmes of care and restitution of climate and nature. ❧
Know – That unnecessary and environmentally destructive categories of production must be eradicated (degrowth) so that the world economy can be re-designed to prioritize the well-being of all Earth’s denizens over simply accumulating financial capital. There must be a planned reduction of excess resource and energy use in high-income nations, to bring the global economy back into balance with the living world in a just and equitable way for everyone. ❧
Know – That the United Nations, governments and politicians have failed in their duty of care of The Planet. Therefore, the people, through this Charter, must direct them. The Governed must lead the Governors. ❧
Know – That the word of science, as referenced below, supports this Charter:
IPCC: Synthesis Report of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) https://www.ipcc.ch>report>sixth-assessment.report-cycle IPCC_AR6_SYR_SPM.pdf (released March 2023).
World Scientists Warnings into Action, Local to Global. https://stableplanetalliance.org
“We scientists have a moral obligation to clearly warn humanity of any catastrophic threat…. The climate crisis has arrived and is accelerating faster than many scientists expected. It is more severe than anticipated, threatening natural ecosystems and the fate of humanity.” ❧
Know: That the above reports make it imperative that the UN and world governments must implement climate action inspired by the findings of science, tempered with regenerative principles and indigenous wisdom.
The future of Nature is our future. We are part of Nature and as such we may share its fate. The 6th Extinction of Life on Earth looms unless we act now. This is evidenced by the findings of science and acknowledged at UN level in the UN Environment Programme and by the Declaration, by Resolution 73/284 of the UN General Assembly, of the decade 2021-30 as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, (UN Decade). ❧
Know – That science tells us that all Life on Earth is an essentially self-regulating community of organisms, which interact with each other and their surroundings (but not as a superorganism, as outlined by Bruno Latour). This concept, originated by scientist, James Lovelock, embraces all living things and is called ‘Gaia.’ ❧
Know – That wild animal populations are now declining at the rate of 2 – 2.5% annually, caused by habitat loss, invasive species, pollution, climate change, overfishing and overhunting. Since 1970, this loss has risen to 69%. Humans and their livestock are now 96% of all mammals on Earth. Incredibly, now, approximately one million animal and plant species face extinction. ❧
This is the mess we have made, so what have we done? Our responses, in the form of the 1948 International Union for the Conservation of Nature, and the three separate conventions on climate change, biodiversity and desertification and also POPs, launched in 1992 by the United Nations, have, despite 196 nations signing up for action, resulted in the present lamentable state of the natural world.
Nature’s future is our future. Extinction is final. We prioritize Climate change over biodiversity loss, but, the two crises are inextricably linked. Forests, mangroves, coral reefs and the flora of the world, capture the carbon that otherwise drives global temperatures. Rapacious economic activity and environmental indifference are destroying the natural equilibriums upon which we depend for life itself.
Know: That the inherited assumption that humanity has absolute rights of exploitation and use of the resources of Nature, viewed and defined as property, without acknowledgement of the absolute duties of care and restitution, has resulted in the global disaster which faces us. That working with Gaia is our only route to a viable future. That recovery of our denuded Natural World is key to Climate Change and a sustainable future for all life on Earth. ❧
Know: That the UN must adopt a new Charter of The Rights of all Earth denizens, to stand alongside that existing for the Rights of Humanity, or make them into one, an Ecological Earth Charter , similar to the Universal Declaration for the Rights of Mother Earth. There must be a fundamental transformation in the perceived relationship between Humanity and Nature, from the latter being regarded as a resource to be exploited without consequence, to us being an interdependent component of Nature with a shared past and future. That the status and rights of Nature must be established in World Law for all time. That Nature is possessed of rights equal to those attributed to and established in World Charter by Humanity for itself. Humanity is a component of Nature and bound to it in common interest. ❧
Know – That this is our resolve and purpose. ❧
“Alchemy happens – when consciousness soars – guiding clay feet – to Earth Mother’s Laws.”
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THE PROVING OF
THE WORLD MAGNA CARTA
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The Proving of the