Chapter 20.20 Earth environmental governance
Article 1: Earth environmental governance
Earth Environmental Governance can only be achieved successfully within
the larger context of Sustainable Developent and Earth Management. All
aspects are inter-related and affect one another.
When there is a
need to find a solution to a problem or a concern, a sound solution
would be to choose a measure or conduct an action, if possible, which causes
reversible damage as oppose to a measure or an action causing an irreversible
loss.
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The environmental movement now has encompasses global aspects under the umbrella of the Earth Ministry of the Environment.
Earth Environmental Governance is the most importance and urgent
challenge of the Global Community.
Earth Environmental Governance can only be achieved successfully within
the larger context of Sustainable Developent and Earth Management. All
aspects are inter-related and affect one another.
A healthy environment is essential to long term prosperity and well-being,
and citizens in the Global Community demand a high level of ecological protection.
This is the 'raison d'etre' of the Scale of Human and Earth Rights.
In this way the Scale of Humand and Earth Rights gives us a 'sense of direction'
for future planning and managing of the Earth. Earth management is now
well defined and becomes a goal to achieve. We no longer waste energy and
resources in things that are absolutely unimportant.
The Global Community found evident that the ecological base
is the essential prerequisite for the effectiveness and exercise of all
rights recognized for human beings. The stewardship of the ecological base
has to be given priority before the fulfilment of various economic and
social wishes. Demands resulting from the socio-economic system of a particular
country have to find their limits in the protection of the global ecosystem.
Vital interests of future generations have to be considered as having priority
before less vital interests of the present generation. Supply chains have
to be designed in a way, that the goods can enter after usage or consumption
into natural or industrial recycling processes.
If serious damages to persons,
animals, plants and the ecosystem cannot be excluded, an action or pattern
of behaviour should be refrained from. A measure for supplying goods or
services should choose a path which entails the least possible impact on
the ecological and social system concerned. This way functioning proven
systems will not be disturbed, and unnecessary risks will not be
taken.
Supply strategies consuming less resources should have preference before those enhancing
more resource consumption. The Global Community has also extended
the idea of sustainability to be a moral and ethical state, as well as
an economic and environmental state, wherein sustainable consumption patterns
respect the universal values of peace, security, justice and equity within
the human relationships that exist in the Global Community.
When there is a
need to find a solution to a problem or a concern, a sound solution
would be to choose a measure or conduct an action, if possible, which causes
reversible damage as oppose to a measure or an action causing an irreversible
loss.
Chapter 20.21 Alternative energy
Article 1: World energy demand can be largely fulfilled by renewable energy technologies
World energy demand can be largely fulfilled by renewable energy technologies. There is however a strong opposition to change arising
from the fossil fuel industry and from governments of most oil-producing nations and major fossil fuel users such as the United States and Britain.
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World energy demand
World energy demand can be largely fulfilled by renewable energy technologies. There is however a strong opposition to change arising
from the fossil fuel industry and from governments of most oil-producing nations and major fossil fuel users such as the United States and Britain.
There are significant advantages of shifting away from fossil fuels and nuclear energy and toward greater reliance on renewables. Decreasing the impacts of global warming
is certainly the most significant advantage. Global carbon emissions must be reduced at least 70% over the next hundred years to stabilize
atmospheric CO2 concentrations at 450 parts per million (ppm). The sooner societies begin to make the transition from fossil fuels to renewables, the lower will be
the impacts and the associated costs of both climate change and emissions reductions.
Other costs of conventional energy production and use are:
1. degradation of the environment through resource extraction
2. air, soil, and water pollution
3. acid rain
4. biodiversity loss
5. fuelling of the war industry, and therefore a threat to peace and Earth security and, in consequences, a threat to the global life-support systems
6. global economic losses due to natural disasters are in line with events anticipated as a result of global warming
7. nuclear power is one of the most expensive means of generating electricity and is responsible for nuclear accidents, weapons proliferation, and nuclear waste problems
8. political, economic and military conflicts over limited resources such as oil become more important as demand increases
9. reliance on fossil fuels create less jobs; renewables create four times more jobs
10. fossil fuels do not bring electricity in many poor countries but renewables can; no electricity means no access to education,
clean water, improved health care, communications, and entertainment
The United States represents 25 percent of current global emissions, and 36.4 percent of industrial-country 1990 emissions. Withdrawal
from negotiations on the Kyoto Protocol dealt a blow to the Global Community efforts to battle climate change.
The Global Community is interested to enact renewable energy policies that:
a) are consistent and long-term to allow industries and markets to adjust
b) provide access to the electric grid
c) educate and inform the public
d) encourage individual and cooperative ownership of projects
e) establish standards
f) incorporate all costs in the price of energy sources
Chapter 20.22 Global response to events: emergencies, rescues and aid
Article 1: Global response to events: emergencies, rescues and aid
Help Tsunamis victims.
Massive Quake and Tsunamis strike Indian Ocean.
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A) Food production for the Global Community
B) Sound solutions to help manage and sustain Earth
C) A global sustainable development
D) Portal of sustainable development
E) A democratically planned global economy - Societal Sustainability
F) Long term well-being as a solution to world sustainable development
G) Societal sustainability is really about symbiotical relationships
H) Same-sex marriages
We need to form a global ministry dealing only about agriculture and the protection of our soils. All
nations will be part of the ministry. We have to design systems of food production that meet our own needs, and also leave room for these other
lifeforms we want to take along with us. Western agriculture is designed in the end to maximize profit. As a primordial human right, the prime concern of the
human species is to feed people. Therefore we have to do things differently. We will have to produce less livestock as we effectively double
the population we need to feed: ourselves, plus the livestock that is supposed to be feeding us. We also have to apportion the
land surface of the whole world more efficiently, using some for highhly intensive food production (which makes use of less land), some for extensive agriculture
(combining food production with wildlife conservation) and designing some specifically as wilderness areas with global corridors between them.
The Global Community has given
back responsibility to every global community citizen on Earth. Everyone shares responsibility for the present and future well-being
of life within Earth Community. We will work together in working out sound solutions to local and global problems. It would be wrong and dishonest to
blame it all on the leader of a country. Most problems in the world must find solutions at the local and global community levels (and not assume that the
leader alone is responsible and will handle it). There is a wisdom in the ways of very humble people
that needs to be utilized. Every humble person deserves to have ideas respected, and encouraged to develop his or her own life for the better.
Sound solutions to help manage and sustain Earth will very likely be found this way. Everyone can help assess the needs of the planet and
propose sound solutions for its proper management, present and future. Everyone can think of better ideas to sustain all life on Earth and
realize these ideas by conducting positive and constructive actions. When there is a need to find a solution to a problem or a concern, a sound
solution would be to choose a measure or conduct an action, if possible, which causes reversible damage as opposed to a measure or an
action causing an irreversible loss; that is the grassroots process. The Global Community Organization can help people realized their actions by
coordinating efforts efficiently together.
The Global Community believes all citizens have the
right to share the wealth in the world. Foreign investment and the trade agreement must protect and improve social and environmental
rights, not just the economy. A global sustainable development would mean finding a sound balance among the interactions designed to create a healthy
economic growth, preserve environmental quality, make a wise use of our resources, and enhance social benefits. Free trade cannot
proceed at the expense of the environment, labour rights, human rights and the sovereignty of a nation. Free trade will lead to an
increase in poverty by giving investor rights priority over government decision-making. Employers will be looking for more
concessions from workers. Small businesses will find it more difficult to grow and compete against large corporations.
For the first time in human history, and the first time this millennium,
humanity has proposed a benchmark:
* formation of global ministries in all important aspects of our lives
* the Scale of Human and Earth Rights as a replacement to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
* an evolved Democracy based on the Scale of Human and Earth Rights and the Charter of the Global Community
* a central organization for Earth management, the restoration of the planet and Earth governance: the Global Community Assessment Centre (GCAC)
* the Earth Court of Justice to deal with all aspects of the Governance and Mangement of the Earth
* a new impetus given to the way of doing business and trade
* more new, diversified (geographical, economical, political, social, business, religious) symbiotical relationships between nations, communities, businesses, for the good and well-being of all
* the event and formation of the human family and the Soul of Humanity
* proposal to reform the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the World Bank, the IMF, NAFTA, FTAA, and to centralize them under the Global Community, and these organizations will
be asked to pay a global tax to be administered by the Global Community
* the Peace Movement of the Global Community and shelving of the war industry from humanity
* a global regulatory framework for capitals and corporations that emphasizes global corporate ethics, corporate social responsibility,
protection of human and Earth rights, the environment, community and family aspects, safe working conditions, fair wages and sustainable
consumption aspects
* the ruling by the Earth Court of Justice of the abolishment of the debt of the poor or developing nations as it is really a form of global tax to be paid
annually by the rich or industrialized nations to the developing nations
* establishing freshwater and clean air as primordial human rights
It is now mecessary to create the PROFESSIONAL WORLD CENTER FOR STRATEGY OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. The Centre would a portal for LIFE IN STATE OF CHANGE
and would aim at the sustainable development of all people, develop a comprehensive vision for the future of humanity,
help poverty eradication, change consumption and production patterns.
The Global Community needs to build up a widely and freely accessible world information
network. This network could serve to provide monitoring, forecasting and early warning and thus help to implement the principles of
sustainable development(SD). This initiative aims to take up, on a global scale, the building of the information basis for
SD-policy and SD-economy. A priority should be given to the process of creation of a commonly accessible, world-wide system of:
- comprehensive monitoring;
- far-sighted forecasting and
- measurable evaluation
Such a SD-information system should be globally-integrated and territorially distributed. In order to bring about the creation of such an information system, it is essential to carry out a large-scale operation, requiring appropriate developments in science, technology and society at large.
Due to the lack of such an information foundation for the global and local governance, a covert or overt struggle for access to scarce and shrinking natural resources will inevitably grow and accelerate the crisis.
This crisis, if unchecked, will lead to a global catastrophe. The deficit of these resources should, and, we believe can, be eliminated through international cooperation, which should replace the existing competition. That, however, requires not only political will, but also the deepening of a comprehensive and easily accessible knowledge about the consequences of human actions and inactions.
The Global Community promotes a democratically planned global economy - Societal Sustainability - a
democratically planned global economy with built-in mechanisms for optimum input and oversight
guaranteed to all nations.
Human cooperation marshalling with meaning and purpose previously untapped energy and resources on a worldwide scale provides the driving
force for achieving and sustaining a planned global economy democratically embarked upon by all member-states of the United Nations.
It would offer the world community a
rational, effective response to impending trade wars and other instances of human despair arising from the contradiction
between free trade practices and national job protectionism. Launching a democratically planned global economy at the earliest practicable time will
bypass the thirty-year time frame projected for equalizing labor costs between underdeveloped national economies and those of
the more developed national economies - while reversing the deterioration of social and environmental conditions traceable
to an economic system increasingly antithetical to global unity and human aspirations.
Solutions to world problems can be found by setting our sights on
long term well-being. That is, by aiming to involve
everyone who needs sustenance in a system that:
* manages necessary materials in continuous cycles,
* uses renewable energy and
* eliminates harmful waste.
It is a question of direction.
Today, serious attention is being given to the concept or ideal of community participation in resource management. Nevertheless, there is still much confusion or doubt as to what really constitutes meaningful participation and who specifically should participate.
To ensure that genuine participation at the local community level, there is a need to recognize and build upon local knowledge and
existing local resource management practices. There is also the need to recognize that participation is a continuous process of
negotiation and decision-making with room for more input as the process unfolds. Effective participation must involve some genuine
power on the part of the participants to influence the outcome of the processes they are involved in. Also, the local community must
be able to define their own ends and establish a firm sense of community ownership of the project itself.
Societal sustainability is really about symbiotical relationships.
The emphasis of a global symbiotical relationship is not so much on how much money a nation should have or how high a GDP should be
although money can be made a part of the relationship. We all know developed countries live off developing countries so the emphasis has no
need to stress out the profit a rich nation is making off a poor nation. The emphasis of the relationship should give more importance to the
other aspects such as quality of life, protection of the environment and of the global life-support systems, the entrenchment of the Scale of
Human and Earth Rights and the Charter of the Global Community into our ways of life, justice, peace, cultural and spiritual freedom, security,
and many other important aspects as described in the global ministries (health, agriculture, energy, trade, resources, etc.).
A typical global symbiotical relationship between people, institutions, cities, provinces and nations of the world may be what a group
of people, together, wants it to be. It can be a group of people with the same values. It can be
a group of people with the same cultural background, or the same religious background. Or it can be people with different values, cultural
background or religious values and beliefs. The people making a global community may be living in many different locations on the planet. With
today's communications it is easy to group people in this fashion. It can be a village, or two villages together where people have decided to
unite as one global community. The two villages may be found in different parts of the world. It can be a town, a city, or a nation. It can be two or
more nations together. A global community could be a group of Africans, maybe NGOs, or maybe businesses, in one(or several) of the nations
of Africa, who decided to unite with another group(s), or businesses, situated in Canada, or elsewhere in the world. Together they can grow as
a global community and be strong and healthy.
A global symbiotical relationship between two or more nations, or between two or more global communities, can have trade as the major
aspect of the relationship or it can have as many other aspects as agreed by the people involved. The fundamental criteria is that a
relationship is created for the good of all groups participating in the relationship and for the good of humanity, all life on Earth.
The relationship allows a global equitable and peaceful development.
Any symbiotical relationship is for the good of all, for the good of the 'other'. It is based on a genuine group concern and unconditional support
for the individual's well-being ~ a giant leap in human behaviour. The question is how can we improve the political symbiotical relationship to
fulfill its goals? The Charter of the Global Community promotes the values to achieve its goals. These goals require the promoting and
establishment of: global community ethics, mutual respect, respect for life, basic liberties, justice and equity, caring for the 'other', integrity,
responsibility and accountability.
Other symbiotical relationships may be based on common concerns and issues such as: the environment, peace, justice, women's rights,
human and Earth rights, and many more. There is a whole spectrum of possible symbiotical relationships.
Symbiotical relationships are needed today for the long term future of humanity and for the protection of life on Earth.
On the other hand, a global symbiotical relationship between two or more nations can have trade as the major aspect of the relationship or it
can have as many other aspects as agreed by the nations involved.
Intrinsic human cooperation at the core of creative cultural evolution promises to give rise to a new
epoch for humanity defined by societal sustainability and lasting world peace. The biological
basis for human cooperation and symbiotical relationships both validate and underlie evolutionary panaltruism in and beyond
the twenty-first century. Twenty-first century education centered on human empathy and
compassion and a terror-free global community by the year 2010 garners important
impetus from The Golden Rule principle.
The Golden Rule principle, also called the Ethic of Reciprocity by theologians, says: "Dont do to others what you wouldn't want done
to you." Or treat others the way you would want to be treated. The Golden Rule has a moral aspect found in each religion or faith.
It could be used as a global ethic. Paul McKenna, a writer in interfaith dialogue, has found analogues for the golden rule in 13
faiths. These 13 analogue statements are passages found in the scriptures or writings that promote this ethos. Every faith is
unanimous of saying that every individual should be treated with the same respect and dignity we all seek for ourselves. As a
first step in bringing together religious leaders all around the world, the Global Community is presenting here 13 statements that
unify us all in one Golden Rule.
A new symbiotical relationship between religion and the protection of the global life-support systems has begun to take place all over the world.
Religious rituals now support the conservation efforts and play a central role in governing sustainable use of the natural environment.
Major faiths are issuing declarations, advocating for new national policies, and creating educational activities in support of a sustainable global
community. The Global Community is establishing a symbiotical relationship between spirituality and science, between our heart and mind,
and God, between religion and the environment.
The human family is finding its role in the universe, a higher purpose and a meaning. We now can celebrate life.
A sustainable world can be built with the help of a very powerful entity: the human spirit. Community participation generates the energy needed
to sustain the planet and all life. Religious and environmental communities have formed a powerful alliance for sustainability.
Our next objective will be to find statements from all religions that promote the respect, stewardship, protection, ethical and moral responsibility to life and of the environment, the Earth global
life-support systems, and statements that promote a responsible Earth management. We are also asking for specific statements on environmental conservation such as those expressed by the Islamic religion.
Societal sustainability in addressing international terrorism and the creation
of a democratically planned global economy marshals previously untapped human
cooperation, energy, and resources. Investigating, understanding, and eradicating the root
causes of international terrorism entails objective analyses of all social dichotomies ranging in
realm from religious dogmas, to political ideologies, to economic systems.
Native Spirituality
We are as much alive as we keep the Earth alive.
Chief Dan George
Sikhism
I am a stranger to no one; and no one is a stranger to me. Indeed, I am a friend to all.
Guru Granth Sahib, pg. 1299
Christianity
In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.
Jesus, Matthews 7:12
BaHa'I Faith
Lay not on any soul a load that you would not wish to be laid upon you, and desire not for anyone the things you would not desire for yourself.
Baha'ullah, Gleanings
Judaism
What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour. This is the whole Torah; all the rest is commentary.
Hillel, Talmud, Shabbat 31a
Buddhism
Treat not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.
Udana-Varga 5.18
Islam
Not one of you truly believes until you wish for others what you wish for yourself.
The Prophet Muhammad, Hadith
Taoism
Regard your neighbour's gain as your own gain, and your neighbour's loss as your own loss.
T'ai Shang Kan Ying P'ien, 213-218
Hinduism
This is the sum of duty: do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you.
Mahabharata 5:1517
Confucianism
One word which sums up the basis of all good conduct...loving kindness. Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself.
Confucius, Analeets, 15.23
Jainism
One should treat all creatures in the world as one would like to be treated.
Mahavira,Sutrakritanga
Unitarianism
We affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
Unitarian principle
Zoroastrianism
Do not do unto others whatever is injurious to yourself.
Shayast-na-Shayast, 13.29
The only way proponents for same-sex marriages will win their rights is if they protest, mobilize, organize and
build such a powerful, militant movement from below that politicians cannot ignore them!
Finally, it is important to say: We can NOT win alone. But if we unite our struggle with union members fighting to preserve their jobs,
with women fighting to defend abortion rights, with people of color defending affirmative action, then we can! We need to get together
in a mighty front for civil, labor and human rights on an international scale. The problems of this
world know no borders and neither can we.
Working people, women, people of color, immigrants, gays, lesbians, transgenders and transsexuals--altogether we are not a minority or
a "special interest" group! We are the mighty, powerful majority!
Chapter 20.23 Forest industry and paper manufacturing
Article 1:
Chapter 20.24 Establisment of global symbiotical relationships
Article 1:
See also Chapter 7, Chapter 23.3.2, and Article 7 of Chapter 10.1.
Chapter 20.25 Global Exhibition
Article 1: The establishment of the concept of the Global Exhibition
For the first time ever in the world the concept of the Global Exhibition has been established by the Global Community Earth Government. It has been
a part of Global Dialogue 2005.
There will be a Global Exhibition at the time of each Global Dialogue. It will also be occurring everywhere
in the world along with the Global Dialogue. The Global Exhibition is a replacement to the usual Trade Show we have been promoting during each
previous Global Dialogue. The Program to the Global Exhibition will be a part of the Final program of each Global Dialogue.
Article 2: The goal of the Global Exhibition
The Global Exhibition must allow multiplicity, diversity and contradiction to exist inside the structure of an exhibition ... a world where the
conflicts of globalization are met by the romantic dreams of a new modernity, a new federation of nations.
Article 3: The contents of the Global Exhibition
The Global Exhibition covers many aspects. It can be about creating high profile, highly targeted business and consumer exhibitions,
where buyers and suppliers from around the world can come together to do business. In an increasingly digital age, nothing can replace the power of human
contact for establishing and maintaining business relations. And with more market leading exhibitions than any other organiser, no organiser delivers more business
contacts. We specialize in exhibitions, trade shows, conferences and event planning.
We divide the Global Exhibition into "platforms"--conferences and lecture series engaging figures from a wide range of disciplines--that take place at different
communities around the world over the course of the year leading up to the installation in a large Global Exhibition in one country.
Getting to know one another and ourselves as one humanity.
Unity in diversity
The Global Exhibition must allow multiplicity, diversity and contradiction to exist inside the structure of an exhibition ... a world where the
conflicts of globalization are met by the romantic dreams of a new modernity, a federation of nations.
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Article 4: Social, educational, artistic, political, religious and economic aspects of the Global Exhibition
would certainly plan to promote many aspects such as:
1. Earth Government and its Global Constitution
2. Earth flag
3. Celebration of Life Day
4. the Global Community
5. the Global Dialogue
6. the Portal of the Global Community
7. the Global Community Citizenship (every participant would become a global citizen)
8. the Certified Corporate Global Community Citizenship (CCGCC)
9. the ECO Award and have an Award Ceremonies
10. actions for the good of all as per the Statement of Rights, Responsibilities, and Accountabilities of the Global Community citizens
11. a global co-operation between nations
12. Humanity's new vision of the world
13. global societal sustainability
14. global governance and Earth management
15. the Global Community overall picture (6 world regions approach and hundreds of issues)
16. the global life-support systems
17. the Global Community Assessment Centre (GCAC)
18. all educational, cultural, political, social and religious aspects
Article 5: The issues of the Global Exhibition
Nothing in contemporary art speaks so directly to all of these issues as the large scale exhibition as well as any number of other biennials that cropped up around
the world during the past decade. The Global Exhibition, endowed with a transnational circuitry, assumed the unique position of reflecting
the idea of a world government. Establishing a new curatorial class able to bring artists together from wide-ranging geographic and cultural points, the large-scale
exhibition alterd the kinds of visibility afforded artists and so fundamentally changed the conditions of artistic discussion, ultimately forwarding the position that no
show could, or should, presume an all-encompassing thesis--at least not in conventional terms and form. Rather, the exhibition extends through time and across
geography to include panels, lectures, publications, performances, and public works that fall welt beyond the parameters of the traditional show, and lies well
beyond the grasp of any single viewer. In turn, these exhibitions have come to marshal the forces of any number of disciplines, including art history and theory,
which leads one to the question of whether the critical function is in some sense migrating from critic to curator, or indeed whether such nominal distinctions are
useful at all. At this level, I think that many people correspond to the economic, social, and cultural figure of the 'artist' as it has been constituted in the modern
age."
Earth Government aims at replacing the United Nations. That is truly a Revolution. If true revolution changes the rules on how to change the rules, then we must
arrive at terms that transform the very concept of the exhibition. Although a few criteria for inclusion based on identity and geopolitics have developed, the art
world is still heavily commodified, and an artist without a sales (and therefore publicity) base in the developed word--or a curatorial support network in the
world's "periphery"--is not going to be included. Further, the new terms of engagement may be geopolitical, but work from the "First World" must have a powerful
aesthetic surplus or an antically unrecognizable political dimension in order to gain access. So many artists are doing serious work with directly political themes but
do not see themselves included in these shows--and would not expect themselves to be-since the public visiting such exhibitions is not their audience of interest.
Granted, the flattened terrain of modern communications is bringing the interlocking worlds of art production and display into closer proximity, so it would not be
correct to claim that work with direct political address will always be left out. But is it still necessary to point out that while "geopolitical" can have the cover of a
prefix to cover its political nature, the politics in question bad better be far, far away?
Article 6: The art world and the Global Exhibition
The art world--a congeries of professional services along the lines of dentists, doctors, and professors on the one hand and high-end showrooms like ear
dealerships on the other--consistently offers the modernizing elite a compass for understanding cultural and social "facts" as they impinge on their consciousness.
The global exhibitions serve as grand collectors and translators of subjectivities under the latest phase of globalization. But as we move between disparate
colonialist eras, what is plain about the present moment is that there is no dearth of images of the colonized Other in public view, despite only a little more
insight--and that quite momentary--into the interior lives of others than in the previous colonial moment. The elite in question, especially in the North and in
developed industrial and postindustrial nations (which includes, perhaps, the antipodean South), may have a taste for edification via these new Crystal Palace
expositions. And why not?
Chapter 20.26 Manufacturing sector
Article 1:
Chapter 20.27 Energy industry
Article 1:
Chapter 20.28 War industry
Article 1:
Chapter 20.29 Communications
Article 1:
Chapter 20.30 Transportation sector
Article 1:
Chapter 20.31 Media industry and education
Article 1: GLOBALIZATION, MEDIA AND MERGERS: the Impact on Youth and Education
Over the past 50 years, thousands of conducted studies - public inquiries among them - have demonstrated how mass media are instrumental in the socialization of youth. These studies have focussed on numerous themes, among them sexual exploitation and graphic depictions of violent imagery. More recently, the focus has shifted to the commercial exploitation of children due to sedentary lifestyles and diets heavy in junk foods leading to health problems such as obesity, heart disease and juvenile diabetes. Marketing is now an intense and pervasive presence in children's lives with connections between movies and products that surface both in the home and in the school. Indeed, it is often argued that television and other converging forms of communications technologies are the most powerful educators the world has ever known.
Many of these studies demonstrate that media coalesce into a seamless, pervasive and increasingly centralized, homogenized and globalized cultural environment that is drifting out of democratic reach. Among these trends, is the growing reliance on violence in popular culture as a cheap commercial ingredient that sells well in a global economy and translates easily into any language. Children, adolescents and young adults are the target audience for most of these cultural commodities. Youth video game players are now encouraged to get in touch with their "gun-toting, cold-blooded murdering side".
Evidence accumulates that our collective, immune system to violence is breaking down, yet strategies for change remain hamstrung by quaint and dated interpretations of freedom of expression. While it is important that the basic integrity of the free press be protected, short sighted extension of the principle to protect the profit driven agendas of media conglomerates who now have a firm grip on the value systems of the next generation must be challenged. Such a mind set is incompatible with long term cultural and natural environmental sustainability.
Strategies are required at all levels of government and in all sectors of society if a new age of global co-operation with a vision for caring for all forms of life on earth is to be achieved. Educational initiatives such as media literacy courses in schools continue to be needed but these must go beyond mere definition of problems. They should focus on new challenges posed in an era of rapid communications technologies and converging content. They must also be made available to adults as well as children in order that those in the best position to provide leadership for meaningful change in society can better understand the links between our new information based global economy and the commercial exploitation of youth. Only when we begin to recognize the futility of short term band-aid measures and endless inquires that end up collecting dust in the offices of academics, will we begin to make progress toward sound, integrated public policy on health, education, community safety, national security, environmental sustainability and a new age civilization.
Chapter 20.32 Conservation strategies for natural ecosystems
Article 1: Economic valuation as a framework incentive to enforce profit-based conservation strategies for natural ecosystems.
Traditional biological conservation management practice based on protected areas (PAs) has proved unable to achieve the required
conservation levels for PAs with residents, located near population centres and with good access, especially within a low or middle income
country context. One of the reasons for this relative failure is that biodiversity in general and PAs in particular do not usually exist in isolation and
independent of human activities. For local communities, the act of conservation becomes a misfortune rather than an opportunity for
sustainable development leading to increasing evasion of conservation regulations while governments delay in coming up with answers to the
growing conservation problems resulting from such individual actions. This is the reason we believe conservation practice has to change
deeply. It must not rely only on the Safe Minimum Standard Principle (SMS) and command-and-control instruments but must instead engage local residents and other
users thus creating a broad consensus over the existence and objectives of conservation initiatives. One way of achieving this is to make
people adopt profit-based conservation practices. This is by no means easy for policy-makers being replete with social, scientific and practical
difficulties and ambiguities.
There are advantages and disadvantages of using an ecosystem economic valuation as an incentive measure for enforcing
local community co-operation in conservation decisions and management. The utilitarian approach allows value to arise in a number of ways
depending on individual use of ecosystems. Hence, economists have generally settled for taxonomy of total ecosystem value interpreted as
Total Economic Value (TEV) that distinguishes between Direct Use Values and Passive (Non-use) Values. TEV is a relative value and an
answer mostly expressed in monetary terms to a carefully defined question in which two alternatives are compared. This answer depends on
elements of choice defining the prevailing context. As ecosystems are not purchased on markets, one has to elicit individual preferences
directly by the use of questionnaires such as Contingent Valuation (CV) to assess the individual WTP and WTA relevant monetary
measures. Complex criteria and rules of evidence¡± such as those suggested by the NOAA Panel must be applied to guarantee the
reliability and validity of the CV data. To calculate TEV based on individual CV data and the asset analogy, time and uncertainty have to be
considered when discounting service flows. One concludes that TEV may be a useful tool as an incentive, a support for decision-making, and
as a tool for education and information. The fact of being a very abstract instrument, and very demanding from the theoretical and technical
points of view, becomes an advantage. To date, it is still the only existing, carefully defined and applied and somehow reliable way of society
knowing how much an ecosystem is worth within a market-based scenario.