|
HOME Back to Newsletters |
|
|
Earth Government Newsletter Newsletter Volume 1 Issue 5, August 2003
|
Over the past several decades humanity has better itself through the acceptance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by most nations.
But now is time
to leave it behind and reach to our next step, that is a scale of social
values, the Scale
of Human and Earth Rights and the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities.
As a first step Earth Government researched and developed the Universal Declaration of Human and Earth Rights to complement for the deficiencies of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But it was found to be a useless exercise of adding new statements to the Declaration. Instead, and truly this is the new way of the future, Earth Government researched and developed the statement of rights and responsibilities of a person and of belonging to 'a global community' and to 'The Global Community', the Earth Community, the human family, Earth Government. This was not, at first, meant to replace the Universal Declaration of Human and Earth Rights developed by Earth Government. But the Declaration becomes redundant. Only the statement was necessary. Even the Universal Declaration of Human Rights becomes redundant as it is implicitly included in the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities of a person and of belonging to 'a global community' and to 'The Global Community'. There are a lot more rights and responsibilites found in the Statement than in the Declaration. Earth Government wants to help businesses to be active corporate members of The Global Community, the human family, the Earth Community, Earth Government. You may be eligible to become a citizen of The Global Community. A typical global community 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. 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. Global warming is the highest threat to Earth security and is everyone's business. Terrorism was, and still is, a problem humanity needed to tackle head-on and resolve the best we could, but global warming is by far the greatest threat to security of all people on Earth and to life itself. We have never tackle the problem head-on. We played around the problem and its solution. We know the solution to the problem of global warming, we know what we need to do to make this generation and future generations safe and secure, but we just never do what we really have to do to resolve the problem. The biggest problem is that Canadians and Americans are getting too proud about things that are completely unimportant and missing out on the things that are truly important, and we have been left behind by most other nations on those things that are truly important for the generations to come and to life itself. I advise you to get acquainted with the Scale of Human and Earth Rights and with the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities in this Newsletter. Earth Government is asking North Americans and everyone else on Earth to tackle the problem head-on. We must solve the problem we have with global warming. Oil companies are responsible and accountable of their products from beginning to end. The 'end' for an oil company does not end at the gas pump where a consumer buy your refine products. No! The end for you goes all the way to global warming, to pollution of the environment, to the destruction of the global life-support systems, to taking away lives of future generations, to the destruction of life on Earth. Very much so! Earth Government proposes to ask you to pay a global tax on your products. The tax would be high enough to discourage consumers from buying your products and force you to use viable alternatives. The Governments of the United States and Canada should put a high tax on all oil based products and their derivatives and certainly gasoline should have the highest tax possible. The tax would be a carbon tax for the environment and the global life-support systems. A workable type of Tobin tax should also be in place as it is a powerful instrument to promote sustainable development and force shareholders in moving away from producing oil. Earth Government also proposes to develope a method of raising global taxes, of redistributing incomes to the poorest communities, of providing debt-free technical assistance to non-industrial and developing countries to help them out of poverty and to meet environmental and social standards. The WTO, the World Bank, the IMF, the EU and the UN are worldwide organizations that can and should be used to raise global taxes to redistribute to the poorest and developing nations. Everyone ask how we could rid the world of weapons of mass destruction. Here is a new 'old' way to do it: trading permits. It can be done with greenhouses gases to solve the problem with global warming. What about using a similar technique to get rid of all weapons of mass destruction: nuclear, biological and chemical, and others. How many nations would be interested? The question to ask is would it work? First of all does it work for the greenhouse gases? In connection between human well-being and a sound environment, Earth rights are ecological rights and the rights that human beings have in protecting their global life-support systems. Earth rights are those rights that demonstrate the connection between human well-being and a sound environment. They include individuals and global communities human rights and the rights to a clean environment, and participation in development decisions. We define ecological rights as those rights of the ecosystem of the Earth beyond human purpose. They are those rights that protect and preserve the ecological heritage of the Earth for future generations. The Earth Court of Justice guarantees ecological rights in its Statute. The Court guarantees also the rights to a safe environment and an environment free from environmental degradation.
Dear people of all nations on Earth:
Over the past several decades humanity has better itself through the acceptance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by most nations. But now is time to leave it behind and reach to our next step, that is a scale of social values, the Scale of Human and Earth Rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights causes confusion in the world between nations. The reason why it causes confusion is that it needs to be improved. A lot! The West cannot understand many of the things that other nations do and other nations do not understand the West Way of Life. Why? Because the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is not so universal after all. And because it does not have a scale of values. As a first step Earth Government researched and developed the Universal Declaration of Human and Earth Rights to complement for the deficiencies of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But it was found to be a useless exercise of adding new statements to the Declaration. Instead, and truly this is the new way of the future, Earth Government researched and developed the statement of rights and responsibilities of a person and of belonging to 'a global community' and to 'The Global Community', the Earth Community, the human family, Earth Government. This was not, at first, meant to replace the Universal Declaration of Human and Earth Rights developed by Earth Government. But the Declaration becomes redundant. Only the statement was necessary. Even the Universal Declaration of Human Rights becomes redundant as it is implicitly included in the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities of a person and of belonging to 'a global community' and to 'The Global Community'. There are a lot more rights and responsibilites found in the Statement than in the Declaration. You are all invited to participate in Global Dialogue 2004. The Statement and the rights and responsibilities are on the discussion table. Say what you want. We are now at the stage of a brain-storming exercise. So get it out what ever it is! Germain
Dear people of all nations on Earth:
Over the past several decades humanity has better itself through the acceptance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by most nations. But now is time to leave it behind and reach to our next step, that is a scale of social values, the Scale of Human and Earth Rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights causes confusion in the world between nations. The reason why it causes confusion is that it needs to be improved. A lot! The West cannot understand many of the things that other nations do and other nations do not understand the West Way of Life. Why? Because the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is not so universal after all. And because it does not have a scale of values. As a first step Earth Government researched and developed the Universal Declaration of Human and Earth Rights to complement for the deficiencies of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But it was found to be a useless exercise of adding new statements to the Declaration. Instead, and truly this is the new of the future, Earth Government researched and developed the statement of rights and responsibilities of a person and of belonging to 'a global community' and to 'The Global Community', the Earth Community, the human family, Earth Government. This was not, at first, meant to replace the Universal Declaration of Human and Earth Rights developed by Earth Government. But the Declaration becomes redundant. Only the statement was necessary. Even the Universal Declaration of Human Rights becomes redundant as it is implicitly included in the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities of a person and of belonging to 'a global community' and to 'The Global Community'. There are a lot more rights and responsibilites found in the Statement than in the Declaration. You are all invited to participate in Global Dialogue 2004. The Statement and the rights and responsibilities are on the discussion table. Say what you want. We are now at the stage of a brain-storming exercise. So get it out what ever it is! Germain
As a business you may:
a) be a corporate KnightBut now we want to help you be an active corporate member of The Global Community, the human family, the Earth Community, Earth Government. Apply to us to be a corporate citizen of The Global Community.
Dear Board of Directors and shareholders of all oil companies of the world:
This letter should also be read by governments (national, federal, provincial and municipal) as they get tax dollars, royaties, and other moneys and benefits one way or the other from oil companies. Greenhouse gases are accumulating in the Earth's atmosphere as a result of human activities, and temperatures are rising globally due to these activities. There are plenty of observable effects of the global warming. And certainly this ridiculous and false solution of buying environmental credits from each other should not be considered as a way out of resolving the problem. The ratification the Kyoto Protocol is only a beginning to protect the global life-support systems. There is much more to do! It is OK to be more energy efficient for the purpose of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It is OK to follow the best energy efficient machines such as the use of natural gas-fired co-generation power plants to provide steam and power requirements to oil sands development in Canada or elsewhere for other purposes. It is also OK to build new cars with engines that do not emit greenhouse gases. Earth Government has seen oil companies improving a lot on many important aspects of their business. And that is OK! A lot of new solutions to resolve the problem of global warming are welcome and certainly are OK. But none of them tackle the problem head-on! None of the solutions make a dent in resolving the problem. None are significant solutions! None of the solutions truly show any significant cut in greenhouse gas emissions. None of the solutions tell us that producers of the deadly gases are the problems and so are consumers. Producers of the deadly gases are fooling themselves first and then they fool the consumers of their products of mass destruction, the greenhouse gases. Global warming is the highest threat to Earth security and is everyone's business. Terrorism was, and still is, a problem humanity needed to tackle head-on and resolve the best we could, but global warming is by far the greatest threat to security of all people on Earth and to life itself. We have never tackle the problem head-on. We played around the problem and its solution. We know the solution to the problem of global warming, we know what we need to do to make this generation and future generations safe and secure, but we just never do what we really have to do to resolve the problem. Why? What will it take to make us act on the problem of global warming? What will it take to make the North American Way of Life safe and secure to humanity? What will it take to make Canadians and Americans understand that it does not matter how many guns we have, how many weapons of mass destruction we have hidden everywhere, or how good a 'Star War System' could be, and how many nations we invade, and how big is a GDP and how good is our economy. None of that matters! None! The biggest problem to security is smaller than anything we can see, smaller than the smallest particle we can breathe, and it is a trace element in the air we breathe. A deadly gas, the greenhouse gas! We all know the problem, and we also know the solution. We can stop creating greenhouse gases. So now what is the problem? The biggest problem is the North American continent Way of Life, consuming too much of the wrong things. The biggest problem is too much freedom of doing the wrong things. The biggest problem is our own weaknesses and helplessness in tackling the problem head-on and solve it. The biggest problem is that Canadians and Americans are getting too proud about things that are completely unimportant and missing out on the things that are truly important, and we have been left behind by most other nations on those things that are truly important for the generations to come and to life itself. I advise you to get acquainted with the Scale of Human and Earth Rights and with the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities in this Newsletter. Earth Government is asking North Americans and everyone else on Earth to tackle the problem head-on. We must solve the problem we have with global warming. Producers of the greenhouse gases tell us "we are energy efficient" but the truth of the matter is that they are producing the deadly gases of mass destruction, and those deadly gases are killing us all, and all life on Earth. It does not matter how smart you may be in fooling yourselves in accepting a slow death, a suicide in a way, you are still killing yourselves and the people of the next generations. That is a crime against humanity. An oil company is proudly telling us with all sorts of gifts, grants and awards to the community that every year they have 'given' to their customers trillions of litres of the deadly gases. And, their customers, very proudly and carefully burned all of those litres. That is the biggest problem. We are told that we should be proud of burning the deadly gases. Americans invaded the Middle East to take over OPEC and their oil and burn trillions of barrels of oil. That means trillions of litres of the deadly gases entering the atmosphere of the Earth. The best and cheapest oil in the world being taken over by the worst consumers of the world. Just how mad are we? How insane are we getting to be? How can anyone be proud of thenselves about such an invasion? What is it? We enjoy driving with freedom on the highway?! We enjoy driving and to forget completely that we are actually killing ourselves and taking away the lives of people of the next generations. We want to forget we are destroying all life on Earth. And please dont even mention the 'carbon emission trading permits' (a mechanism by which oil companies could buy and sell greenhouse gas emissions trading permits) as a possible solution. You are just extending the death of all lives by a few years, and you are not tackling the problem head-on. Over its long past history trade has never evolved to require from the trading partners to become legally and morally responsible and accountable for their products from beginning to end. At the end the product becomes a waste and it needs to be properly dispose of. Now trade must be given a new impetus to be in line with the global concepts of The Global Community. You manufacture, produce, mine, farm or create a product, you become legally and morally responsible and accountable of your product from beginning to end (to the point where it actually becomes a waste; you are also responsible for the proper disposable of the waste). This product may be anything and everything from oil & gas, weapons, war products, to genetically engineered food products. All consumer products. All medicinal products! All pharmaceutical products! In order words, a person becomes responsible and accountable for anything and everything in his or her life. As a business you may be using standards of operating and managing similar to the ISO 14001 environmental management plan (internationally recognized standards that provide guidelines to reduce environmental impacts). ISO 14001 provides a framework for continual improvement to mitigate potential environmental impacts from operations and businesses dealing with your company. The problem is not so much how good is your environmental management plan. The problem is the product you produce and put on the market to consumers. The problem is your product, a deadly product of mass destruction. It is worst than all known weapons of mass destruction as it kills by making consumers believe it is good for them. Like smoking cigarettes! Companies making cigarettes have for long told their consumers that a longer filter would not affect them so much and they would not get cancer and die of it. Whether or not you use the most energy-efficient machines and the best management team, and ISO 14001 for that matter, at the end it does not matter. You are still producing the deadly gases and consumers are still burning them. Consider the long filter for cigarettes as an illusionary solution to the problem and so are carbon emission trading permits. Oil companies are responsible and accountable of their products from beginning to end. The 'end' for an oil company does not end at the gas pump where a consumer buy your refine products. No! The end for you goes all the way to global warming, to pollution of the environment, to the destruction of the global life-support systems, to taking away lives of future generations, to the destruction of life on Earth. Very much so! Earth Government proposes to ask you to pay a global tax on your products. The tax would be high enough to discourage consumers from buying your products and force you to use viable alternatives. The Governments of the United States and Canada should put a high tax on all oil based products and their derivatives and certainly gasoline should have the highest tax possible. The tax would be a carbon tax for the environment and the global life-support systems. A workable type of Tobin tax should also be in place as it is a powerful instrument to promote sustainable development and force shareholders in moving away from producing oil. Earth Government also proposes to develope a method of raising global taxes, of redistributing incomes to the poorest communities, of providing debt-free technical assistance to non-industrial and developing countries to help them out of poverty and to meet environmental and social standards. The WTO, the World Bank, the IMF, the EU and the UN are worldwide organizations that can and should be used to raise global taxes to redistribute to the poorest and developing nations. Germain
You may be eligible to become a citizen of The Global Community.
A typical global community 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. 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. We can no longer perceive ourselves as a People who could survive alone and a People who does not need anyone else. We belong and depend to this much larger group, that of The Global Community. The 21st Century will see limitless links and symbiotical relationships with and within The Global Community. 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. 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 Earth Government 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.). To become a member of The Global Community you can be: * a global community Earth Government has begun to establish the existence of the New Age Civilization of the 3rd Millennium, the age of symbiotical relationships and global cooperation. An economically base symbiotical relationship exists between nations of the European Union. Other types (geographical, economical, social, business-like, political, religious, and personal) may be created all over the world between communities, nations, and between people themselves. There has always been symbiotical relationships in Nature, and between Souls and the matter of the universe to help creating Earth and life on Earth to better serve God. Earth Government is inviting you to participate in the formation of global symbiotical relationships between communities, nations, businesses, or a combination of them. This can be accomplished through the formation of global ministries. We are also proposing the formation of a political symbiotical relationship between state and the global civil society. A similar relationship already exists between the Earth Government and every member of the Earth Community, also known as the human family, the global civil society. 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 Earth Government 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, women's rights, human and Earth rights, and many more. There is a whole spectrum of possible symbiotical relationships. Global 2000 and Global Dialogue 2002 were the first world conferences on sustainable development and Earth management that brought forward sound solutions to humanity's problems. Symbiotical relationships are needed today and for the long term future of humanity. A global symbiotical relationship between nations is more than just a partnership, or an economical agreement such as the WTO. The WTO is about a trade partnership between nations. Of course it is a bad idea to be a member of the World Trade Organization ( WTO). There are no advantages! It just does not work for anyone except when you have an army to knock down any member who does not do your five wishes and plus. A membership in the WTO is not needed and nations should instead seek relationships with fewer other nations only if needed. Certainly it is better to seek an economic relationship with another nation we can trust than with a hundred nations we have no control on and everyone of those nations has a say in the governing of our nation, its environment and social structure. The WTO only offers illusions to profit the few wealthiest people on Earth. They say "become an industrialized nation as we are". But that is the biggest illusion of all. To become an industrialized nation is far from being the best solution. The best way and solution for any nation is to follow the Scale of Human and Earth Rights. Right on top of the scale are the ecological rights, the global life-support systems, and the primordial human rights of this generation and of the next generation. Economic and social rights come next and are not the most important. That makes a lot of sense! The effect of IMF and World Bank policies in the world caused the destruction of the economies of the poor nations (now we call them 'developing' countries). They impoverished the people by taking away basic services and devaluating their currency. They opened up the national economy to be ravaged by competition with richer nations. Poverty lead to other problems causing the ecological destruction of a poor nation. 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. 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 Earth Government into our ways of life, justice, peace, spiritual freedom, security, and many other important aspects as described in the global ministries (agriculture, energy, trade, resources, etc.). Global ministries are a very specific and useful type of symbiotical relationships on Earth. There are urgently needed. Earth Government has been promoting the formation of 51 global ministries for the proper governance of Earth. Global ministries are world wide organizations just like the WTO for trade and therefore should have the same power to rule on cases as that of the World trade Organization (WTO). A new symbiotical relationship between that of 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. Earth Government 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.
(This is a part of a brain-storming exercise to be pursued between now and Global Dialogue 2004 so everyone may continue sending ideas and research papers)
It is understood that whenever a person is given a right or a responsibility then 'a global community' and 'The Global Community' give the right or responsiblity to that person. Similarly, whenever a right or a responsibility is given to 'a global community' or to 'The Global Community' then the rights and responsiblities of a person are readjusted accordingly. Note: the following listing of rights and responsibilities of ' The Global Community ' will eventually be combined with those listed under Rights and responsibilities of ' a global community '. Rights and responsibilities of ' The Global Community ' * Proper governance of Earth is the most importance function of The Global Community. We define Earth governance as the traditions and institutions by which authority in a country is exercised for the common good. This includes: (i) the process by which those in authority are selected, monitored and replaced, * The quality of Earth governance is reflected in each local community worldwide. Earth Government will show leadership by creating a global civil ethic within the Earth Community. The Charter of Earth Government describes all values needed for good global governance: mutual respect, tolerance, respect for life, justice for all everywhere, integrity, and caring. The Scale of Human and Earth Rights has become an inner truth and the benchmark of the millennium in how everyone sees all values. The Scale encompasses the right of all people to: a) the preservation of ethnicity * The Charter of Earth Government is itself a statement for the fundamental rights of all citizens, ensuring the rights of minorities, one vote per million people from each state government. When member nations vote during any meeting they are given the right of one vote per million people in their individual country. That is the most fundamental community right, the right of the greatest number of people, 50% plus one, and that is the 'new democracy' of the New Age Civilization. * Governance of the Earth will make the rule of arbitrary power--economic (WTO, FTAA, EU), political, or military (NATO)-- subjected to the rule of law within global society, the human family. Justice is for everyone and is everywhere, a universal constant. * Earth Government has no intention of changing the status and privileges of state governments. In fact, state governments become primary members of the Earth Government. Global governance can only be effective within the framework of a world government or world federalism. There is no such thing as global governance through the work of a few international organizations such as the WTO, the EU, or the United Nations dictating to the rest of the world. These organizations are heading in the wrong direction and are causing conflicts between nations, doing away with democracy, increasing the gap between rich and poor, and creating a culture of violence worldwide, terrorism being a small example of what they can do. * Earth Government allows people to take control of their own lives. The Earth Community was built from a grassroots process with a vision for humanity that is challenging every person on Earth as well as nation governments. Earth Community has a vision of the people working together building a new civilization including a healthy and rewarding future for the next generations. Global cooperation brings people together for a common future for the good of all. * Earth governance does not imply a lost of state sovereignty and territorial integrity. A nation government exists within the framework of an effective Earth Government protecting common global values and humanity heritage. Earth governance gives a new meaning to the notions of territoriality, and non-intervention in a state way of life, and it is about protecting the cultural heritage of a state. Diversity of cultural and ethnic groups is an important aspect of Earth governance. * Earth governance is a balance between the rights of states with rights of people, and the interests of nations with the interests of the Earth Community, the human family, the global civil society. * Earth governance is about the rights of states to self-determination in the global context of the Earth Community rather than the traditional context of a world of separate states. * Although Earth Government ensures state governments that it will obey the principle of non-intervention in domestic affairs, it will also stand for the rights and interests of the people within individual states in which the security of people is extensively endangered. A global consensus to that effect will be agreed upon by all nation states. * Effective Earth governance requires a greater understanding of what it means to live in a more crowded, interdependent humanity with finite resources and more pollution threatening the global life-support systems. The Earth Community has no other choice but to work together at all levels. The collective power is needed to create a better world. * We the Peoples of Earth Government are reaffirming faith in the fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and smalll. We the Peoples implies every individual on Earth. Earth management is now a priority and a duty of every responsible person on Earth. Earth Government has taken action by calling the Divine Will into our lives and following its guidance. Divine Will is now a part of the Soul of Humanity to be used for the higher purpose of good and Life's evolution. We will learn to serve humanity and radiate the Will of God to others. We will establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and we promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom. * The spiritual belief, universal values, principles and aspirations of the New Age will be attained by: a) practicing tolerance and living together in peace and harmony with one another as neighbours, * The formation of global ministries to manage the world affairs in several aspects of our lives: energy, agriculture, environment, health, Earth resources, Earth management, security and safety, emergencies and rescues, trade, banks, speculation on world markets, peace, family and human development, water resources protection, youth, education, justice, science and technology, finance, human resources, ethics, human and Earth rights, sustainable development, industry, and manufacturing products, etc. Global ministries will be given power to rule themselves in harmony with each other. The WTO will not be the only global ministry that can rule on cases related to trade. The Earth Community Organization, the Human Family, is calling for the immediate formation of the Earth Ministry of Health. The globalization of trade, the extensive mouvement of people all over the world, the increase of poverty and diseases in developing countries and all over the world, have caused pathogens and exotic diseases to migrate over enormous distances and now, are an increasing threat to local ecosystems and communities, economies and health of every human being and all life. The Earth Community Organization, the Human Family, is calling this threat of the upmost importance and must be dealt with immediately by every nation. We must manage health in the world. We are calling for the immediate creation of the Earth Ministry of Health. * The spirit of global competition be changed to a spirit of global cooperation; over its long past history trade has never evolved to require from the trading partners to become legally and morally responsible and accountable for their products from beginning to end. Now trade must be given a new impetus to be in line with the global concepts of the New Age Civilization. You develop, manufacture, produce, mine, farm or create a product, you become legally and morally responsible and accountable of your product from beginning to end (to the point where it actually becomes a waste; you are also responsible for the proper disposable of the waste). This product may be anything and everything. * Over the past thousands of years, our species has gone through all sorts of loops and dead ends but we are who we are today: hopeful, imaginative, creative, demanding, powerful, diversified, changing, evolving, intelligent, resourceful, and a kilometre length of skills, qualifications and strengths. We have what it takes to manage Earth wisely and keep it healthy. Respect for Earth is very important to the success of our goal. * Earth Government will: a) resolve problems, concerns and issues peacefully * Good Souls have joined forces to bring forth a sustainable global society embracing universal values related to human rights, economic and social justice, respect of nature, peace, responsibility to one another, and the protection and management of the Earth. Everyone shares responsibility for the present and future well-being of life within Earth Government. * Our universal values are meant to bring together the billions of people around the world for the good of all humanity. These values are the common grounds to start a new global dialogue. East and West talking; capitalism and communism, all different political and social philosophies and structures reaching to one another, compromising, changing, letting go old ways that dont work, creating new ways that do, and finding what is very important to ensure a sound future for Earth. All peoples on Earth will now join forces to bring forth a sustainable global society embracing universal values related to human and Earth rights, economic and social justice, respect of nature, peace, responsibility to one another, and the protection and management of the Earth. Everyone shares responsibility for the present and future well-being of life within Earth Government. The following universal values were obtained during the World Congress on Managing and Measuring Sustainable Development - Global Community Action 1 held in August 2000. They are now an integral part of the Charter of Earth Government. a. Working together to keep our planet healthy, productive and hospitable for all people and living things. This requires quality global symbiotical relationships and responsibility to one-self and others, and dealing wisely with consumption, work, finances, health, resources, community living, family, life purpose, wildlife and the Earth. b. We are committed to be responsible to ourselves and to one another, and to sustaining Earth. The key is personal responsibility and accountability. Therefore the individual is the important element, one who takes responsibility for his/her global community. An 'individual' here may either be a person, a corporation, a NGO, a local community, a group of people, organizations, businesses, a nation, or a government. c. Apply a wellness approach in dealing with physical well-being. There is a multitude of influences shaping family life and its well-being. Wellness is a concept related to physical well-being. It is a new health paradigm replacing the old model of doctors, drugs, and treating symptoms. Spiritual well-being deals with mental, emotional and spiritual as well as physical health. Instead of blaming the doctor for an illness and expecting insurance companies and government to pick up the health care tab, a wellness approach places personal responsibility as part of the solution. d. All cultures and nations value the family as an important social unit. The family is the basic social unit of a global community of Earth Government. e. Earth Government is becoming pluralistic. Recognition and respect of this pluralism is a necessity for the survival of mankind. The history of humanity has always been that of an increasingly more complex interrelationship between its members. Clans to tribes, to nations, to empires, and to today's economic and political alliances. Societies have become global and communications have made us all 'neighbours'. Massive migrations within and among countries have contributed to increasing contacts between human beings of different origins, religions, ideologies, and moral-value systems. f. Earth Government recognizes that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. Freedom is both a principle and a value. It is because human beings are free that they are subject of law and are creators and holders of rights. Freedom and human rights are therefore basic to each other. Equality and freedom are therefore accepted and enshrined as universal values by which Earth Government governs its affairs. As universal values they are concerned with our ability to decide, to choose values and to participate in the making of laws, and they are dependent on the recognition of other people. These values forbid any form of discrimination on the grounds of race, nationality, sex, religion, age or mother tongue. By accepting both values of freedom and equality we can achieve justice. One can be answerable for one's actions in a 'just' way only if judgements are given in the framework of democratically established laws and courts. Social justice is another universal value to which Earth Government aspires and accepts as a universal value. Social justice consists in sharing wealth with a view to greater equality and the equal recognition of each individual's merits. Human and Earth rights and democracy are closely intertwined. Respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is one of the characteristics of a democracy. The typical fundamental freedoms of a democracy (freedom of expression, thought, assembly, and association) are themselves part of human and Earth rights. These freedoms were present during the August 2000 World Congress as we have dialogue and debate on the rights of different people and their accompanying obligations and responsibilities as human beings. These freedoms can exist everywhere. g. An adequate level of health care is a universal value as well as a human right. We expect adequate health services to be accessible, affordable, compassionate and socially acceptable. Earth Government is proposing that every individual of a society is co-responsible for helping in implementing and managing health programmes along with the government and the public institutions. h. There are universal quality of life values which lead to "human betterment" or the improvement of the human condition. In addition to the value of species survival (human and other living organisms), they include: adequate resources, justice and equality, freedom, and peace or balance of power. A better quality of life for all people of Earth Government is a goal for all of us and one of our universal values. i. For a community to be sustainable there has to be a general social and economical well-being throughout the community. Health is the basic building block of this well-being. Health is a complex state involving mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, social and economical well-being. Health promotion generates living and working conditions that are safe, stimulating, satisfying and enjoyable. To reach a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, a community must be able to identify and to realize aspirations, to satisfy needs, and to change with the environment. The overall guiding principle for the community is the need to encourage reciprocal maintenance, to take care of each other and the environment. The important part of the thinking in both community health and ecological sustainability is the need to find a sense of community as a crucial aspect of a healthy individual development. j. The Charter of Earth Government is a declaration by every human being to the commitment of responsibility to themselves and to one another, and to sustaining Earth. The key is participation in the sustainable development process, personal responsibility and accountability. Therefore the individual is the important element, one who takes responsibility for his/her community. We are all working together to keep our planet healthy, productive and hospitable for all people and living things. This requires quality relationships and responsibility to one-self and others, and dealing wisely with consumption, work, finances, health, resources, community living, family, life purpose, wildlife and the Earth. We are also all accountable to others about our actions and the things we do throughout our lives. k. The Charter of Earth Government is an acceptance and commitment about peace, freedom, social and economic well-being, ecological protection, global ethics and spiritual values; it also recognizes the interactions between aspects included in the major quality systems such as: economic, environmental, social, and the availability of resources. l. Responsibility and accountability are universal values. Every individual on Earth is responsible and accountable for their action(s). * A healthy environment is essential to long term prosperity and well-being, and citizens in Earth Government demand a high level of ecological protection. This is the 'raison d'etre' of the Scale of Human and Earth Rights. * Primordial human rights are those human rights that individuals have by virtue of their very existence as human beings: to live, eat, drink fresh water, breath clean air, safety and security, and have shelter. These rights are separate categories than ecological rights, the right of the greatest number of people, economic rights, social rights, cultural rights and religious rights. Ecological and primordial human rights are the only rights that have existed unchanged throughout the evolutionary origin of our species. Any major change would have threatened our very existence. All other human rights listed here are rights created by human beings and can be changed depending of new circumstances; they are not stagnant but are rather flexible and adaptive, and they can evolve. Ecological and primordial human rights of this generation and of future generations are therefore much more important than any other human rights existing now and in the future. * All communities are at a turning point. We can no longer perceive ourselves as a People who can survive alone and who does not need anyone else. We belong to and depend upon a much larger group, the Earth Government. The 21st Century will see limitless links and interrelationships formed within this Earth Government. The entire world is at a turning point. * Over the past decades, Earth Government has initialized the People's Participation Grassroots Movement in wanting what is rightfully ours to manage: Earth. 'We the Peoples' of the Earth are now set with one goal, one direction, that is to protect and manage Earth for our generation and for all of the others to come. We are the hopes of humanity. We are now developing the foundation of Earth Government, the highest aspirations of humanity, a Vision of the most powerful reform in the History of Humanity. People from all over the planet are developing models for Earth Government, the greatest of all hopes. Human consciousness has evolved and will seek no rest until Earth Government has come to life. * Societies seek to form a democratically elected Earth Government, one representative per million people. Over six thousands representatives will be managing Earth. The Middle Age feudal Kingdom has evolved to become a planetary government where representatives are making decisions on behalf of their communities. In the Vision of Earth in Year 2024 governing now requires participation from every person on Earth. National governments have turn over to their citizens the responsibility and accountability of local and global problems. Finding sound solutions to problems and making decisions is no longer accomplished behind closed doors but is now a process requiring everyone's participation. National governments and Earth Government have made democracy a living and a spiritual process for the good of all of humanity. Participation is now a necessity. Participation, global concepts, universal values and the Scale of Human Rights are being taught at the school level. Earth Government has focused societies aspirations toward a unique goal: humanity survival now and in the future along with all life on Earth. * Proper Earth management and governance requires an evaluation of sustainable development. The evaluation of sustainable development is a tool and a process allowing us to evaluate decisions which we feel must be made now in order to reach our objective: to sustain Earth and all of humanity. All impacts and their associated action-decisions are evaluated. A measurement of the current performance gives us a basis for comparison to see how far we are in reaching our objective. * An evaluation of sustainable development consists of ranking risks relative to each other and finding which practice is better than another. A scale of good practices emphasizes the quantifiable aspects of all impacts, compares them to each other, and makes a judgment as to which impacts must be our priorities now in Earth Government. Assigning values to impacts is part of the combined social, environmental, resources and economic accounting system that covers not only the conventional economic indicators (GDP, GNP, etc.) but also such matters as the costs of restoring a damaged environment and effects of economic activities on health. * A scale of good pratices is based on and would have to satisfy what it means to fulfill the requirements of sustainable development. We will fulfill the requirements for a sustainable development by implementing economic activity that can advance sustainability by: a) reducing per capita consumption of energy and resources;* We will fulfill the requirements for a sustainable development by implementing various conservation strategies such as: a) the maintenance of ecological succession, soil regeneration and protection, the recycling of nutrients and the cleansing of air and water; * We will fulfill the requirements for a sustainable development by developing a combined social and economic accounting system that covers not only the conventional economic indicators (GDP, GNP, etc.) but also such matters as soil depletion, forest degeneration, the costs of restoring a damaged environment and the effects of economic activity on health. * We will fulfill the requirements for a sustainable development by creating tests for sustainability: a) the amount of arable land and forest that is being lost; * We will fulfill the requirements for a sustainable development by being committed to make forest management to include getting more value out of the wood. This means wasting less of the trees that are cut and making better use of what are now considered non-commercial tree speices. * We will fulfill the requirements for a sustainable development by requiring formal Impact Assessment for all major projects so as to predict the sustainability of these developments and determine whether impacts can be mitigated. * We will fulfill the requirements for a sustainable development by using essential elements of an adequate urban and rural development: a) suitable community facilities and services; * At the end, a Scale of Good Practices is developed with respect to the Scale of Human and Earth Rights, and it is developed not only from what it means to fulfill the requirements of a sustainable development but also from the perspective of keeping us all healthy and sustaining Earth to make it happen. Health is created and lived by people within a global community: where they work, learn, play, and love. Health is a complex state involving mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, economical and social well-being. Each community can develop its own ideas of what a healthy community is by looking at its own situation, and finding its own solutions. Health promotion generates living and working conditions that are safe, stimulating, satisfying and enjoyable. To reach a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, a community must be able to identify and to realize aspirations, to satisfy needs, and to change with the environment. The overall guiding principle for the global community is the need to encourage reciprocal maintenance, to take care of each other and the environment. The important part of the thinking in both community health and ecological sustainability is the need to find a sense of global community as a crucial aspect of healthy individual development. * Developing a scale of values and designing and testing quality indicators is the most important task. The Gross Environmental Sustainable Development Index (GESDI) is quantitatively describing quality indicators rather than merely measuring different variables. GESDI includes all possible aspects, all physical, biological, health, social and cultural components which routinely influences the lives of individuals and communities. If we are to achieve effective evaluation of quality, comprehensive data are needed about the status and changes of the variables. Optimally, these data may be organized in terms of indices that in some fashion aggregate relevant data. These indices are in turn used to predict the impact of public and private actions, assess conditions and trends, and determine the effectiveness of programs in all areas. For instance, reliable data are needed to evaluate the effects of human activities on the environment and to determine what possible actions that can be done to ameliorate the adverse effects. The quality of urban environment constitutes a major test of the level of the well-being of a nation as a society. Essential elements of an adequate urban environment include the following parts: * Health care system, * Educational system, * Seniors'care, * Food chain, nutrition, * Population growth, * Farming communities, * Parks, * Psychological, biological, genetics and evolution, * Spiritual pathways, * Entertainment, * Quality of life, customs and beliefs, information access, communication, aesthetics * Decent housing, suitable community services, * Pollution, waste, * An atmosphere of social justice, * Family stability, * Religion, * Infrastructures and facilities, land planning, * Juvenile crimes, gangs, drugs, illiteracy, * Socio-cultural and political influences, multi-culturalism, laws, * Anthropological, Aboriginals, Natives issues. * Knowing what are the important elements of sustainable development allows us to structure indicators into major areas such as demographic data; the economic data of the individual, family, and household; the status of the region's economy; housing, community facilities, and aesthetic quality; social quality. Here also the weights given to the different segments of the evaluation were obtained or guess-estimated from the results of the Survey on the Scale of Values. * An other indicator was developed to measure the costs of development: the Gross Sustainable Development Product (GSDP). The GSDP is defined as the total value of production within a region over a specified period of time. It is measured using market prices for goods and services transactions in the economy. The GSDP is designed to replace the Gross Development Product (GDP) as the primary indicator of the economic performance of a nation. * The GSDP takes into accounts: · the economic impacts of environmental and health degradation or improvement, resource depletion or findings of new stocks, and depreciation or appreciation of stocks; * The measurement of GSDP shows that consumption levels can be maintained without depleting and depreciating the quality and quantity of services. It indicates the solutions to the problems as well as the directions to take, such as: · invest in technology, R & D, to increase the end-use efficiency; * The measurement of GSDP also gives a proper and sound signal to the public, government and industry about the rate and direction of economic growth; it identifies environmental, health, and social quality; it identifies sustainable and unsustainable levels of resource and environmental uses; it measures the success or failure of sustainable development policies and practices; and it identifies resource scarcity. Values obtained enable us to make meaningful comparisons of sustainable development between cities, provinces, nations over the entire planet. * A status report of all physical accounts show the physical state and availability of resources and the state of the environment. Examples of the physical stock accounts are: • minerals • oil, gas and coal • forests * Measurements of GESDI and GSDP provide insights for the discussion of issues such as : · Is the actual rate of development too slow or too fast?* In all decisions made affecting the environment, the integrity of the ecosystem must be given primacy in conjunction with socially equitable and environmentally-sound development. * All discharges or pollution problems, no matter where they are located in a global community, will not be transferred onto other jurisdictions or global communities, nor should governments relax standards in order to attract industry. * Pollution prevention is complete prevention instead of displacement of problem and not the transferring pollution from one medium to another (for example from water to air). * Establishing sound limits to consumption, population and pollution. * Ensure that substances, processes and activities which are harmful to the environment are prevented from entering the environment, and to ensure that costly subsequent means of restoration are avoided, and that irreversible environmental degradation are avoided. Adverse effects include, but are not limited to: toxicity, bioaccumulation, bioconcentration, persistence, depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer, reduction of carbon sinks, increased greenhouse gases, increased human-induced climate change, reduction or loss of biodiversity, as well as heat, light and electro-magnetic radiation, atomic radiation, and hormone mimicry. * Every proponent of an intervention in the ecosystem must demonstrate that the intervention will not cause harm to the environment or will not create ecologically unsound wastes. * Use of prevention technologies - technologies that emphasize "protecting, conserving and sustaining the environment from the beginning, and thus avoiding the cycle of rectification of error - will contribute to socially equitable and environmentally-sound development. * Mandatory standards and technical regulations will be developed to prevent adverse effects of substances or activities on the ecosystem including the adverse effects on the health of human and non-human species within and throughout bioregions. * Prevent the release of persistent or biaccumulative toxics by changing the extractive or productive activities which produce the product or substance. * Maintaining lawns requires a drain on local water supplies. Governments should pass regulations which encourage the replacement of grass lawns with indigenous plant reserves consistent with the fauna of the bioregion and home/community market gardens. * The generation of waste shall be prevented, and the emphasis shall be on the generation of byproducts that can become an ecologically safe and sound resource. If waste is already in existence, waste shall be disposed of at its source in an ecologically safe and sound manner ensuring that nothing is being stored that could, if an accident occurred, cause harm to the environment. If no assurance can be given that waste will not cause potentially significant adverse effects, then the activity that is generating the wastes shall cease, or permission to undertake the project will not be granted. * The most stringent environmental provisions shall be adopted complying with all international, national, bilateral and bioregional agreements, protocols and conventions as a minimum.If there is a conflict between international, national, bilateral and regional agreements, the most stringent environmental provisions shall prevail. * Every activity or substance that could prevent the protection and conservation of the environment will be included in environmental legislation, regardless of whether the activity or substance is, or is presumed to be covered under another Act. * Governments shall undertake to not relax environmental standards and technical regulations, or human rights protection, or social justice and equality/equity provisions to attract short-term economic benefit. * No proposal to relax standards or technical regulations shall be used to attract industry into a specific global community. * "Ambient criteria", or "environmental quality criteria" refers to levels of contaminants in the environment that must be zero use, production, and release in all cases where a toxic substance is persistent or bioaccumulative. It also applies when a substance will generate persistent or bioaccumulative toxic byproducts or breakdown products during its productions, use or disposal. * Earth Government evaluates both the environmental costs of not converting to ecologically sound practices and the environmental costs of permitting ecologically unsound practices (including the costs to future generations of irreversible environmental degradation)and the environmental costs of potential mitigation, and restoration. * An actual assessment of the short and long term potentially adverse environmental effects of existing and proposed projects and activities shall be carried out. So-called "Environmental Assessments" which review "environmental, economic, social, cultural, heritage, health effects of the reviewable projects" are not legitimate environmental impact assessments. * A full cost accounting of violating the rights of the disenfranchised shall be carried out. The groups bearing the greatest impact from ecologically unsound practices are usually the disenfranchised in society-the poor and the members of minority groups. * The Polluter Pay Principle ensures that those who may release polluting substances into the environment pay the full-cost of environmentally safe handling, treatment, disposal, and remediation; in addition, permits shall be suspended and canceled, if the polluter has caused serious irreversible ecological damage. * Given that throughout history sympathetic government regimes have failed to enforce their own statutory legislation, and given that there has been resultant environmental degradation, current governments shall seek environmental compensation from companies that can be shown to have consistently contributed to environmental degradation. The funds from environmental compensation shall be put into developing. * Compensation shall never be used as reason for not exercising the duty to preserve, protect, conserve the environment. * There exists a notion that environmental degradation is reversible; it can be restored, and rehabilitated. This notion shall never be used as a justification for the causing of environmental degradation. * Experience has demonstrated that the concept of the disaster reduction should be enlarged to cover natural and other disaster situations including environmental and technological disasters and their interrelationship which can have a significant impact on social, economic, cultural and environmental systems, in particular in developing countries. * The argument that in a pristine environment that has not yet been polluted by industrial activity shall be able to have emission standards relaxed is inherently invalid and should be discounted. In other words a licence to pollute could be given to industry in an pristine area because the area is not yet officially been designated as being polluted. * Polluting industries that have been regulated under statutory law, shall not through redefinition of practice be excluded from the previous regulations [ where a plant with "industrial" air emissions is redefined as a recycling plant and thus the regulations related to "industrial.... ] is deemed inapplicable. * Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, the lack of scientific certainly shall not be used as a reason for postponing measures to prevent environmental degradation. Extreme care shall be applied to all potentially harmful emissions, contaminents, agents of pollutants, or re concentrated substances or created through imballance in biogeochemical cycles. * Earth management is a priority and is a duty of every responsible person on Earth. Also, part of the theme is the concern of all issues related to the management of Earth with respect to the availability of resources, the environment, social and economic development aspects. All these issues and concerns were discussed during the World Congress on Managing and Measuring Sustainable Development - Global Community Action 1 held on August 2000. Now for the next stage - the management of Earth. We found during the World Congress that there were several universal values and global concepts that connect all global communities and societies to each other. Proper Earth management is a necessity and requires all peoples to unite and actually manage the planet. Local and global policies need to be developed and implemented by every global community. Every person on Earth is responsible for this very important duty. The time for action is now - positive and constructive actions to sustain Earth. Global Dialogue 2002 on Earth Management - all Peoples together had the mandate to conduct and implement positive and constructive actions all over the planet. It was a grassroots process involving everyone as part of Earth Government. Participants from all sectors and walks of life have described and explained the actions they have performed in their own homes, global communities or in any other place on the planet. Everyone is responsible for the proper management of Earth and therefore everyone was invited to submit research papers, Vision statements, actions conducted in sustaining Earth, results of brain-storming exercises, comments and recommendations. Global Dialogue 2004 is about global co-operation and symbiotical relationships of all types for the good of all. It is also about a vision to caring for life and Earth! * Earth Government found a way of dealing with globalization: global ethics. In the past, corporations ruled without checks and balances. Now, global ethics will be a basic minimum to do business, and there will be checks and balances. Our judgement will be based on global ethics. Global ethics must always be grounded in realities. But realities are changing constantly and are different in different places. We live in a world that makes progress toward democracy. Ethics and morality exist only when human beings can act freely. In our free society, rights are tied to responsibilities. Corporations are committed to improvement in business performance and want to be seen as 'good corporate citizens' on a local and a global scale. Corporations have social responsibilities as they are an integral part of society. Global ethics recalls that those realities, on which others build upon, have to be protected first. Earth Government has found that universal values and human and Earth rights as described above were the foundation of global ethics. * Earth Government stands for the following values: (A) Respect and Care for the Community of Life 1) Respect Earth and life in all its diversity(B) Ecological Integrity 1) Protect and restore the integrity of Earth's ecological systems, with special concern for biological diversity and the natural processes that sustain life(C) Social and Economic Justice 1) Eradicate poverty as an ethical, social, and environmental imperative (D) Democracy, Nonviolence, and Peace 1) Strengthen democratic institutions at all levels, and provide transparency and accountability in governance, inclusive participation in decision making, and access to justice * The Earth Court of Justice is part of a ministry of Earth Government. Prosecuting criminals on the basis of universal jurisdiction regardless of a territorial or nationality nexus required a solid commitment of political will from national governments and Earth Government. Once in effect, the Earth Court of Justice will become the principal judicial organ of Earth Government. The Court will have a dual role: to settle in accordance with international law the legal disputes submitted to it by national governments, local communities, and in some special cases by corporations, non-government-organizations and citizens, and to give advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by duly authorized organs and agencies. The Court will be composed of judges elected by the Elected Representatives Council and Earth Security Council. It may not include more than one judge of any nationality. The Members of the Court do not represent their governments but are independent magistrates. The judges must possess the qualifications required in their respective countries for appointment to the highest judicial offices, or by jurists of recognized competence in international law. The composition of the Court has also to reflect the main forms of civilization and the principal legal systems of the world. The Earth Court of Justice will hear cases involving: * nation states The procedure followed by the Court is defined in its Statute. The Court decides in accordance with: * belief, values, principles and aspirations of the New Age, The Earth Court of Justice established by the Charter of Earth Government as the principal organ of Earth Government shall be constituted and shall function in accordance with the provisions of the Statute(the Statute is in the process of being made and has several chapters and nearly a hundred articles). Charter of Earth Government
Chapter I: Belief, Values, Principles and Aspirations of the New Age (Articles 1-2)
Article 1
The Purposes of the Earth Government are to: 1. maintain international peace and security in conformity with the principles of justice and international law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to a breach of the peace; Article 2
Earth Government and its membership, in pursuit of the Purposes stated earlier, shall conduct actions in accordance with the following Principles:
1. Earth Government shall establish local communities of one million people each for a total of 6,114 elected representatives throughout the world; the number of representatives will change according to the change in Earth's population; the election of representatives shall follow a democratic process properly supervised; Chapter II: Membership (Articles 3-7) Article 3 1. The original Members of the Earth Community Organization shall be all Participants of the August 2000 World Congress on Managing and Measuring Sustainable Development - Global Community Action 1. They were given a lifetime membership. This is the founding group of the Earth Community Organization (ECO), the global community concepts and universal values, and of this first draft of the Charter of Earth Government. In case of resignation, a Member shall remain liable for payment of any assessment or other sum levied or which became payable by him to the Earth Community Organization prior to acceptance of his resignation. Article 4 1. Membership in the Earth Government is open to any global community (group, NGO, state, businesses, or any citizen) which accept the obligations contained in the present Charter and are able and willing to carry out these obligations. 2. The admission of any such global community to membership in Earth Government will be effected by a decision of the Executive. Article 5 In order to elect representatives to Earth Government it is proposed the following: A. Each individual government in the world will administer the election of representatives to Earth Government with an NGO and/or members of Earth Government be allowed to verify all aspects of the process to the satisfaction of all parties involved. B. Representatives be elected every five years to form a new Earth Government. C. It is proposed here that there will be one elected representative per 1,000,000 people. A population of 100 million people will elect 100 representatives. This process will create a feeling of belonging and participating to the affairs of the Earth Community and Earth Government. The number of elected representatives will change with the change in the world population. D. Earth population is now 6.114 billion
people. If all representatives had been elected this year there would be
6,114 representatives to form Earth Government. They would be the Legislative
elected body of Earth Government. They would participate in some ways in
choosing the Executive and Judiciary bodies of Earth Government.
E. All representatives will not have
to be meeting in Headquarters. Earth Government makes decisions, including voting of
day to day affairs, through the use of the Internet and other communications
devices. Chapter III: Principal Bodies of Earth Government (Articles 8-9)
Article 8 1. These are established as the principal bodies of Earth Government: the Elected Representatives Council (or Legislative Body), the Earth Executive Council, the Judiciary Council, the Earth Security and Peace Council, the Earth Court of Justice, the Global Sustainable Society Council, the Secretariat, the Trusteeship Council, the Global Community Assessment Centre (GCAC), the Economic and Social Council, the Earth Management Council, the Rescues and Emergencies Council. Article 9 Earth Government shall place no restriction on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary bodies. Chapter IV: The Elected Representatives Council (Articles 10-51)
Article 10 In order to elect representatives to Earth Government it is proposed the following: A. Each individual government in the world will administer the election of representatives to Earth Government with an NGO and/or members of Earth Government be allowed to verify all aspects of the process to the satisfaction of all parties involved. B. Representatives be elected every five years to form a new Earth Government. C. It is proposed here that there will be one elected representative per 1,000,000 people. A population of 100 million people will elect 100 representatives. This process will create a feeling of belonging and participating to the affairs of the Earth Community and Earth Government. The number of Elected Representatives will change with the change of the world population. D. Earth population is now 6.114 billion people. If all representatives had been elected this year there would be 6,114 representatives to form Earth Government. They would be the Legislative elected body of Earth Government. They would participate in some ways in choosing the Executive and Judiciary bodies of Earth Government. All these aspects will be discussed during the global dialogue in August 2002. E. All representatives will not have
to be meeting in Headquarters. The Interim Earth Government and later
on, Earth Government, will meet and make decisions, including voting of
day to day affairs, through the use of the Internet and other communications
devices. Article 11 The Elected Representatives Council (or Legislative Assembly) may legislate on any matters within the scope of the Charter. Article 12 The Elected Representatives Council may evoke the "Belief, Values, Principles and Aspirations of the New Age" in the maintenance of international peace and security, and the Elected Representatives Council may make recommendations with regard to such "Belief, Values, Principles and Aspirations of the New Age" to the Earth Security Council. Article 13 The Elected Representatives Council may start a dialogue on any questions relating to the maintenance of international peace and security brought before it by the principal bodies of Earth Government Organization or by any community on the planet. Any such question on which action is necessary shall be referred to the the principal bodies of Earth Government by the Elected Representatives Council. Article 14 The President, with the consent of the Earth Security Council, shall notify the Elected Representatives Council at each session of any matters relative to the maintenance of international peace and security which are being dealt with by the Earth Security Council. Article 15 1. The Elected Representatives Council shall support studies and make recommendations for the purpose of promoting local and global community co-operation in: a. the political field and encouraging the understanding, development and expansion of international law; Article 16 The Elected Representatives Council may recommend measures for the peaceful adjustment of any situation which it deems likely to impair the general welfare or friendly relations among communities and nations, including situations resulting from a violation of the provisions of the Charter setting forth the "Belief, Values, Principles and Aspirations of the New Age" of Earth Government. 1. The Elected Representatives Council shall receive and consider annual and special reports from the Earth Security Council; these reports shall include an account of the measures that the Earth Security Council has decided upon or taken to maintain international peace and security. Article 17 The Elected Representatives Council shall perform such functions with respect to the international trusteeship system as are assigned to it in the Charter. Article 18 1. The Elected Representatives Council shall consider and approve the budget of Earth Government. Voting Article 19 1. Each member of Elected Representatives Council shall have one vote. Article 20 A Member of the Elected Representatives Council shall have no vote if problems arise in the payment of its financial contributions. The Council may, nevertheless, permit such a Member to vote if it is satisfied that the failure to pay is due to conditions beyond reach of the Member. Procedure Article 21 The Elected Representatives Council shall meet in regular annual sessions and in such special sessions as occasion may require. Special sessions shall be convoked by the President at the request of the Earth Security Council or of a majority of the Members. Article 22 The Elected Representatives Council shall adopt its own rules of procedure. Article 23 The Elected Representatives Council shall establish such subsidiary bodies as it deems necessary for the performance of its functions. Articles 24 to 51 will be added at a later date. Chapter V: The Earth Executive Council (Articles 52-170) The Articles 52 to 170 describe Chapter V: The Earth Executive Council. Some of these articles also describe the section concerning the Elected Reprensatives Council. Chapter VI: The Earth Judiciary Council (Articles 171-185)
Chapter VII: The Earth Court of Justice (Articles 186-200)
Chapter VIII: The Earth Security Council (Articles 201-210)
Articles 201 to 210 describe Chapter VIII: The Earth Security Council. Chapter IX: The Global Sustainable Society Council (Articles 211-220)
Article 211 1. The Global Sustainable Society Council shall be managing the Global Community Assessment Centre (GCAC). Article 212 The objects described in section 2 shall be carried out on an exclusively charitable basis. Article 213 The purposes of Earth Government shall be carried out without purpose of gain for its members, and any profits or other accretions to Earth Government shall be used for promoting its purpose. The Directors shall be a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, a Treasurer and other officers. The Directors shall serve without remuneration, and no Director shall directly or indirectly receive any profit from his or her position, except to be paid reasonable expenses incurred in the performance of his or her duties. Article 214 Earth Government shall be subject to the various charitable rules and regulations. Article 215 The borrowing power of Earth Government pursuant to any rule passed by Earth Government shall be limited to borrowing money for current operating expenses, provided that the borrowing power of Earth Government shall not be so limited if it borrows on the security of real or personal property. Articles 216 to 220 will be added later. Chapter X: The Secretary-General of the United Nations (Articles 221-225)
Article 221 The Secretary- General of the United Nations shall be invited to be a part of the Executive Council of Earth Government. Article 222 The Secretary-General shall have a vote during the Executive Council meetings. Article 223 The Secretary-General may bring to the attention of the Executive Council any matter which in his/her opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security. Article 224 In the performance of their duties the Secretary-General and the Executive Council staff shall not seek or receive instructions from any government or from any other authority external to Earth Government. They shall refrain from any action which might be in conflict on their position as international officials responsible only to Earth Government. Article 225 Each Member of Earth Government undertakes to respect the exclusively international character of the responsibilities of the Secretary-General and not to seek to influence them in the discharge of their responsibilities. Chapter XI: The Trusteeship Council and Trusteeship System (Articles 226-239)
Article 226 Earth Government shall establish under its authority an international trusteeship system for the administration and supervision of such territories as may be placed there under by subsequent individual agreements. These territories are hereinafter referred to as trust territories. Article 227 The basic objectives of the trusteeship system, in accordance with the "Belief, Values, Principles and Aspirations of the New Age" of the present Charter, shall be to: a. further international peace and security; Article 228 1. The trusteeship system shall apply to such territories in the following categories as may be placed thereunder by means of trusteeship agreements: Article 229 The trusteeship system shall not apply to territories which have become Members of Earth Government, relationship among which shall be based on respect for the principle of sovereign equality. Article 230 The terms of trusteeship for each territory to be placed under the trusteeship system, including any alteration or amendment, shall be agreed upon by the states directly concerned, including the mandatory power in the case of territories held under mandate by a Member of Earth Government. Article 231 The trusteeship agreement shall in each case include the terms under which the trust territory will be administered and designate the authority which will exercise the administration of the trust territory. Such authority, hereinafter called the administering authority, may be one or more states or Earth Government itself. Article 232 1. All functions of Earth Government relating to strategic areas, including the approval of the terms of the trusteeship agreements and of their alteration or amendment, shall be exercised by the Earth Security Council. Article 233 The Trusteeship Council, operating under the authority of the Elected Representatives Council, shall assist the Elected Representatives Council in carrying out these functions. Article 234 1. The Trusteeship Council shall consist of the following Members of Earth Government: a. those Members administering trust territories; b. as many other Members elected for three-year terms by the Elected Representatives Council as may be necessary to ensure that the total number of members of the Trusteeship Council is equally divided between those Members of Earth Government which administer trust territories and those which do not. 2. Each member of the Trusteeship Council shall designate one specially qualified person to represent it therein. Article 235 The Elected Representative Council and, under its authority, the Trusteeship Council, in carrying out their functions, may: a. consider reports submitted by the administering authority; Article 236 The Trusteeship Council shall formulate a questionnaire on the political, economic, social, and educational advancement of the inhabitants of each trust territory, and the administering authority for each trust territory within the competence of the Elected Represntative Council shall make an annual report to the Elected Representative Council upon the basis of such questionnaire. Article 237 1. Each member of the Trusteeship Council shall have one vote. 2. Decisions of the Trusteeship Council shall be made by a majority of the members present and voting. Article 238 1. The Trusteeship Council shall adopt its own rules of procedure, including the method of selecting its President. 2. The Trusteeship Council shall meet as required in accordance with its rules, which shall include provision for the convening of meetings on the request of a majority of its members. Article 239 The Trusteeship Council shall, when appropriate, request the assistance of the Economic and Social Council and the specialized agencies in regard to matters with which they are respectively concerned. Chapter XII: Earth Security and Peace (Articles 240-247)
Article 240 1. The Earth Government declares that the threat or use of nuclear weapons are contrary to the rules of international law applicable in armed conflict in any circumstances. Once in effect, the Earth Court of Justice will declare definitively that the threat or use of nuclear weapons is unlawful even in extreme circumstances of self-defense, in which the very survival of a State would be at stake. 2. The Earth Government declares that 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. This Principle applies to disputes and conflicts. Article 241 States have a legal obligation not only to pursue negotiations leading to nuclear disarmment in all aspects, but also to bring to a conclusion such negotiations. Article 242 Nuclear weapons, like all weapons, are subject to the law of armed conflict protecting civilians, combatants, the environment, neutral nations, and succeeding generations from the effects of warfare. Article 243 The Earth Security Council shall determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression and shall make recommendations, or decide what measures shall be taken in accordance with "Belief, Values, Principles and Aspirations of the New Age", to maintain or restore international peace and security. Article 244 In order to prevent an aggravation of the situation, the Earth Security Council may, before making the recommendations or deciding upon the measures provided for in the Charter, call upon the parties concerned to comply with such provisional measures as it deems necessary or desirable. Such provisional measures shall be without prejudice to the rights, claims, or position of the parties concerned. The Earth Security Council shall duly take account of failure to comply with such provisional measures. Article 245 The Earth Security Council may decide what measures not involving the use of armed force are to be employed to give effect to its decisions, and it may call upon the Members of Earth Government to apply such measures. These may include complete or partial interruption of economic relations and of rail, sea, air, postal, telegraphic, radio,and other means of communication, and the severance of diplomatic relations. Article 246 1. All Members of Earth Governmentb, in order to contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security, undertake to make available to the Earth Security Council, on its and in accordance with a special agreement or agreements, assistance, and facilities, including rights of passage, necessary for the purpose of maintaining international peace and security. 2. The action required to carry out the decisions of the Earth Security Council for the maintenance of international peace and security shall be taken by all the Members of Earth Government or by some of them, as the Earth Security Council may determine. 3. The Members of Earth Government shall join in affording mutual assistance in carrying out the measures decided upon by the Earth Security Council. Article 247 If preventive or enforcement measures against any state are taken by the Earth Security Council, any other state, whether a Member of Earth Government or not, which finds itself confronted with special economic problems arising from the carrying out of those measures shall have the right to consult the Earth Security Council with regard to a solution of those problems. Chapter XIII: Settlement of Disputes (Articles 248-252)
Article 248 1. The parties to any dispute, the continuance of which is likely to endanger the maintenance of international peace and security, shall, first of all, seek a solution by negotiation, enquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, resort to regional agencies or arrangements, or other peaceful means of their own choice. 2. The Earth Security Council shall, when it deems necessary, call upon the parties to settle their dispute by such means. 3. 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. This Principle applies to disputes and conflicts. Article 249 The Earth Security Council may investigate any dispute, or any situation which might lead to international friction or give rise to a dispute, in order to determine whether the continuance of the dispute or situation is likely to endanger the maintenance of international peace and security. Article 250 l. Any Member of Earth Government may bring any dispute to the attention of the Earth Security Council or of the Elected Representatives Council. 2. A state which is not a Member of Earth Government may bring to the attention of the Earth Security Council or of the Elected Representatives Council any dispute to which it is a party if it accepts in advance, for the purposes of the dispute, the obligations of pacific settlement provided in the present Charter. Article 251 1. The Earth Security Council should take into consideration any procedures for the settlement of the dispute which have already been adopted by the parties. 2. In making recommendations under this Article the Earth Security Council should also take into consideration that legal disputes should as a general rule be referred by the parties to the Earth Court of Justice in accordance with the provisions of the Statute of the Court. Article 252 If the Earth Security Council deems that the continuance of the dispute is in fact likely to endanger the maintenance of international peace and security, it shall decide whether to take action under "Belief, Values, Principles and Aspirations of the New Age" or to recommend such terms of settlement as it may consider appropriate. 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. This Principle applies to disputes and conflicts. Chapter XIV: Local Arrangements of Disputes (Articles 253-254)
Article 253 The Members of Earth Government shall make every effort to achieve pacific settlement of local disputes through regional arrangements or by regional agencies before referring them to the Earth Security Council. Article 254 The Earth Security Council shall, where appropriate, utilize such regional arrangements or agencies for enforcement action under its authority. But no enforcement action shall be taken under regional arrangements or by regional agencies, or by the Earth Security Council. Chapter XV: State and Citizen Participation to Legal Disputes (Articles 255-258)
Article 255 Articles 255 to 258 will be added later. Chapter XVI: The Global Community Assessment Centre(GCAC) (Articles 259-263)
Article 259 The history of the Global Community Assessment Centre (GCAC), its R & D projects, and objectives are found on ECO website. Earth Government is now offering local and global services and is accepting contract work Global Community WebNet Ltd. The listing of services is found on ECO website. Articles 260 to 263 will be added later.Chapter XVII: Warning System on Environmental Hazards and Emergencies to Prevent Disasters from Happening (Articles 264-266)
Article 264 Articles 264 to 266 will be added later. Chapter XVIII: Rescues and Emergencies (Articles 267-270)
Article 267 Articles 267 to 270 will be added later Chapter XIX: Global Economic and Social Co-operation (Articles 271-276)
Articles 271 to 276 describe the Chapter XIX: Global Economic and Social Co-operation.
Chapter XX: The Economic and Social Council (Articles 277-290)
Articles 277 to 290 describe the Chapter XX: The Economic and Social Council. Chapter XXI: Ethics, Policies and Management Practices to the Corporate Sector and Institutions (Articles 291-310)
Articles 291 to 310 describe the Chapter XXI: Ethics, Policies and Management Practices to the Corporate Sector and Institutions. Chapter XXII: The Scale of Human and Earth Rights (Articles 311-322)
Articles 311 to 322 describe Chapter XXII: Scale of Human and Earth Rights. Chapter XXIII: The Management of the Earth (Articles 323-330)
Articles 323 to 330 describe Chapter XXIII: The Management of the Earth. Chapter XXIV: Earth Government (Articles 331-337)
Chapter XXV: Statement Regarding Non-Self-Governing Territories (Articles 338-339)
Article 338 Members of Earth Government which have or assume responsibilities for the administration of territories whose peoples have not yet attained a full measure of self-government recognize the principle that the interests of the inhabitants of these territories are paramount, and accept as a sacred trust the obligation to promote to the utmost, within the system of international peace and security established by the present Charter, the well- being of the inhabitants of these territories, and, to this end to: a. ensure, with due respect for the culture of the peoples concerned, their political, economic, social, and educational advancement, their just treatment, and their protection against abuses; Article 339 Members of Earth Government also agree that their policy in respect of the territories to which this Chapter applies, no less than in respect of their metropolitan areas, must be based on the general principle of good-neighbourliness, due account being taken of the interests and well-being of the rest of the world, in social, economic, and commercial matters. Chapter XXVI: Resource Management and Control (Articles 340-345)
Article 340 to 345 describe Chapter XXVI: Resource Management and Control and will be added later. Chapter XXVII: Transitional Security Arrangements (Articles 346)
Article 346 Nothing in the present Charter shall invalidate or preclude action as a result of that Second World War by the Governments having responsibility for such action. Chapter XXVIII: Miscellaneous Provisions (Articles 347-350)
Article 347 1. Every treaty and every international agreement entered into by any Member of Earth Government after the present Charter comes into force shall as soon as possible be registered with the Executive Council and published by it. Article 348 In the event of a conflict between the obligations of the Members of Earth Government under the present Charter and their obligations under any other international agreement, their obligations under the present Charter shall prevail. Article 349 Earth Government shall enjoy in the territory of each of its Members such legal capacity as may be necessary for the exercise of its functions and the fulfilment of its purposes. Article 350 1. Earth Government shall enjoy in the territory of each of its Members such privileges and immunities as are necessary for the fulfillment of its purposes. 2. Representatives of the Members of Earth Government and officials of Earth Government shall similarly enjoy such privileges and immunities as are necessary for the independent exercise of their functions in connexion with Earth Government.
Ever since the early 1990s, the Earth Community Organization (ECO) has developed and defined sustainable development and a mean of measuring it. Now we want the corporate world as well as everyone else, all consumers,
to integrate and balance global life-support systems protection, global community participation, and economic decisions into your operations and products, and into your way of life and of doing things.
As a business, a government, an NGO, or a group of well-intentioned persons, you have to make economic decisions into your operations and products, and you may: a) be corporate shareholders in good standingNow is time to reach a higher level of protection to life on Earth. We all need this for the survival of our species. We can help you integrate and balance global life-support systems protection, global community participation, and economic decisions into your operations and products.
Ever since the early 1990s, Earth Government has researched and developed the concept of 'a global community'. It has since been made a part
of the foundation of Earth Government and is thought as the way of life of the future. The concept is also in the statement of rights and responsibilities of a person belonging to 'a global community' and to 'The Global Community', Earth Government, the human family.
That is, to take such a stand has four parts:
a) I am not just a woman, I am a person, I am a citizen of a global community, b) I am not just a man, I am a person, I am a citizen of a global community, c) We are responsible, accountable and equal persons in every way and, d) We are citizens of The Global Community. We need to take this stand for the survival of our species.
Scale of Human and Earth Rights
* Ecological rights and the protection of the global life-support systems * Primordial human rights * The ecological rights, the protection of the global life-support systems and the primordial human rights of future generations * Community rights and the right that the greatest number of people has by virtue of its number (50% plus one) and after voting representatives democratically * Economic rights (business and consumer rights, and their responsibilities and accountabilities) and social rights (civil and political rights) * Cultural rights and religious rights What are the universal needs of a person, family, a global community? All life on Earth is part of The Global Community and, therefore, every human being has a responsibility toward all lifeforms. At this time, we have written down statements indicating what direction this discussion is going. These statements are part of a new brain-storming exercise of Global Dialogue 2004 (everyone is welcome to participate) and were categorized in the following four sections: A) Rights and responsiblitities of a person in ' a global community ' B) Rights and responsiblitities of a person in ' The Global Community ' C) Rights and responsiblitities of ' a global community ' D) Rights and responsiblitities of ' The Global Community ' These rights and responsibilities will be further discussed in an other Newsletter and between now and Global Dialogue 2004 (everyone is invited to participate in these discussions). The concept of 'a global community' is part of the Glass Bubble concept of a global community and was summarized on Earth Government website. Then it was further researched and developed by Earth Government and results obtained were published by Earth Government in its February 2003 Newsletter. We have already said that 'a global community' is not about a piece of land you acquired by force or otherwise. One could think of a typical global community of a million people that does not have to be bounded by a geographical or political border. It can be a million people living in many different locations all over the world. The Global Community is thus more fluid and dynamic. The Global Community is this great, wide, wonderful world made of all these diverse global communities. We need to let go the archaic ways of seeing a community as the street where we live and contained by a border. Many conflicts and wars will be avoided by seeing ourselves as people with a heart, a mind and a Soul, and as part of a global community with the same. The old concept of a community being the street where we live in and surrounded by a definite geographical and political boundary has originated during the Roman Empire period. An entire new system of values was then created to make things work for the Roman Empire. Humanity has lived with this concept over two thousand years. Peoples from all over the world are ready to kill anyone challenging their border. They say that this is their land, their property, their 'things'. This archaic concept is endangering humanity and its survival. The Roman Empire has gone but its culture is still affecting us today. We need to let go the old way of thinking. We need to learn of the new concept, and how it can make things work in the world. A typical global community 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. 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. The number of people making a typical global community becomes important when a democratic election to elect representatives to Earth Government is going on. The voting system of Earth Government is very simple and practical. One representative per million people. A global community of 300 million people would have three hundred representatives. The political system of an individual country does not have to be a democracy. Political rights of a country belong to that country alone. Democracy is not to be enforced by anyone and to anyone or to any global community. Every global community can and should choose the political system of their choice with the understanding of the importance of such a right on the Scale of Human and Earth Rights. On the other hand, representatives to Earth Government must be elected democratically in every part of the world. An individual country may have any political system at home but the government of that country will have to ensure (and allow verification by Earth Government) that representatives to Earth Government have been elected democratically. This way, every person in the world can claim the birth right of electing a democratic government to manage Earth: the rights to vote and elect representatives to form Earth Government. To interact knowledgeably within one's global community has to be taught ~ especially to urban children. It has to be brought to them very clearly all life forms interact and depend upon other life forms for survival. They need to know reasons why ignorance of nature's law causes such damage, and why working in harmony with nature produces such good results. The world is already witnessing effects of global warming, itself being caused by ignorance and indifference of nature's law. We can no longer perceive ourselves as a People who could survive alone and a People who does not need anyone else. We belong and depend to this much larger group, that of The Global Community. The 21st Century will see limitless links and symbiotical relationships with and within The Global Community. 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. 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 Earth Government 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.). In today's Earth Government it is important for our survival to cooperate globally on several aspects such as peace, security, pollution in the air, water and land, drug trade, shelving the war industry, keeping the world healthy, enforcing global justice for all, eradicating poverty worldwide, replacing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the Scale of Human and Earth Rights, and entrenching the Charter of Earth Government as a way of life for the good of all. The best way and solution for any nation is to follow the Scale of Human and Earth Rights. Right on top of the scale are the ecological rights, the global life-support systems, and the primordial human rights of this generation and of the next generation. Economic and social rights come next and are not the most important. That makes a lot of sense!
(This is a part of a brain-storming exercise to be pursued between now and Global Dialogue 2004 so everyone may continue sending ideas and research papers)
It is understood that whenever a person is given a right or a responsibility then 'a global community' and 'The Global Community' give the right or responsiblity to that person. Similarly, whenever a right or a responsibility is given to 'a global community' or to 'The Global Community' then the rights and responsiblities of a person are readjusted accordingly. * A member of a global community has the right to life. * A member of a global community has the right to security of person. * No one shall be held in slavery. * No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. * No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile. * A member of a global community has the right to freedom of movement and residence. * A member of a global community has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution. * (1) A member of a global community has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control. (2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection. * (1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution. (2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses. (3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State. * A member of a global community has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance. * (1) A member of a global community has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible. (2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, A member of a global community shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society. * A member of a global community has the right to a nationality. * (1) A member of a global community has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property. * A member of a global community has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association. * (1) A member of a global community has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives. (2) A member of a global community has the right of equal access to public service in his country. * A member of a global community, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with Earth Government and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality. * (1) A member of a global community has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment. (2) A member of a global community, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work. (3) A member of a global community who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection. (4) A member of a global community has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests. * A member of a global community has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay. * (1) A member of a global community has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit. (2) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children. * A member of a global community has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of a global community and of The Global Community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits. * A member of a global community is entitled of: conscience and religion* A member of a global community is entitled of democratic rights: right to vote* A member of a global community is entitled of mobility rights: the right to move to and live in any province* A member of a global community is entitled of legal rights: life, liberty, and security of the person* A member of a global community is entitled of equality rights: equal treatment before and under the law * A member of a global community is entitled of language rights: the official languages* Primordial human rights are those human rights that individuals have by virtue of their very existence as human beings: to live, safety and security, eat, drink fresh water, breath clean air, and have shelter. These rights are separate categories than ecological rights, community rights, the right of the greatest number of people, economic rights, social rights, cultural rights and religious rights. Ecological and primordial human rights are the only rights that have existed unchanged throughout the evolutionary origin of our species. Any major change would have threatened our very existence. All other human rights listed here are rights created by human beings and can be changed depending of new circumstances; they are not stagnant but are rather flexible and adaptive, and they can evolve. Ecological and primordial human rights of this generation and of future generations are therefore much more important than any other human rights existing now and in the future. * Security is a primordial human and Earth right. Earth Government has broadened the traditional focus of the security of states to include both the security of people as well as that of the planet. Global security policies include: a) every person on Earth has a right to a secure existence, and all states have an obligation to protect those rights * All families need shelter, food, parents, a child (see Article in November Newsletter 'The world overpopulation problem resolved along with several other global issues'), language, body of knowledge, certain skills, a source of income. Security of the home is an important aspect for any family and the global community it belongs to. Essential elements and concerns of a community were listed in this Newsletter. Please read 'Biophysical and Economic Assessment of Mount Benson and surroundings in the context of a Vancouver Island Urban Master Plan'. These needs raise the question of interacting universal responsibilities. In terms of parenthood, parents must raised their children mentally and physically healthy. It is a responsibility to do so. Which also means each local community must have an educational system to help parents raise children. * As universal values, equality, justice and freedoms are concerned with our ability to decide, to choose values and to participate in the making of laws, and they are dependent on the recognition of other people. These values forbid any form of discrimination on the grounds of race, nationality, sex, religion, age or mother tongue. By accepting both values of freedom and equality we can achieve justice. One can be answerable for one's actions in a 'just' way only if judgements are given in the framework of democratically established laws and courts. Social justice is another universal value to which Earth Community aspires and accepts as a universal value. Social justice consists in sharing wealth with a view to greater equality and the equal recognition of each individual's merits. All persons within a given society deserve equal access to goods and services that fulfill basic human needs. * 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 life-support systems. 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 idea of sustainability has been extended 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 Earth 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. The existing and future uses of water are constantly challenged; balancing supply and demand is made even harder by the amounts of pollution found in the air, land and waters. A large part of our body is made of water, and we cannot live without water; therefore water is a primordial human right by our very nature. In order to avoid conflicts and wars over drinking freshwater, freshwater has been categorized as a primordial human right. Industrial pollution plays a major role in the deterioration of nature but this time the level of pollution is above the carrying capacity of the ecosystem. Pollution also affects significantly human health and all lifeforms on Earth. Every person needs Oxygen to live so clean air is certainly also a primordial human right by our very nature. * Morally right actions or policies are those that result in the greatest number of people. How meaningful is the right of the greatest number of people if they agree to damage the ecological base of the Earth. The greatest number of people cannot and will not be allowed to supersede the rights of the ecological base of Earth. * Primordial human rights are necessarily human needs but not all human needs are primordial human rights. To determine rights requires an understanding of needs and reponsibilities and their importance. The Scale of Human and Earth and the Charter of Earth Government are the best guidance for continuing this process. The Scale shows social values in order of importance and so will help us understand the rights of a global community. * On the Scale, Primordial Human Rights are those that individuals have by virtue of their very existence as human beings. They are very specific primordial human needs. First there are the material needs, the requisites for a dignified life:
Then there are the nonmaterial needs:
* Primordial human rights are those human rights that individuals have by virtue of their very existence as human beings:
These rights are separate categories from those of ecological rights, community rights, the right of the greatest number of people, economic rights, social rights, cultural rights and religious rights. Ecological and primordial human rights are the only rights that have existed unchanged throughout the evolutionary origin of our species. Any major change would have threatened our very existence. All other human rights listed here are rights created by human beings and can be changed depending of new circumstances; they are not stagnant but are rather flexible and adaptive, and they can evolve. Ecological and primordial human rights of this generation and of future generations are therefore much more important than any other human rights existing now and in the future. * Earth Government has developed a global strategy to reinforce primordial human rights. Recommendations to that effect are: * provision of minimal standards of health, education, and housing worldwide Earth Government is also proposing that: a) different nations may require different political systems at different times * Human rights represent an ideal and a supreme goal which can give meaning to life in society. Throughout the history of humanity, the rights of human beings have been defined and enshrined with reference to the values of the dignity of each individual and of freedom, equality and justice. These values are universal. Earth Government has accepted and enshrined them into its own ways of behaving and dealing with all peoples. Cultures and societies differ so much that their expression takes varying forms, but diversity does not affect the foundation of inalienable values constituted by human and Earth rights. Each individual is recognized as a representative of humankind. Human dignity resides in each of us, and this dignity must be recognized and respected by all. * How meaningful is the right to life or to participation in political life if poverty, gender inequality, destitution and epidemics prevent individuals from enjoying freedom of movement, freedom to vote, to marry and so on? The economic and social rights are the essential prerequisite for the effectiveness and exercise of all other rights (other than ecological rights) recognized for human beings. The developing countries are having a harder time than others to achieve the exercise of these rights on a lasting basis, with the problems of economic globalization presenting new challenges. We must therefore beware of enforcing economic rights alone to the detriment of individual civil rights and the rights of all individuals to decide their own fate and the future of their country, their political rights. The universality of human rights recognizes the right of all individuals to participate in the cultural life of their community and of other country, to receive education and training, and to be informed. * Traditional customs and standards could burden the sustainability of all life on Earth. They could burden Earth society or any society forever, and holds individuals in a straitjacket. We cannot accept that. No one can! There are choices to be made and you must make them. Cultures can develop and can go on developing. Even religious beliefs may evolve. We are living now and we are able to create these changes. Cultural and religious differences cannot be a reason or an excuse or a pretext for not respecting human and Earth rights including and most importantly the ecological rights. Quite the contrary, all kinds of cultures may promote human and Earth rights. They are different in their achievements, but they are equal in dignity where they are expressions of freedom. At any time or in any given place, men, women and children use their culture to invent new ways of making human and Earth rights a living reality. Diversity enriches us if it respects the dignity of each individual, and if it takes account of human and Earth rights as a whole. * Global consumption is a very important aspect of a community's needs. Consumers should be concerned with the impact of their decisions on the environment but also on the lives, human and Earth rights and well-being of other people. Since one of the key functions of families as a social institution is to engage in production (selling their labour in return for wages) and consumption (using those wages to buy goods and services), then the role of families has impacts on sustainable consumption and development. This certainly limits the rights of a family and of a community. * Just as corporations have social responsibilities and so do consumers in societies. Consumers are socialized to improve the quality of their lives. Quality of life is a multi-dimensional, complex and very subjective concept. For instance, someone who has changed their consumption habits to better ensure that their choices will make a better quality of life for themselves, the environment and future generations, may be seen by others as having a lower or inferior quality of life since they have removed themselves from the materialistic mainstream characteristic of our consumer society. Someone may feel that an absence of violence and abuse in their life leads to a higher quality of living even though they have fewer tangible resources, money, or shelter; peace of mind and freedom from abuse has increased the quality of their daily life relative to what it was like before. There are universal quality of life values which lead to 'human betterment' or the improvement of the human condition. In addition to the value of species survival (human and other living organisms), they include: adequate resources, justice and equality, freedom, and peace or balance of power. A better quality of life for all people of Earth Community is a goal for all of us. * The political system of an individual country does not have to be a democracy. Political rights of a country belong to that country alone. Democracy is not to be enforced by anyone and to anyone or to any community. Every community can and should choose the political system of their choice with the understanding of the importance of such a right on the Scale. On the other hand, representatives to Earth Government must be elected democratically in every part of the world. An individual country may have any political system at home but the government of that country will have to ensure (and allow verification by Earth Government) that representatives to Earth Government have been elected democratically. This way, every person in the world can claim the birth right of electing a democratic government to manage Earth: the rights to vote and elect representatives to form Earth Government. * Perhaps the most important step towards achieving sustainability for the next million years is to control our population growth. World overpopulation is now at the turning point and requires from each and every one of us a statement of rights and belonging to Earth Community, the human family: * To take such a stand has four parts: a) I am not just a woman, I am a person, I am a part of a global community b) I am not just a man, I am a person, I am a part of a global community c) We are responsible, accountable and equal persons in every way and, d) We are part of the Global Community. We need to take this stand for the survival of our species. For sure, the most important step towards achieving sustainability is to control our population growth. To ensure our survival we must manage our population wisely. * Today we are not asking women to have only one child as is done in China.
No! First of all it does not work in China. Their population is still
increasing. We are asking it to be socially acceptable for women to have the freedom
of having or not having children. We are asking it for women to have
the freedom to say no I dont want children, or yes I want to
raise a family, and to make that socially acceptable. For this to work,
women must also be given equal rights to men in every way. The Chinese
family policy does not work because women are not given the freedom to
choose for themselves and the equal rights to men. Women are 'persons'
just like men. Those men and women who choose to raise a family of one
or more children will be given support if needed. The effect of such change in our ways will be acceptance of being a
part of The Global Community and that each one of us is doing things for
the good of all. In this way, the heart, mind and spirit of The Global
Community will be in the forefront of positive actions to ensure
our survival. * the proliferation of conventional small arms * Global security can only be achieved if it can be shared by all peoples and through global co-operation, based on principles as explained in the Charter of the Earth Government such as justice, human dignity, and equity for all and for the good of all. All people and states are protected by Earth Government. * Another major source of global unsecurity for people is the culture of violence in everyday life as it is shown on television screens and cinemas. The American Way of Life is creating this culture of violence. An american child at age six year old has seen more violence on television than any other child of the Middle East over a life span. This culture of violence infects both industrial and developing countries, rich and poor. This trend of culture of violence must end. The movie and TV industry is a threat to global security. The media is responsible for the propagation of violence through communications. Why has government not done anyhting to regulate the media industry? Surely everyone understood that on the Scale of Human and Earth Rights security of the people of any nation is more important than the human rights related to the freedom of expression of the media industry. Security of the people and the state is on top of the Scale. It is part of the primordial human rights. While freedom of expression is a right found lower on the Scale and is classified partly as a) Community rights and the right that the greatest number of people has by virtue of its number (50% plus one) and after voting representatives democratically (these rights can be and are usually a part of the constitution of a country) and partly asSo the freedom of expression of a person is not as important as the security of that person and the security of the state. * Earth Government is concerned with the sustainability of current levels and patterns of consumption and with the economic, political, personal, environmental, availability of resources, societal and spiritual impact of excessive, run-away consumption. The goal of the World Congress was to find a balanced, sustainable global consumption. About 20% of Earth’s people account for 80% of the world's total consumption. Globalization of the world economic system is proceeding at a very rapid pace, and is generally promoted as being welfare-improving. * Globalization is a process interaction which involves growing economic interdependence of countries worldwide with implications and impacts on social, cultural, political, environmental and familial aspects and rights. With the globalization of the economy comes now the task for defining the obligations that go with the rights. This phenomenon is also present in the arena of international finance. In this area, however, the presumed virtues of globalization are far from being materialised. Until now, no orderly or stable financial system has been implemented. Furthermore, the current financial system does not succeed in channelling sufficient funds to finance crucial world problems such as adequate social development in poor countries. We have assigned ourselves the task of defining a set of rules to balance consumption, consumer rights and responsibilities : a) Socially responsible and sustainable to future generations * Consumers' rights impinge on the rights of other humans living in Earth Government. The right to choice is the consumer right that refers to the right to have a range and variety of goods and services at competitive, fair prices and variable, satisfactory quality. In order to assure choice in the developed country markets, governments have implemented trade laws to facilitate cross border transactions and transnational corporations (TNCs) have set up business off shore so they can lessen the cost of the production process. The goods that are available in the developed country markets are provided by slave labour, child labour, sweatshops or in countries that allow the TNCs to forego adhering to pollution or ecological concerns and human rights in pursuit of profit. Labour rights are abused in efforts to earn more profits. This leads to abhorrent working conditions, job insecurity and low living standards (all human rights). Consumers in developed countries have been socialized to want more and more things to consume but have not been socialized to appreciate the impact of their consumption choices on the human rights of other people; that is, they are not being responsible for their decisions. * Earth Government found a way of dealing with globalization: global ethics. In the past, corporations rule without checks and balances. From now on global ethics will be a basic minimum to do business, and there will be checks and balances. Our judgement will be based on global ethics. Global ethics must always be grounded in realities. But realities are changing constantly and are different in different places. We live in a world that makes progress toward democracy. Ethics and morality exist only when human beings can act freely. In our free society, rights are tied to responsibilities. Corporations are committed to improvement in business performance and want to be seen as 'good corporate citizens' on a local and a global scale. Corporations have social responsibilities as they are an integral part of society. Global ethics recalls that those realities, on which others build upon, have to be protected first. Earth Government found that universal values and human rights as described above were the foundation of global ethics. * Earth Government has now at hand the method and framework to conduct societal checks and balances of a global sustainable development. A more balance world economy will result of annual checks and balances. Corporations will take their social responsibilities and become involved in designing, monitoring, and implementing these checks and balances. Several corporations have already done so. Results will be taken into account in the evaluation of sustainable development. Corporations are required to expand their responsibilities to include human rights, the environment, community and family aspects, safe working conditions, fair wages and sustainable consumption aspects. * Global consumption is a very important aspect of globalization. Consumers should be concerned with the impact of their decisions on the environment but also on the lives, human rights and well-being of other people. Since one of the key functions of families as a social institution is to engage in production (selling their labour in return for wages) and consumption (using those wages to buy goods and services), then the role of families has an impact on sustainable consumption and development. * Just as corporations have social responsibilities and so do consumers in societies. Consumers are socialized to improve the quality of their lives. Quality of life is a multi-dimensional, complex and very subjective concept. For instance, someone who has changed their consumption habits to better ensure that their choices will make a better quality of life for themselves, the environment and future generations, may be seen by others as having a lower or inferior quality of life since they have removed themselves from the materialistic mainstream characteristic of our consumer society. Someone may feel that an absence of violence and abuse in their life leads to a higher quality of living even though they have fewer tangible resources, money, or shelter; peace of mind and freedom from abuse has increased the quality of their daily life relative to what it was like before. There are universal quality of life values which lead to "human betterment" or the improvement of the human condition. In addition to the value of species survival (human and other living organisms), they include: adequate resources, justice and equality, freedom, and peace or balance of power. A better quality of life for all people of Earth Government is a goal for all of us and one of our universal values.
(This is a part of a brain-storming exercise to be pursued between now and Global Dialogue 2004 so everyone may continue sending ideas and research papers)
It is understood that whenever a person is given a right or a responsibility then 'a global community' and 'The Global Community' give the right or responsiblity to that person. Similarly, whenever a right or a responsibility is given to 'a global community' or to 'The Global Community' then the rights and responsiblities of a person are readjusted accordingly. For now these rights and responsibilities are considered the same as those of a person in 'a Global Community'.
(This is a part of a brain-storming exercise to be pursued between now and Global Dialogue 2004 so everyone may continue sending ideas and research papers)
It is understood that whenever a person is given a right or a responsibility then 'a global community' and 'The Global Community' give the right or responsiblity to that person. Similarly, whenever a right or a responsibility is given to 'a global community' or to 'The Global Community' then the rights and responsiblities of a person are readjusted accordingly. Note: these rights and responsibilities will need to be combined with those of 'The Global Community'. * The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures. * No one may be compelled to belong to an association. * A member of a global community is entitled to a social and international order. * Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace. * Earth Government also believes that the Earth Court of Justice is the only higher Court to decide about global problems and their solutions, to discriminate and to prosecute on the basis of the Scale of Human and Earth Rights and on the basis of the Belief, Values, Principles and Aspirations of the New Age. * The Universal Declaration of Human Rights resides in the fact that it gives equal emphasis to cultural rights, economic and social rights, and civil and political rights. Earth Government asks how meaningful is the right to life or to participation in political life if the ecological base (the base of life) is seriously threatened: * wilderness is vastly disappearing* Earth Government 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. Earth Government Organization 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 Earth Government. 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. * A healthy environment is essential to long term prosperity and well-being, and citizens in Earth Government demand a high level of ecological protection. Primordial human rights were developed for this purpose. * Primordial human rights are those human rights that individuals have by virtue of their very existence as human beings: to live, safety and security, eat, drink fresh water, breath clean air, and have shelter. These rights are separate categories than ecological rights, community rights, the right of the greatest number of people, economic rights, social rights, cultural rights and religious rights. Ecological and primordial human rights are the only rights that have existed unchanged throughout the evolutionary origin of our species. Any major change would have threatened our very existence. All other human rights listed here are rights created by human beings and can be changed depending of new circumstances; they are not stagnant but are rather flexible and adaptive, and they can evolve. Ecological and primordial human rights of this generation and of future generations are therefore much more important than any other human rights existing now and in the future. * The existing and future uses of water are constantly challenged; balancing supply and demand is made even harder by the amounts of pollution found in the air, land and waters. A large part of our body is made of water, and we cannot live without water; therefore water is a primordial human right by our very nature. In order to avoid conflicts and wars over drinking (fresh)water, fresh water has been categorized as a primordial human right. Industrial pollution plays a major role in the deterioration of nature but this time the level of pollution is above the carrying capacity of the ecosystem. Pollution also affects significantly human health and all lifeforms on Earth. Every person needs Oxygen to live so clean air is certainly also a primordial human right by our very nature. * Morally right actions or policies are those that result in the greatest number of people. Earth Government asks how meaningful is the right of the greatest number of people if they agree to the challenge or damage the ecological base of the Earth. The greatest number of people cannot and will not be allowed to supersede the rights of the ecological base of Earth. * Earth Government asks how meaningful is the right to life or to participation in political life if poverty, gender inequality, destitution and epidemics prevent individuals from enjoying freedom of movement, freedom to vote, to marry and so on? Earth Government found evident that economic and social rights are the essential prerequisite for the effectiveness and exercise of all other rights (other than ecological rights) recognized for human beings. This was the reason for organizing the World Congress: to find the best ways to sustain us all. The developing countries are having a harder time than others to achieve the exercise of these rights on a lasting basis, with the problems of economic globalization presenting new challenges. We must therefore beware of enforcing economic rights alone to the detriment of individual civil rights and the rights of all individuals to decide their own fate and the future of their country, their political rights. The universality of human rights recognizes the right of all individuals to participate in the cultural life of their community and of other country, to receive education and training, and to be informed. During the World Congress, you were asked to list universal values that were the most important, very important, important, not so important, and values that should be let go in order to sustain all life on Earth. Earth Government is aware that traditional customs and standards could burden the sustainability of all life on Earth. They could burden Earth society or any society forever, and holds individuals in a straitjacket. We cannot accept that. No one can! There are choices to be made and you must make them. Cultures can develop and can go on developing. Even religious beliefs may evolve (read the article 'Religious beliefs, Peace in the world and Earth management'). We are living now and we are able to create these changes. We are at least as bright, most certainly brighter, than the people who were living thousand of years ago. As far as Earth Government is concerned, cultural and religious differences cannot be a reason or an excuse or a pretext for not respecting human rights including and most importantly the ecological rights. Quite the contrary, all kinds of cultures may promote human rights and especially cultural rights. They are different in their achievements, but they are equal in dignity where they are expressions of freedom. At any time or in any given place, men, women and children use their culture to invent new ways of making human rights a living reality. Diversity enriches us if it respects the dignity of each individual, and if it takes account of human rights as a whole. * Security is a primordial human and Earth right. Earth Government has broadened the traditional focus of the security of states to include both the security of people as well as that of the planet. Global security policies include: a) every person on Earth has a right to a secure existence, and all states have an obligation to protect those rights * Another major source of global unsecurity for people is the culture of violence in everyday life as it is shown on television screens and cinemas. The American Way of Life is creating this culture of violence. An american child at age six year old has seen more violence on television than any other child of the Middle East over a life span. This culture of violence infects both industrial and developing countries, rich and poor. This trend of culture of violence must end. The movie and TV industry is a threat to global security. The media is responsible for the propagation of violence through communications. Why has government not done anyhting to regulate the media industry? Surely everyone understood that on the Scale of Human and Earth Rights security of the people of any nation is more important than the human rights related to the freedom of expression of the media industry. Security of the people and the state is on top of the Scale. It is part of the primordial human rights. While freedom of expression is a right found lower on the Scale and is classified partly as a) Community rights and the right that the greatest number of people has by virtue of its number (50% plus one) and after voting representatives democratically (these rights can be and are usually a part of the constitution of a country) and partly as* So the freedom of expression of a person is not as important as the security of that person and the security of the state. * Earth Government is concerned with the sustainability of current levels and patterns of consumption and with the economic, political, personal, environmental, availability of resources, societal and spiritual impact of excessive, run-away consumption. The goal of the World Congress was to find a balanced, sustainable global consumption. About 20% of Earth’s people account for 80% of the world's total consumption. Globalization of the world economic system is proceeding at a very rapid pace, and is generally promoted as being welfare-improving. Globalization is a process interaction which involves growing economic interdependence of countries worldwide with implications and impacts on social, cultural, political, environmental and familial aspects and rights. With the globalization of the economy comes now the task for defining the obligations that go with the rights. This phenomenon is also present in the arena of international finance. In this area, however, the presumed virtues of globalization are far from being materialised. Until now, no orderly or stable financial system has been implemented. Furthermore, the current financial system does not succeed in channelling sufficient funds to finance crucial world problems such as adequate social development in poor countries. We have assigned ourselves the task of defining a set of rules to balance consumption, consumer rights and responsibilities : a) Socially responsible and sustainable to future generations * Consumers' rights impinge on the rights of other humans living in Earth Government. The right to choice is the consumer right that refers to the right to have a range and variety of goods and services at competitive, fair prices and variable, satisfactory quality. In order to assure choice in the developed country markets, governments have implemented trade laws to facilitate cross border transactions and transnational corporations (TNCs) have set up business off shore so they can lessen the cost of the production process. The goods that are available in the developed country markets are provided by slave labour, child labour, sweatshops or in countries that allow the TNCs to forego adhering to pollution or ecological concerns and human rights in pursuit of profit. Labour rights are abused in efforts to earn more profits. This leads to abhorrent working conditions, job insecurity and low living standards (all human rights). Consumers in developed countries have been socialized to want more and more things to consume but have not been socialized to appreciate the impact of their consumption choices on the human rights of other people; that is, they are not being responsible for their decisions. * Earth Government found a way of dealing with globalization: global ethics. In the past, corporations rule without checks and balances. From now on global ethics will be a basic minimum to do business, and there will be checks and balances. Our judgement will be based on global ethics. Global ethics must always be grounded in realities. But realities are changing constantly and are different in different places. We live in a world that makes progress toward democracy. Ethics and morality exist only when human beings can act freely. In our free society, rights are tied to responsibilities. Corporations are committed to improvement in business performance and want to be seen as 'good corporate citizens' on a local and a global scale. Corporations have social responsibilities as they are an integral part of society. Global ethics recalls that those realities, on which others build upon, have to be protected first. Earth Government found that universal values and human rights as described above were the foundation of global ethics. * Earth Government has now at hand the method and framework to conduct societal checks and balances of a global sustainable development. A more balance world economy will result of annual checks and balances. Corporations will take their social responsibilities and become involved in designing, monitoring, and implementing these checks and balances. Several corporations have already done so. Results will be taken into account in the evaluation of sustainable development. Corporations are required to expand their responsibilities to include human rights, the environment, community and family aspects, safe working conditions, fair wages and sustainable consumption aspects. * Global consumption is a very important aspect of globalization. Consumers should be concerned with the impact of their decisions on the environment but also on the lives, human rights and well-being of other people. Since one of the key functions of families as a social institution is to engage in production (selling their labour in return for wages) and consumption (using those wages to buy goods and services), then the role of families has an impact on sustainable consumption and development. * Just as corporations have social responsibilities and so do consumers in societies. Consumers are socialized to improve the quality of their lives. Quality of life is a multi-dimensional, complex and very subjective concept. For instance, someone who has changed their consumption habits to better ensure that their choices will make a better quality of life for themselves, the environment and future generations, may be seen by others as having a lower or inferior quality of life since they have removed themselves from the materialistic mainstream characteristic of our consumer society. Someone may feel that an absence of violence and abuse in their life leads to a higher quality of living even though they have fewer tangible resources, money, or shelter; peace of mind and freedom from abuse has increased the quality of their daily life relative to what it was like before. There are universal quality of life values which lead to "human betterment" or the improvement of the human condition. In addition to the value of species survival (human and other living organisms), they include: adequate resources, justice and equality, freedom, and peace or balance of power. A better quality of life for all people of Earth Government is a goal for all of us and one of our universal values. * Earth Government found that an adequate level of health care is a universal value as well as a human right. We expect adequate health services to be accessible, affordable, compassionate and socially acceptable. We believe that every individual of a society is co-responsible for helping in implementing and managing health programmes along with the government and the public institutions. * Earth Government calls upon all nations and global communities to publicize the text of the Scale of Human and Earth Rights and to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the political status of countries or territories. * Earth Government recognizes the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family as the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world, Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings and everyone should enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people. * Human and Earth rights should be protected by the rule of law. * The peoples of Earth Government have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human and Earth rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom. * Whereas the peoples of Earth Government have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with Earth Government, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms. A common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge. * Earth Government proclaims the Scale of Human and Earth Rights as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every global community, every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of global communities themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction. * All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. * Every member of a global community has the right to life, liberty and security of person. * No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. * Every member of a global community has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law. * All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination. * Every member of a global community has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law. * No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile. * Every member of a global community is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him. * Every member of a global community charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence. * No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed. * No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Every member of a global community has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks. * (1) Every member of a global community has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution. (2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations. * (1) Every member of a global community has the right to a nationality. (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality. * (1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution. (2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses. (3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State. * (1) Every member of a global community has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property. * Every member of a global community has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance. * Every member of a global community has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. * (1) Every member of a global community has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association. (2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association. * (1) Every member of a global community has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives. (2) Every member of a global community has the right of equal access to public service in his country. (3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures. * Every member of a global community, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality. * (1) Every member of a global community has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment. (2) Every member of a global community, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work. (3) Every member of a global community who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection. (4) Every member of a global community has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests. * Every member of a global community has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay. * (1) Every member of a global community has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control. (2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection. * (1) Every member of a global community has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit. (2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace. (3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children. * (1) Every member of a global community has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits. (2) Every member of a global community has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author. * Every member of a global community is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized. * (1) Every member of a global community has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible. (2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, Every member of a global community shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society. (3) These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations. * Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein. * The Earth Court of Justice will hear cases involving crimes related to the global ministries. It will have the power to rule on cases involving crimes related to each one of the ministries. * The invasion of nations such as those of the Middle East and Afghanistan are crimes against humanity and will be prosecuted. * It is a crime against humanity and all life on Earth not to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. It is a terrible crime against the global life-support systems, against the very existence of the next generations. On the Scale of Human and Earth Rights the crime is of maximum importance. There is no need to wait for the election of Earth Government to create the Earth Court of Justice. The Court can be formed now and incorporated to Earth Government later. * Prosecuting criminals on the basis of universal jurisdiction regardless of a territorial or nationality nexus required a solid commitment of political will from national governments and Earth Government. Once in effect, the Earth Court of Justice will become the principal judicial organ of Earth Government. The Court will have a dual role: to settle in accordance with international law the legal disputes submitted to it by national governments, local communities, and in some special cases by corporations, non-government-organizations and citizens, and to give advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by duly authorized organs and agencies. The Court will be composed of judges elected by the Elected Representatives Council and Earth Security Council. It may not include more than one judge of any nationality. The Members of the Court do not represent their governments but are independent magistrates. The judges must possess the qualifications required in their respective countries for appointment to the highest judicial offices, or by jurists of recognized competence in international law. The composition of the Court has also to reflect the main forms of civilization and the principal legal systems of the world. * The Earth Court of Justice will hear cases involving: * nation states * The Earth Court of Justice will also rule on global problems and concerns such as the creation of a new nation in the world, and disputing territories or land between nations. The procedure followed by the Court is defined in its Statute. The Court decides in accordance with: * the Charter of Earth Government, * The Earth Court of Justice will handle environmental damage cause by the U.S. military action. Earth Government has classified the damage as a criminal liability for military personnel and/or their contractors. The war industry has become a liability to humanity. * Earth Government has broadened the traditional focus of the security of states to include both the security of people as well as that of the planet. Global security policies include: * every person on Earth has a right to a secure existence, and all states have an obligation to protect those rights * prevention of conflicts and wars; identification, anticipation, and resolving conflicts before they become armed confrontations. The Earth Court of Justice will help here. * military force is not a legitimate political instrument * weapons of mass destruction are not legitimate instruments of national defence * eliminate all weapons of mass destruction from all nations and have inspectors verifying progress to that effect * all nations should sign and ratify the conventions to eliminate nuclear, chemical and biological weapons * the production and trade in arms should be listed as a criminal act against humanity; this global ministry will introduce a Convention on the curtailment of the arms trade, a provision for a mandatory Arms Register and the prohibition of the financing or subsidy of arms exports by governments * the development of military capabilities is a potential threat to the security of people and all life on Earth; the ministry will make the demilitarization of global politics a high priority. * anticipating and managing crises before they escalate into armed conflicts and wars * maintaining the integrity of the environment and global life-support systems * managing the environmental, economic, social, political and military conditions that threatened the security of people and the planet * over the past decades and even now today, all Five Permanent Members of the United Nations Security Council (mostly the United States, Russia and Britain) were responsible for selling weapons and war equipment. These three nations are required to give back to Earth Government an amount of 8 trillion dollars (American) as a payment for the immense damage they have caused in the world. They have created a culture of violence throughout the world. They are nation bullies, nation predators. They are responsible for economic mismanagement, ethnic tensions, crimes, drug abuse, high unemployment, urban stress, worldwide poverty, and pressures on natural resources. Most conflicts in the world are direct legacies of cold war power politics, senseless politics. Other conflicts were caused by the end of the cold war and the collapse of old regimes. Other factors have combined to increase tension: religious, economical, political, and ethnic aspects. * In the past, security was thought as better accomplished through military means. Expanding the military capabilities and forming alliances with other nations were the only way to 'win'. Today wars are unlikely to produce winners. Earth Government is all over the planet. Ethnic groups are everywhere. Some say there are more Italians in Montreal, Canada that there are in Italy. So we would fight our own people? Wars truly make no sense! The world is too crowded and too small nowadays! And weapons too lethal! So security cannot be achieved through the military. The only job the military should be asked to do today is to protect the global life-support systems. These systems have the highest priority on the Scale of Human and Earth Rights and are certainly more important than any of the other rights on the Scale including security. Simply because without life there is no other right possible. Without Oxygen there is no life! Without clean water there is no life! So protect life on Earth at all costs. Wars are the biggest threat to life and the ecosystem of the planet. Primordial human rights come next on the Scale of Human and Earth Rights. Without a shelter life will still exist in some places but is not possible in cold place. There are many related aspects of the global life-support systems: * global warming * Security must be achieved by other means than wars. We might as well shelved the war industry from humanity right now and that means phasing out all nuclear, biological, chemical weapons right now. No waiting! That also means having inspectors verifying the phasing out in all nations of the world, and not just in some Middle East country. The nature of global security has changed since the rise of Earth Government. Security used to be about the protection of the state and its boundaries, people, institutions and values from an outside threat. Earth Government will emphasize as a priority the prohibition of external interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states. Today the security of people within Earth Government is just as important as the security of states. Citizens must be secure. Earth Government is just as important as the security and life of citizens and states. * There are many threats to security other than the threats to the global life-support systems and threat caused by weapons of mass destruction and the threats to the sovereignty of a state, and they include: * the proliferation of conventional small arms * Global security can only be achieved if it can be shared by all peoples and through global co-operation, based on principles as explained in the Charter of the Earth Government such as justice, human dignity, and equity for all and for the good of all. All people and states are protected by Earth Government. * In all decisions made affecting the environment, the integrity of the ecosystem must be given primacy in conjunction with socially equitable and environmentally-sound development. * All discharges or pollution problems, no matter where they are located in a global community, will not be transferred onto other jurisdictions or global communities, nor should governments relax standards in order to attract industry. * Pollution prevention is complete prevention instead of displacement of problem and not the transferring pollution from one medium to another (for example from water to air). * Establishing sound limits to consumption, population and pollution. * Ensure that substances, processes and activities which are harmful to the environment are prevented from entering the environment, and to ensure that costly subsequent means of restoration are avoided, and that irreversible environmental degradation are avoided. Adverse effects include, but are not limited to: toxicity, bioaccumulation, bioconcentration, persistence, depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer, reduction of carbon sinks, increased greenhouse gases, increased human-induced climate change, reduction or loss of biodiversity, as well as heat, light and electro-magnetic radiation, atomic radiation, and hormone mimicry. * Every proponent of an intervention in the ecosystem must demonstrate that the intervention will not cause harm to the environment or will not create ecologically unsound wastes. * Use of prevention technologies - technologies that emphasize "protecting, conserving and sustaining the environment from the beginning, and thus avoiding the cycle of rectification of error - will contribute to socially equitable and environmentally-sound development. * Mandatory standards and technical regulations will be developed to prevent adverse effects of substances or activities on the ecosystem including the adverse effects on the health of human and non-human species within and throughout bioregions. * Prevent the release of persistent or biaccumulative toxics by changing the extractive or productive activities which produce the product or substance. * Maintaining lawns requires a drain on local water supplies. Governments should pass regulations which encourage the replacement of grass lawns with indigenous plant reserves consistent with the fauna of the bioregion and home/community market gardens. * The generation of waste shall be prevented, and the emphasis shall be on the generation of byproducts that can become an ecologically safe and sound resource. If waste is already in existence, waste shall be disposed of at its source in an ecologically safe and sound manner ensuring that nothing is being stored that could, if an accident occurred, cause harm to the environment. If no assurance can be given that waste will not cause potentially significant adverse effects, then the activity that is generating the wastes shall cease, or permission to undertake the project will not be granted. * The most stringent environmental provisions shall be adopted complying with all international, national, bilateral and bioregional agreements, protocols and conventions as a minimum.If there is a conflict between international, national, bilateral and regional agreements, the most stringent environmental provisions shall prevail. * Every activity or substance that could prevent the protection and conservation of the environment will be included in environmental legislation, regardless of whether the activity or substance is, or is presumed to be covered under another Act. * Governments shall undertake to not relax environmental standards and technical regulations, or human rights protection, or social justice and equality/equity provisions to attract short-term economic benefit. * No proposal to relax standards or technical regulations shall be used to attract industry into a specific global community. * "Ambient criteria", or "environmental quality criteria" refers to levels of contaminants in the environment that must be zero use, production, and release in all cases where a toxic substance is persistent or bioaccumulative. It also applies when a substance will generate persistent or bioaccumulative toxic byproducts or breakdown products during its productions, use or disposal. * Earth Government evaluates both the environmental costs of not converting to ecologically sound practices and the environmental costs of permitting ecologically unsound practices (including the costs to future generations of irreversible environmental degradation)and the environmental costs of potential mitigation, and restoration. * An actual assessment of the short and long term potentially adverse environmental effects of existing and proposed projects and activities shall be carried out. So-called "Environmental Assessments" which review "environmental, economic, social, cultural, heritage, health effects of the reviewable projects" are not legitimate environmental impact assessments. * A full cost accounting of violating the rights of the disenfranchised shall be carried out. The groups bearing the greatest impact from ecologically unsound practices are usually the disenfranchised in society-the poor and the members of minority groups. * The Polluter Pay Principle ensures that those who may release polluting substances into the environment pay the full-cost of environmentally safe handling, treatment, disposal, and remediation; in addition, permits shall be suspended and canceled, if the polluter has caused serious irreversible ecological damage. * Given that throughout history sympathetic government regimes have failed to enforce their own statutory legislation, and given that there has been resultant environmental degradation, current governments shall seek environmental compensation from companies that can be shown to have consistently contributed to environmental degradation. The funds from environmental compensation shall be put into developing. * Compensation shall never be used as reason for not exercising the duty to preserve, protect, conserve the environment. * There exists a notion that environmental degradation is reversible; it can be restored, and rehabilitated. This notion shall never be used as a justification for the causing of environmental degradation. * Experience has demonstrated that the concept of the disaster reduction should be enlarged to cover natural and other disaster situations including environmental and technological disasters and their interrelationship which can have a significant impact on social, economic, cultural and environmental systems, in particular in developing countries. * The argument that in a pristine environment that has not yet been polluted by industrial activity shall be able to have emission standards relaxed is inherently invalid and should be discounted. In other words a licence to pollute could be given to industry in an pristine area because the area is not yet officially been designated as being polluted. * Polluting industries that have been regulated under statutory law, shall not through redefinition of practice be excluded from the previous regulations [ where a plant with "industrial" air emissions is redefined as a recycling plant and thus the regulations related to "industrial.... ] is deemed inapplicable. * Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, the lack of scientific certainly shall not be used as a reason for postponing measures to prevent environmental degradation. Extreme care shall be applied to all potentially harmful emissions, contaminents, agents of pollutants, or re concentrated substances or created through imballance in biogeochemical cycles. * We are all members of Earth Government. We all have the duty to protect the rights and welfare of all species and all people. No humans have the right to encroach on the ecological space of other species and other people, or treat them with cruelty and violence. * All species, humans and cultures have intrinsic worth. They are subjects, not objects of manipulation or ownership. No humans have the right to own other species, other people or the knowledge of other cultures through patents and other intellectual property rights. * Defending biological and cultural diversity is a duty of all people. Diversity is an end in itself, a value, a source of richness both material and cultural. * All members of Earth Government including all humans have the right to sustenance -- to food and water, to safe and clean habitat, to security of ecological space. These rights are natural rights, they are birthrights given by the fact of existence on earth and are best protected through community rights and commons. They are not given by states or corporations, nor can they be extinguished by state or corporate action. No state or corporation has the right to erode or undermine these natural rights or enclose the commons that sustain all through privatisation or monopoly control. * Earth democracy of Earth Government is based on economic democracy and on the Scale of Human and Earth Rights. Economic systems in Earth democracy of Earth Government protect ecosystems and their integrity, they protect people's livelihoods and provide basic needs to all. In the earth economy there are no disposable or dispensable species or people. The earth economy is a living economy. It is based on sustainable, diverse, pluralistic systems that protect nature and people, are chosen by people, for the benefit of the common good. * Conservation of the earth's resources and creation of sustainable and satisfying livelihoods is most caringly, creatively and efficiently and equitably achieved at the local level in a global community. Localization of economics is social and ecological imperative. Only goods and services that cannot be produced locally, using local resources, local knowledge should be produced non-locally and traded long distance. Earth democracy of Earth Government is based on vibrant, resilient local economies, which support national and global economies. The global economy does not crush and destroy local economies. * Earth democracy of Earth Government is based on local living democracy with local communities, organised on principles of inclusion and diversity and ecological and social responsibility having the highest authority on decisions related to the environment and natural resources and to the sustenance and livelihoods of people. Authority is delegated to more distant levels of governance on the principle of subsidiarity. Earth democracy of Earth Government is living democracy. * Earth democracy of Earth Government is based on earth centered and community centered knowledge systems. Living knowledge is knowledge that maintains and renews living processes and contributes to health of the planet and people. It is also living knowledge in that it is embedded in nature and society, is not abstract, reductionist and anti-life. Living knowledge is a commons, it belongs collectively to communities that create it and keep it alive. All humans have a duty to share knowledge. No person or corporation has a right to enclose monopolize patent or exclusively own as intellectual property living knowledge. * In Earth democracy of Earth Government, rights are derived from and balanced with responsibility. Those who bear the consequences of decisions and actions are the decision makers. * Earth democracy of Earth Government connects people in circles of care, cooperation and compassion instead of dividing them through competition and conflict. Earth democracy globalizes compassion, not greed, and peace, not war. * Earth without forests is a picture that most of humankind presently could not conceive. Forests cover much of the planet's land area. They are extremely important to humans and the natural world. For humans, they have many aesthetic, recreational, economic, historical, medicinal, cultural and religious values. Timber and other products of forests are important economically both locally and as exports. They provide employment for those who harvest the wood or products of the living forest. Herbalists, rubber tappers, hunters and collectors of fungi, nuts, bamboo and berries are able to utilize such resources. Other non-wood forest products come in the form of medicinal compounds, dyes and fabrics. There are many people who are dependent on forestlands for their livelihoods. One-third of the world's people depend on wood for fuel as a significant energy source. Surveys in Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana and Liberia found that forest wildlife accounted for 70 to 90 percent of the total animal protein consumed. Some indigenous peoples are completely dependent on forests. As well as providing a home for some people, the forest environment provides a popular setting for ecotourism, which includes hiking, camping, bird watching and other outdoor adventure or nature study activities. * Trees protect the soil against erosion and reduce the risks of landslides and avalanches. They may increase the rate that rainwater recharges groundwater as well as control the rate that water is released in watersheds. They help to sustain freshwater supplies and therefore are an important factor in the availability of one of life's basic needs. Forests affect the climate and are an important source of oxygen. The biological diversity of life is notably much greater in the rainforests. Tropical rainforests may contain over one-half the world's total species. But today humankind threatens the forests that provide so much. The tropical forests are most affected, but temperate woodlands are also at great risk. About 1,113,000 hectares of forest in Brazil and 989,000 hectares in Canada were destroyed in 1995. British Columbia has about forty percent of its original forests remaining, while Europe has less than half. The United States have approximately one to two percent of their original forest cover. Recent reports by the World Resources Institute have shown that more than 80% of the planet's natural forests have already been destroyed". Humankind is the cause of deforestation. But just as humans are able to create such widespread destruction, they can have a positive effect on the crisis. * Since so many are dependent on the world's forests, deforestation will have many social, economic and ecological effects. Deforestation results in many negative consequences. The loss of forestlands is connected to desertification, a widespread phenomenon. Fewer trees translate into an insecure future for forest workers. Heavy rainfall and high sunlight quickly damage the topsoil in clearings of the tropical rainforests. In such circumstances, the forest will take much longer to regenerate and the land will not be suitable for agricultural use for quite some time. Where forests are replanted, their replacement can mean a loss of quality. As well there is the possibility that the basic elements of potential medical treatments, cures and vaccines may lie undiscovered within these environments. There may be a loss of future markets for ecotourism. The value of a forest is often higher when it is left standing than it could be worth when it is harvested. Some indigenous peoples' way of life and survival are threatened by the loss of forests. Among these groups are the Waorani of the Amazon's tropical rainforest, the Sami of Lapland's taiga and the Kyuquot of Vancouver Island's temperate rainforest . Often, the stakeholders associated with forest areas are not always consulted before clearcutting occurs. This has sometimes led to non-violent and violent confrontation and fueled bitter rivalries between area residents, the forest sector and environmentalists. Consequently anti-environmentalism has intensified and environmental activism can be dangerous. * Deforestation can cause the climate to become more extreme in nature; the occurrence and strength of floods and droughts could increase. Forests store large amounts of carbon that are released when trees are cut or burned. It is projected that deforestation and the burning of biomass will be responsible for fifteen percent of the greenhouse effect between 1990 and 2025. The ranges of tree species could shift with respect to altitude and latitude as a result of global warming. Furthermore, the stress of such environmental change may make some species more susceptible to the effects if insects, pollution, disease and fire. In addition, genetic diversity may decrease and areas of trees may be lost. Rising sea levels brought on by global warming have the potential to threaten the locations of many major cities, much fertile agricultural land, the purity of freshwater supplies and the survival of some nations. The clearing of forestland results in increased erosion and landslides. Soil from areas of reduced forest cover can fill reservoirs created by dams. Thus a dam's ability and future capacity to generate hydroelectricity and provide irrigation would be significantly reduced. Forests play a crucial role in the management of fisheries. Logging has directly and indirectly damaged spawning grounds, blocked river channels, raised water temperatures and caused water levels in streams to fluctuate dangerously. Therefore, the removal of trees can reduce the viability of fish stocks in their watershed and downstream environments. The effects of deforestation discussed are of considerable magnitudes. Still, with all the present and predicted problems, it was estimated that one acre of Canadian forest was logged every 12.9 seconds in 1995. * People destroy or degrade forests because, for them, the benefits seem to outweigh the costs. Underlying causes include such issues as poverty, unequal land ownership, women's status, education and population. Immediate causes are often concerned with a search for land and resources, including both commercial timber and fuelwood. The impact of the timber trade is generally greater than has been claimed in the past. The North plays a key role in many of the factors leading to forest decline. * Beside the global warming, the human activity that affects Earth most is that of food production. 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. Hopefully this will help natives of British Columbia, Canada, to settle their land claims in their favor as they are the only people in Canada who can help protecting wildlife, at least for now. There should be a definite and specific clause in any agreement with the natives that it is what they will do with the land and not turn it into a huge industrial site as would the white man do. * In the tropical forests of the world, the clearing of the land for agriculture and livestock are the primary activities resulting in deforestation. The main cause is unequal distribution of land. About 4.5 percent of Brazil's landowners hold 81 percent of the country's farmland, and 70 percent of the rural households are landless. It seems that these conditions cause people to encroach on, penetrate and modify the forests. Governments have an important role in these processes. The Brazilian government subsidizes some of the cattle ranches that exist on converted forestland. The land is unproductive. Much of the demand for the beef comes from the fast food hamburger market. The roads that are built into the rainforest encourage and provide access for settling activities. There are many government agencies with policies that are uncoordinated in nature. Long range planning is not undertaken; and the Amazon is greatly affected by forces outside of the region. Some of the causes of migration to the tropical forests are population growth and political persecution. The settlers clearing and cultivating the land do not have the knowledge and experience of indigenous peoples of the forests and are unable to utilize the land effectively or sustainably. The process of shifting cultivation is accelerated and as a result the forest doesn't have enough time to recover. Tropical rainforests are truly under assault by humans. * Deforestation in the world's temperate regions is mainly caused by commercial forestry. The forces of large global markets for wood and wood products drive the scale of logging activities such as clearcutting. The source of the demand is increased consumption by North America and Europe, not population growth. Again, transportation routes have a role, opening up new areas for natural resource exploitation. Privatization of natural resource industries has led to decreased regulations regarding timber harvesting. Multinational corporations dominate trade in wood. Most of these companies were organized in the United States. There is also less government interference in trade and ownership issues. As vertical integration is the trend, harvesting of wood is often no longer the focus of many companies. As a result, forest operations may be readily moved around the world. The timber is often exported in an unprocessed state out of the country of origin. With forestry not being a central or continually established part of some firms, improvement of forest practices is not a priority. The maximization of profit is generally the only available option for top management. The range, size and power of these multinational corporations can translate into great political influence. Such influence can be gained through financial contributions, bribes or the control of entertainment and transportation. Government processes such as the appointment of ministers and officials may be affected. The situation in Canada is slightly different than other nations. Most of the forests are publicly owned; but much is leased to private industrial interests. Powerful economic interests are in control of deforestation. These interests are motivated by the consumption of wood, paper and other forest products in the developed and overdeveloped countries. * Deforestation is a serious problem. But humans can make a difference. An individual as well as a business can practice green consumerism. They can make an effort to purchase the most ecologically sensitive products. Recycled paper is readily available. Such a product can reduce the demand for timber. Another method is to purposely avoid harmful products by consumer boycotts. In terms of deforestation, these include tropical rainforest wood, old-growth wood and beef produced on ranches in the tropical rainforest. For additional effectiveness, boycotts can be applied to other products of companies involved in deforestation as well as their subsidiaries. Requesting alternative products such as clearcut-free paper and eco-certified lumber is important in convincing companies that markets for environmentally responsible products do indeed exist. None of these activities can occur without the raising of public awareness to inform consumers about the environmental effects of their products. One of the most important ways for a person to have a positive effect is to reduce his or her consumption of forest and related products. An increase in the participation of the public in and the accessibility and productiveness of facilities for reducing, reusing and recycling is necessary. * Government and industry must become more aware of the consequences of their activities and change accordingly. They need to cooperate in forest management and working towards a future that benefits all. In some areas, myths created by the forest sector need to be exposed. One of these myths is that a given community is solely dependent on forestry and can only survive by cutting more trees down. In British Columbia many such towns are suffering for high unemployment. Job loss is often blamed on environmental regulations but is more likely to be the result of increased mechanization and worldwide economic changes. The production of value-added forest products would create more jobs and bring more wealth to these logging communities. The net affect of this would be to reduce the pressure on the forests. If commercial forestry is to have a future, its methods need to become more ecologically sound and sustainable. Selective logging is a viable alternative. It leaves the most of the forest intact and doesn't eliminate the original ecosystem. Selective logging has been shown to make a profit and more jobs for a given area. The combination of selective logging and value-added manufacturing in Switzerland have resulted in the creation of "13 times as many jobs per cubic metre than in British Columbia". In British Columbia, forestry is dominated by clearcutting and most of the province's timber is exported for manufacture elsewhere. Another method is known as whole tree harvesting. This uses all of the wood from a tree. The branches and the treetops are converted into wood chips. The result of whole tree harvesting is a greater number of jobs and products . Governments must play a greater role in forest management to protect the environment and employment. Government processes should ensure that the interests of all stakeholders and as well as the long-term effects associated with forest areas are taken into account during forest planning. Some governments may have to adopt radical policies. For example redistributing arable land so that the forests are no longer needed for farming and ranching. Agencies involved in forest planning, management and protection need adequate funding, staff and resources. Governments should stop defending the forest industry from criticism and end the practice of subsidization. Propaganda originating from governments and corporations requires elimination if the public is to be able to make the right choices. As well both institutions must take the initiative without expect the other to take the first step. * At the present, it is beneficial for business to have environmentally sensitive policies. However, it is the public's perception of these policies, not their actual implementation, which is important. For reliable, faster change, companies have to voluntarily address their problems. Also increased consumer awareness is required for corporate accountability to increase. Consumer demand, activism and use of the media will be the driving force behind this. Also corporations should realize that with currently unsustainable practices, the use of alternatives is inevitable and therefore economically important. Businesses with this attitude could ensure their future is profitable by exploring the coming markets. * Probably only the actions of concerned citizens and consumers will compel government and industry to make changes in the forests. Individuals can communicate their uncertainty about the future of the world's forests to politicians, corporate executives and non-governmental organizations through personal communication in the form of letters, telephone calls, faxes and e-mails or in groups using petitions and rallies. Perhaps changes in government processes would be helpful. Direct democracy would allow a nation's citizens to have a greater say in lawmaking through referendums. In such a system a comparatively small amount of signatures would have to be collected to force a referendum to refuse a law or to vote on a law proposed by the people. This could have potential in some countries affected by deforestation. For instance, studies show that most Canadians and British Columbians oppose the practices of clearcutting and logging of old growth forests. * Education is one of the most effective catalysts for change. Society should undertake to educate the people of today to change their ways and the younger generations to have respect for nature. In forest regions, the young people should receive knowledge about the biological, social and economic values of forests. Environmental conservation should be conferred as much importance as math, physics and history in school curricula. Workers should be taught to use technology to enhance forest ecosystems instead of destroying them and for reforestation and afforestation projects. Human ideologies require modification. Anthropocentrism needs to give way to ecocentrism as the dominant view of the world. If humans are able to see themselves as part of nature, they will also respect forests as living communities, not just resources to be exploited. Perhaps forests need to be perceived as a non-renewable resource. * It is recognized that women are more connected to the environment and that both are given less important roles in human society. Changes are needed in human attitudes towards both. A change in one will require the other to succeed to the fullest. A shift of power to females in society will benefit the biosphere. This factor must also be incorporated into education and public awareness campaigns. * There are indigenous peoples who have lived in the forests for a long time. They have managed to use the forests sustainably while practicing shifting agriculture or hunting and gathering. Some of them still live in relative isolation in the forests. Humankind should protect their rights and preserve their cultures. They could be models for sustainability in the future. Indigenous peoples can show us what forest products to use and how to use them properly. They deserve to continue their ways of life. * Humans bear the responsibility for deforestation and the global ecological crisis. But humankind has the ability and potential to change its ways. Humans will probably turn the situation around and the lost forests will be regenerated. The benefits will be many. Trees will help protect the land from the rising seas and further erosion. Biodiversity will be safeguarded, and endangered species will have better chances for survival. Water and air quality will improve. Human health will also benefit from medicinal compounds that are given a chance to be discovered. The population will have great expanses of terrain to find relaxation, seek refuge from cities, or challenge themselves. Local economies will gain from ecotourism and consumers worldwide will gain satisfaction from knowing that their wood products were harvested in a sustainable manner that left four out of five trees standing. In order for this to occur humans would have had to undergo some degree of ideological change. Humans will live more sustainable lives and be closer in harmony with nature. Once the crisis of deforestation has passed, humankind will enjoy a finer existence, and will look forward to a bright future.
A typical global community 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. 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. We can no longer perceive ourselves as a People who could survive alone and a People who does not need anyone else. We belong and depend to this much larger group, that of The Global Community. The 21st Century will see limitless links and symbiotical relationships with and within The Global Community. 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. 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 Earth Government 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.). To become a member of The Global Community you can be: * a global community Any of these groups can formed together a global symbiotical relationship. Earth Government has begun to establish the existence of the New Age Civilization of the 3rd Millennium, the age of symbiotical relationships and global cooperation. An economically base symbiotical relationship exists between nations of the European Union. Other types (geographical, economical, social, business-like, political, religious, and personal) may be created all over the world between communities, nations, and between people themselves. There has always been symbiotical relationships in Nature, and between Souls and the matter of the universe to help creating Earth and life on Earth to better serve God. 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 Earth Government 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, women's rights, human and Earth rights, and many more. There is a whole spectrum of possible symbiotical relationships. Global 2000 and Global Dialogue 2002 were the first world conferences on sustainable development and Earth management that brought forward sound solutions to humanity's problems. Symbiotical relationships are needed today and for the long term future of humanity. A global symbiotical relationship between nations is more than just a partnership, or an economical agreement such as the WTO. The WTO is about a trade partnership between nations. Of course it is a bad idea to be a member of the World Trade Organization ( WTO). There are no advantages! It just does not work for anyone except when you have an army to knock down any member who does not do your five wishes and plus. A membership in the WTO is not needed and nations should instead seek relationships with fewer other nations only if needed. Certainly it is better to seek an economic relationship with another nation we can trust than with a hundred nations we have no control on and everyone of those nations has a say in the governing of our nation, its environment and social structure. The WTO only offers illusions to profit the few wealthiest people on Earth. They say "become an industrialized nation as we are". But that is the biggest illusion of all. To become an industrialized nation is far from being the best solution. The best way and solution for any nation is to follow the Scale of Human and Earth Rights. Right on top of the scale are the ecological rights, the global life-support systems, and the primordial human rights of this generation and of the next generation. Economic and social rights come next and are not the most important. That makes a lot of sense! The effect of IMF and World Bank policies in the world caused the destruction of the economies of the poor nations (now we call them 'developing' countries). They impoverished the people by taking away basic services and devaluating their currency. They opened up the national economy to be ravaged by competition with richer nations. Poverty lead to other problems causing the ecological destruction of a poor nation. 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. 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 Earth Government into our ways of life, justice, peace, spiritual freedom, security, and many other important aspects as described in the global ministries (agriculture, energy, trade, resources, etc.).
A trade partnership between nations, or an economical agreement is about the control of a nation by the other. Rich countries manipulate trade agreements in order to ensure profitability. What is trade when the US military is taken over a nation's resources? Trade has no meaning except when the US is getting richer at the expenses of all other nations, including Canada, and at the expenses of the global life-support systems. The military is used against domestic dissidents, like a police force. It is also used to expand markets and keep international dissidents in line. Governments of poor countries that try to take control of their own resources and develop their own economies (instead of remaining areas of cheap labour and raw materials for rich countries) are declared enemies, terrorists, and attacked, officially or otherwise. Nicaragua, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, and the Middle East are examples. U.S. military is "to protect U.S. interests and investments" and that includes making other nations safe for U.S multinational corporations. And that is exactly what is happening in the Middle East where the U.S. military is protecting its strategic economic interests especially the continue flow of oil at the cheapest price, thus making global warming worst by ten-fold. The argument for 'free trade' states that countries should specialize in certain products that they are good at producing and buy from other countries what they are not good at producing, so that the economy is more efficient. What kind of efficiency is it when the pieces of a product are sent half way around the world to be assembled in a country with cheap labour, then shipped back to be sold? It may be profitable, but it is a waste of time and energy as well as resources, and moving products this way is not environmentally friendly and is a threat to the global life-support systems. What kind of efficiency is that? Huge amounts of money are spent on marketing to get people to buy things that they don't need. Where is the efficiency in that? Of course it is a bad idea to be a member of the World Trade Organization ( WTO). There are no advantages! It just does not work for anyone except when you have an army to knock down any member who does not do your five wishes and plus. A membership in the WTO is not needed and nations should instead seek relationships with fewer other nations only if needed. Certainly it is better to seek an economic relationship with another nation we can trust than with a hundred nations we have no control on and everyone of those nations has a say in the governing of our nation, its environment and social structure. The WTO only offers illusions to profit the few wealthiest people on Earth. They say "become an industrialized nation as we are". But that is the biggest illusion of all. To become an industrialized nation is far from being the best solution. The best way and solution for any nation is to follow the Scale of Human and Earth Rights. Right on top of the scale are the ecological rights, the global life-support systems, and the primordial human rights of this generation and of the next generation. Economic and social rights come next and are not the most important. That makes a lot of sense! The effect of IMF and World Bank policies in the world caused the destruction of the economies of the poor nations (now we call them 'developing' countries). They impoverished the people by taking away basic services and devaluating their currency. They opened up the national economy to be ravaged by competition with richer nations. Poverty lead to other problems causing the ecological destruction of a poor nation. 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. The fundamental criteria is that a relationship is created for the good of all nations participating in the relationship and for the good of humanity, all life on Earth. The relationship allows a global equitable and peaceful development. 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 Earth Government into our ways of life,
justice, peace, spiritual freedom, security, and many other important aspects
as described in the global ministries (health, agriculture, energy, trade,
resources, etc.).
The statement of rights and responsibilities of a person and of belonging to 'a global community' and to 'The Global Community', the Earth Community, the human family, Earth Government, was not,
at first, meant to replace the Universal Declaration of Human and Earth Rights developed by Earth Government. But the Declaration becomes redundant. Only the statement was necessary. Even the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights becomes redundant as it is implicitly included in the Statement of the Rights and Responsibilities of a person and of belonging to 'a global community' and to 'The Global Community'. There are a lot more
rights and responsibilites found in the Statement than in the Declaration.
If anyone is interested we will show the Universal Declaration of Human and Earth Rights in our September Newsletter.
This is the first part of a report on global corporate ethics. In previous global dialogues, we have defined global corporate ethics and now several
corporations have jumped into the bandwagon.
Global corporate ethic is about establishing the ways to do things when conducting finances, business deals, business transactions, and dealing with labour, customers, consumers, partners, shareholders, suppliers, community issues, human and Earth rights, ecology, safety and health issues in the workplace, social justice, and all related women, children, minorities and aboriginal issues. Before undertaken any action ask yourself the following questions: 1. Is the life, health, safety or security of a person endangered by the actions? 2. Is the environment, and the global life-support systems endangered by the actions? 3. On what level of fairness, integrity, trust, and honesty would you rate the action? 4. Is the action legal? 5. Have I found a solution such that 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?
Everyone ask how we could rid the world of weapons of mass destruction. Here is a new 'old' way to do it: trading permits. It can be done with
greenhouses gases to solve the problem with global warming. What about using a similar technique to get rid of all weapons of mass destruction: nuclear, biological and chemical, and others.
How many nations would be interested? The question to ask is would it work? First of all does it work for the greenhouse gases?
In the oil industry, the 'carbon emission trading permits' is a mechanism by which oil companies could buy and sell greenhouse gas emissions trading permits as a possible solution to global warming. Producers of the deadly gases are fooling themselves first and then they fool the consumers of their products of mass destruction, the greenhouse gases. They are just extending the death of all lives by a few years, and they are not tackling the problem head-on. Global warming is the highest threat to Earth security and is everyone's business. Terrorism was, and still is, a problem humanity needed to tackle head-on and resolve the best we could, but global warming is by far the greatest threat to security of all people on Earth and to life itself. We have never tackle the problem head-on. We played around the problem and its solution. We know the solution to the problem of global warming, we know what we need to do to make this generation and future generations safe and secure, but we just never do what we really have to do to resolve the problem. The biggest problem to security is smaller than anything we can see, smaller than the smallest particle we can breathe, and it is a trace element in the air we breathe. A deadly gas, the greenhouse gas! We all know the problem, and we also know the solution. We can stop creating greenhouse gases. So now what is the problem? Producers of the greenhouse gases tell us "we are energy efficient" but the truth of the matter is that they are producing the deadly gases of mass destruction, and those deadly gases are killing us all, and all life on Earth. It does not matter how smart you may be in fooling yourselves in accepting a slow death, a suicide in a way, you are still killing yourselves and the people of the next generations. That is a crime against humanity. An oil company is proudly telling us with all sorts of gifts, grants and awards to the community that every year they have 'given' to their customers trillions of litres of the deadly gases. And, their customers, very proudly and carefully burned all of those litres. That is the biggest problem. We are told that we should be proud of burning the deadly gases. Americans invaded the Middle East to take over OPEC and their oil and burn trillions of barrels of oil. That means trillions of litres of the deadly gases entering the atmosphere of the Earth. The best and cheapest oil in the world being taken over by the worst consumers of the world. Just how mad are we? How insane are we getting to be? How can anyone be proud of thenselves about such an invasion? What is it? We enjoy driving with freedom on the highway?! We enjoy driving and to forget completely that we are actually killing ourselves and taking away the lives of people of the next generations. We want to forget we are destroying all life on Earth. The problems are the products oil companies produce and put on the market to consumers. The problems are those deadly products of mass destruction. It is worst than all known weapons of mass destruction as they kill by making consumers believe it is good for them. Like smoking cigarettes! Companies making cigarettes have for long told their consumers that a longer filter would not affect them so much and they would not get cancer and die of it. Whether or not you use the most energy-efficient machines and the best management team, and ISO 14001 for that matter, at the end it does not matter. You are still producing the deadly gases and consumers are still burning them. Consider the long filter for cigarettes as an illusionary solution to the problem and so are carbon emission trading permits. Oil companies are responsible and accountable of their products from beginning to end. The 'end' for an oil company does not end at the gas pump where a consumer buy your refine products. No! The end for you goes all the way to global warming, to pollution of the environment, to the destruction of the global life-support systems, to taking away lives of future generations, to the destruction of life on Earth. Very much so!
Earth rights are the rights to life on Earth.
At the early stage, when the Earth was formed, and a while later, all the conditions for the formation of life were present, and life was created to better serve God. Life was made of matter and every particle of that matter had a Soul that merged with all the others. That first spark of life had a unique and independent Soul, and its own Spirit, to better serve God. Throughout the different evolutionary stages of life on Earth, Souls have guided the step-by-step evolution of life on Earth and kept merging to better serve God. They guided the evolutionary process in small ways. Many groupings of Souls became more complex than others as they were much brighter beings than other groupings, but all serve God in their own special way. One unique and most wonderful grouping was the grouping that made the Human Soul. God loves the human Souls a lot because of their wonderful qualities. Through their Souls human beings became conscious of God in many different ways. Religions of all kinds started to spread on Earth over the past thousands of years to adore God and pray. Different groupings of Souls affected human beings in different ways and Peoples today have different religious beliefs. God is like a river feeding plentifully and bountifully all life and plants. There are many pathways leading to the river. They are God's pathways. God loves diversity in Nature and in Souls. God loves good Souls from all religions. The human species has reached a point in its evolution where it knows its survival is being challenged. The human species knows through the Souls and now that human Souls have merged and formed the Soul of Humanity, we will find it easier to fight for our own survival. The Soul of Humanity does not make decisions for us and can only help us understand and guide us on the way. In the past, human beings have had some kind of symbiotical relationship (which is something common in Nature between lifeforms in an ecosystem) with the Souls, and now with the Soul of Humanity. We work together for both our survival and well-being. Cooperation and symbiosis between lifeforms (especially human beings) on Earth and between lifeforms and their Souls and the Soul of Humanity have become a necessity of life. We help one another, joint forces, and accomplish together what we cannot accomplish separately. Several billion years ago this symbiosis between matter and Souls resulted in the making of complex biochemical systems. Symbiosis has worked throughout the evolution of life on Earth and today, the Soul of Humanity has decided to be more active with humanity by purifying Souls. The Soul of Humanity shows us the way to better serve God. The Soul of Humanity is helping to bring about the event of Peace in the world. Knowing that Earth is a spiritual entity as well as a physical entity in space and time in the universe we begin to have a better relationship with Earth and with all its living inhabitants. This way Earth management will become a spiritual and a natural process whereby each person is responsible and accountable for its management the best they can. Peace in the world and Earth management have for too long been in the hands of and affected by government and business leaders, in the hands of a few people on the planet, as opposed to being in the hands of all of us (6.157 billion people on Earth) working together to keep our planet healthy. We are the keepers of the Earth. To manage Earth is very important because Earth is all that we have, and Earth is a spiritual entity that wants respect. Earth is our most precious and the one and only place we can live. Earth is more than just a home - it is Heaven. God Himself is having a good time on Earth because of the diversity of lifeforms, its incredible beauty, and its magnificent 'top of the line species', us, who can adore and serve Him in so many different ways. God was touched deeply by humble people from all religions on Earth. We cannot allow ourselves to let governments and other organizations take away our responsibility for managing Earth. It would be like giving the key of Heaven, our Heaven, to people who would be looking after their own self-interests and not bother with what is truly important. Over the past thousands of years, our species has gone through all sorts of loops and dead ends but we are who we are today: hopeful, imaginative, creative, demanding, powerful, diversified, changing, evolving, intelligent, resourceful, and a kilometre length of skills, qualifications and strengths. We have what it takes to manage Earth wisely and keep it healthy. Somehow we never do enough or we don't do things well enough! What is missing? Respect for Earth is missing. We think of Earth as a pile of dirt to be used anyway we wish. We don't care because we have been told that God will have us in His Heaven after our death. Someone said to me: "So who cares about Earth? I am going to Heaven after I die..." . Guess what someone else said to that person..."from now on, after you die, you will be facing the "Soul of Humanity," and we have just the kind of dirt or dust particle you deserve". In connection between human well-being and a sound environment, Earth rights are ecological rights and the rights that human beings have in protecting their global life-support systems. Earth rights are those rights that demonstrate the connection between
human well-being and a sound environment. They include individuals and global
communities human rights and the rights to a clean environment, and
participation in development decisions.
1) Respect Earth and life in all its diversity
Let us define what is meant by ecological rights and the rights that protect the global life-support systems.
We define ecological rights as those rights of the ecosystem of the Earth beyond human purpose. They are those rights that protect and preserve the ecological heritage of the Earth for future generations. The Earth Court of Justice guarantees ecological rights in its Statute. The Court guarantees also the rights to a safe environment and an environment free from environmental degradation. Earth Government guarantees to maintain the ecological integrity of the Earth. The following commitments and activities are now in effect: 1) Protect and restore the integrity of Earth's ecological systems, with special concern for biological diversity and the natural processes that sustain lifeEarth Government will achieve its goals of protecting and preserving ecological rights and the gobal life-support systems by offering the world a sound governance and Earth management, and a socially equitable and environmentally sound sustainable development. 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 life-support systems. 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 idea of sustainability has been extended 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 Earth 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. The existing and future uses of water are constantly challenged; balancing supply and demand is made even harder by the amounts of pollution found in the air, land and waters. A large part of our body is made of water, and we cannot live without water; therefore water is a primordial human right by our very nature. In order to avoid conflicts and wars over drinking freshwater, freshwater has been categorized as a primordial human right. Industrial pollution plays a major role in the deterioration of nature but this time the level of pollution is above the carrying capacity of the ecosystem. Pollution also affects significantly human health and all lifeforms on Earth. Every person needs Oxygen to live so clean air is certainly also a primordial human right by our very nature. Beside the global warming, the human activity that affects Earth most is that of food production. 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. Hopefully this will help natives of British Columbia, Canada, to settle their land claims in their favor as they are the only people in Canada who can help protecting wildlife, at least for now. There should be a definite and specific clause in any agreement with the natives that it is what they will do with the land and not turn it into a huge industrial site as would the white man do. Global warming is certainly affecting the survival of these other lifeforms we want to take along with us over the next million years. Climate change has always been a major factor throughout the entire evolutionary stages of life on Earth and will continue to be so in the future. We will have to make sacrifices not only for our own survival but also for all life on Earth. Changes now are far too rapid for these other lifeforms to adapt. They will have to tolerate us more to survive. Obviously our survival on Earth and that of these other lifeforms are dependent on our behavior and attitude to the world. This point was largely discussed during Global 2000 and Global Dialogue 2002. ECO has researched and developed sound solutions to humanity's problems and recommendations are made available on our website. Our new ideas are part of life natural selection process and will be passed on from generation to generation. Whatever happen in this 3rd Millennium, which we have called the New Age Civilization of the 3rd Millennium, will depend of us and to what extent we are willing to make a difference to manage Earth wisely. Will our actions be geared to survive a decade, a hundred years, a thousand years, or a million years? If our actions were geared to survive a million years, the chances are that we would learn to master great things including harnessing the sun flare energy, interstellar travels, genetic engineering, and reajusting the planetary position of another planet in our system to initiate a new life on its surface. Is it no worth to make sacrifices now? A sound governance of the Earth is needed for the long term survival of our species. This is 'la raison d'etre' of the Interim Earth Government. ECO has proposed the creation of global ministries to manage Earth and humanity's global problems. The higher purpose of humanity is to serve God by propagating Life throughout the universe. So dont we have an obligation to do whatever we can to protect life on Earth? If our population was to decrease as projected here then what other major global problems would be managed automatically? This question is really saying that the overpopulation is the cause of several major global problems such as: * lack of resources
There are many related aspects of the global life-support systems that is affected by an overpopulated planet:
* global warming 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 Earth Community demand a high level of ecological protection. This is the 'raison d'etre' of the Scale of Human and Earth Rights. Primordial human rights are those human rights that individuals have by virtue of their very existence as human beings: to live, eat, drink fresh water, breath clean air, and have shelter. These rights are separate categories than ecological rights, the right of the greatest number of people, economic rights, social rights, cultural rights and religious rights. Ecological and primordial human rights are the only rights that have existed unchanged throughout the evolutionary origin of our species. Any major change would have threatened our very existence. All other human rights listed here are rights created by human beings and can be changed depending of new circumstances; they are not stagnant but are rather flexible and adaptive, and they can evolve. Ecological and primordial human rights of this generation and of future generations are therefore much more important than any other human rights existing now and in the future. In this way the Scale of Human 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. Proper Earth management and governance requires an evaluation of sustainable development. To achieve its goal of a proper Earth management and governance, there are many actions to be undertaken by Earth Government. * The evaluation of sustainable development is a tool and a process allowing us to evaluate decisions which we feel must be made now in order to reach our objective: to sustain Earth and all of humanity. All impacts and their associated action-decisions are evaluated. A measurement of the current performance gives us a basis for comparison to see how far we are in reaching our objective. * An evaluation of sustainable development consists of ranking risks relative to each other and finding which practice is better than another. A scale of good practices emphasizes the quantifiable aspects of all impacts, compares them to each other, and makes a judgment as to which impacts must be our priorities now in Earth Government. Assigning values to impacts is part of the combined social, environmental, resources and economic accounting system that covers not only the conventional economic indicators (GDP, GNP, etc.) but also such matters as the costs of restoring a damaged environment and effects of economic activities on health. * A scale of good pratices is based on and would have to satisfy what it means to fulfill the requirements of sustainable development. We will fulfill the requirements for a sustainable development by implementing economic activity that can advance sustainability by: a) reducing per capita consumption of energy and resources;* We will fulfill the requirements for a sustainable development by implementing various conservation strategies such as: a) the maintenance of ecological succession, soil regeneration and protection, the recycling of nutrients and the cleansing of air and water; * We will fulfill the requirements for a sustainable development by developing a combined social and economic accounting system that covers not only the conventional economic indicators (GDP, GNP, etc.) but also such matters as soil depletion, forest degeneration, the costs of restoring a damaged environment and the effects of economic activity on health. * We will fulfill the requirements for a sustainable development by creating tests for sustainability: a) the amount of arable land and forest that is being lost; * We will fulfill the requirements for a sustainable development by being committed to make forest management to include getting more value out of the wood. This means wasting less of the trees that are cut and making better use of what are now considered non-commercial tree speices. * We will fulfill the requirements for a sustainable development by requiring formal Impact Assessment for all major projects so as to predict the sustainability of these developments and determine whether impacts can be mitigated. * We will fulfill the requirements for a sustainable development by using essential elements of an adequate urban and rural development: a) suitable community facilities and services; * At the end, a Scale of Good Practices is developed with respect to the Scale of Human and Earth Rights, and it is developed not only from what it means to fulfill the requirements of a sustainable development but also from the perspective of keeping us all healthy and sustaining Earth to make it happen. Health is created and lived by people within a global community: where they work, learn, play, and love. Health is a complex state involving mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, economical and social well-being. Each community can develop its own ideas of what a healthy community is by looking at its own situation, and finding its own solutions. Health promotion generates living and working conditions that are safe, stimulating, satisfying and enjoyable. To reach a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, a community must be able to identify and to realize aspirations, to satisfy needs, and to change with the environment. The overall guiding principle for the global community is the need to encourage reciprocal maintenance, to take care of each other and the environment. The important part of the thinking in both community health and ecological sustainability is the need to find a sense of global community as a crucial aspect of healthy individual development. * Developing a scale of values and designing and testing quality indicators is the most important task. The Gross Environmental Sustainable Development Index (GESDI) is quantitatively describing quality indicators rather than merely measuring different variables. GESDI includes all possible aspects, all physical, biological, health, social and cultural components which routinely influences the lives of individuals and communities. If we are to achieve effective evaluation of quality, comprehensive data are needed about the status and changes of the variables. Optimally, these data may be organized in terms of indices that in some fashion aggregate relevant data. These indices are in turn used to predict the impact of public and private actions, assess conditions and trends, and determine the effectiveness of programs in all areas. For instance, reliable data are needed to evaluate the effects of human activities on the environment and to determine what possible actions that can be done to ameliorate the adverse effects. The quality of urban environment constitutes a major test of the level of the well-being of a nation as a society. Essential elements of an adequate urban environment include the following parts: * Health care system, * Educational system, * Seniors'care, * Food chain, nutrition, * Population growth, * Farming communities, * Parks, * Psychological, biological, genetics and evolution, * Spiritual pathways, * Entertainment, * Quality of life, customs and beliefs, information access, communication, aesthetics * Decent housing, suitable community services, * Pollution, waste, * An atmosphere of social justice, * Family stability, * Religion, * Infrastructures and facilities, land planning, * Juvenile crimes, gangs, drugs, illiteracy, * Socio-cultural and political influences, multi-culturalism, laws, * Anthropological, Aboriginals, Natives issues. * Knowing what are the important elements of sustainable development allows us to structure indicators into major areas such as demographic data; the economic data of the individual, family, and household; the status of the region's economy; housing, community facilities, and aesthetic quality; social quality. Here also the weights given to the different segments of the evaluation were obtained or guess-estimated from the results of the Survey on the Scale of Values. * An other indicator was developed to measure the costs of development: the Gross Sustainable Development Product (GSDP). The GSDP is defined as the total value of production within a region over a specified period of time. It is measured using market prices for goods and services transactions in the economy. The GSDP is designed to replace the Gross Development Product (GDP) as the primary indicator of the economic performance of a nation. * The GSDP takes into accounts: · the economic impacts of environmental and health degradation or improvement, resource depletion or findings of new stocks, and depreciation or appreciation of stocks; * The measurement of GSDP shows that consumption levels can be maintained without depleting and depreciating the quality and quantity of services. It indicates the solutions to the problems as well as the directions to take, such as: · invest in technology, R & D, to increase the end-use efficiency; * The measurement of GSDP also gives a proper and sound signal to the public, government and industry about the rate and direction of economic growth; it identifies environmental, health, and social quality; it identifies sustainable and unsustainable levels of resource and environmental uses; it measures the success or failure of sustainable development policies and practices; and it identifies resource scarcity. Values obtained enable us to make meaningful comparisons of sustainable development between cities, provinces, nations over the entire planet. * A status report of all physical accounts show the physical state and availability of resources and the state of the environment. Examples of the physical stock accounts are: • minerals • oil, gas and coal • forests * Measurements of GESDI and GSDP provide insights for the discussion of issues such as : · Is the actual rate of development too slow or too fast? * In all decisions made affecting the environment, the integrity of the ecosystem must be given primacy in conjunction with socially equitable and environmentally-sound development. * All discharges or pollution problems, no matter where they are located in a global community, will not be transferred onto other jurisdictions or global communities, nor should governments relax standards in order to attract industry. * Pollution prevention is complete prevention instead of displacement of problem and not the transferring pollution from one medium to another (for example from water to air). * Establishing sound limits to consumption, population and pollution. * Ensure that substances, processes and activities which are harmful to the environment are prevented from entering the environment, and to ensure that costly subsequent means of restoration are avoided, and that irreversible environmental degradation are avoided. Adverse effects include, but are not limited to: toxicity, bioaccumulation, bioconcentration, persistence, depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer, reduction of carbon sinks, increased greenhouse gases, increased human-induced climate change, reduction or loss of biodiversity, as well as heat, light and electro-magnetic radiation, atomic radiation, and hormone mimicry. * Every proponent of an intervention in the ecosystem must demonstrate that the intervention will not cause harm to the environment or will not create ecologically unsound wastes. * Use of prevention technologies - technologies that emphasize "protecting, conserving and sustaining the environment from the beginning, and thus avoiding the cycle of rectification of error - will contribute to socially equitable and environmentally-sound development. * Mandatory standards and technical regulations will be developed to prevent adverse effects of substances or activities on the ecosystem including the adverse effects on the health of human and non-human species within and throughout bioregions. * Prevent the release of persistent or biaccumulative toxics by changing the extractive or productive activities which produce the product or substance. * Maintaining lawns requires a drain on local water supplies. Governments should pass regulations which encourage the replacement of grass lawns with indigenous plant reserves consistent with the fauna of the bioregion and home/community market gardens. * The generation of waste shall be prevented, and the emphasis shall be on the generation of byproducts that can become an ecologically safe and sound resource. If waste is already in existence, waste shall be disposed of at its source in an ecologically safe and sound manner ensuring that nothing is being stored that could, if an accident occurred, cause harm to the environment. If no assurance can be given that waste will not cause potentially significant adverse effects, then the activity that is generating the wastes shall cease, or permission to undertake the project will not be granted. * The most stringent environmental provisions shall be adopted complying with all international, national, bilateral and bioregional agreements, protocols and conventions as a minimum.If there is a conflict between international, national, bilateral and regional agreements, the most stringent environmental provisions shall prevail. * Every activity or substance that could prevent the protection and conservation of the environment will be included in environmental legislation, regardless of whether the activity or substance is, or is presumed to be covered under another Act. * Governments shall undertake to not relax environmental standards and technical regulations, or human rights protection, or social justice and equality/equity provisions to attract short-term economic benefit. * No proposal to relax standards or technical regulations shall be used to attract industry into a specific global community. * "Ambient criteria", or "environmental quality criteria" refers to levels of contaminants in the environment that must be zero use, production, and release in all cases where a toxic substance is persistent or bioaccumulative. It also applies when a substance will generate persistent or bioaccumulative toxic byproducts or breakdown products during its productions, use or disposal. * Earth Government evaluates both the environmental costs of not converting to ecologically sound practices and the environmental costs of permitting ecologically unsound practices (including the costs to future generations of irreversible environmental degradation)and the environmental costs of potential mitigation, and restoration. * An actual assessment of the short and long term potentially adverse environmental effects of existing and proposed projects and activities shall be carried out. So-called "Environmental Assessments" which review "environmental, economic, social, cultural, heritage, health effects of the reviewable projects" are not legitimate environmental impact assessments. * A full cost accounting of violating the rights of the disenfranchised shall be carried out. The groups bearing the greatest impact from ecologically unsound practices are usually the disenfranchised in society-the poor and the members of minority groups. * The Polluter Pay Principle ensures that those who may release polluting substances into the environment pay the full-cost of environmentally safe handling, treatment, disposal, and remediation; in addition, permits shall be suspended and canceled, if the polluter has caused serious irreversible ecological damage. * Given that throughout history sympathetic government regimes have failed to enforce their own statutory legislation, and given that there has been resultant environmental degradation, current governments shall seek environmental compensation from companies that can be shown to have consistently contributed to environmental degradation. The funds from environmental compensation shall be put into developing. * Compensation shall never be used as reason for not exercising the duty to preserve, protect, conserve the environment. * There exists a notion that environmental degradation is reversible; it can be restored, and rehabilitated. This notion shall never be used as a justification for the causing of environmental degradation. * Experience has demonstrated that the concept of the disaster reduction should be enlarged to cover natural and other disaster situations including environmental and technological disasters and their interrelationship which can have a significant impact on social, economic, cultural and environmental systems, in particular in developing countries. * The argument that in a pristine environment that has not yet been polluted by industrial activity shall be able to have emission standards relaxed is inherently invalid and should be discounted. In other words a licence to pollute could be given to industry in an pristine area because the area is not yet officially been designated as being polluted. * Polluting industries that have been regulated under statutory law, shall not through redefinition of practice be excluded from the previous regulations [ where a plant with "industrial" air emissions is redefined as a recycling plant and thus the regulations related to "industrial.... ] is deemed inapplicable. * Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, the lack of scientific certainly shall not be used as a reason for postponing measures to prevent environmental degradation. Extreme care shall be applied to all potentially harmful emissions, contaminents, agents of pollutants, or re concentrated substances or created through imballance in biogeochemical cycles. * Earth management is a priority and is a duty of every responsible person on Earth. Also, part of the theme is the concern of all issues related to the management of Earth with respect to the availability of resources, the environment, social and economic development aspects. All these issues and concerns were discussed during the World Congress on Managing and Measuring Sustainable Development - Global Community Action 1 held on August 2000. Now for the next stage - the management of Earth. We found during the World Congress that there were several universal values and global concepts that connect all communities and societies to each other. Proper Earth management is a necessity and requires all peoples to unite and actually manage the planet. Local and global policies need to be developed and implemented by every global community. Every person on Earth is responsible for this very important duty. The time for action is now - positive and constructive actions to sustain Earth. Global Dialogue 2002 on Earth Management - all Peoples together had the mandate to conduct and implement positive and constructive actions all over the planet. It was a grassroots process involving everyone as part of Earth Government. Participants from all sectors and walks of life have described and explained the actions they have performed in their own homes, global communities or in any other place on the planet. Every member of a global community is responsible for the proper management of Earth and therefore everyone was invited to submit research papers, Vision statements, actions conducted in sustaining Earth, results of brain-storming exercises, comments and recommendations. Global Dialogue 2004 is about global co-operation and symbiotical relationships of all types for the good of all. It is also about a vision to caring for life and Earth! * Earth Government found a way of dealing with globalization: global ethics. In the past, corporations ruled without checks and balances. Now, global ethics will be a basic minimum to do business, and there will be checks and balances. Our judgement will be based on global ethics. Global ethics must always be grounded in realities. But realities are changing constantly and are different in different places. We live in a world that makes progress toward democracy. Ethics and morality exist only when human beings can act freely. In our free society, rights are tied to responsibilities. Corporations are committed to improvement in business performance and want to be seen as 'good corporate citizens' on a local and a global scale. Corporations have social responsibilities as they are an integral part of society. Global ethics recalls that those realities, on which others build upon, have to be protected first. Earth Government has found that universal values and human and Earth rights as described above were the foundation of global ethics.
Back to top of page
A typical global community 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. 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. As a typical example of a global symbiotical relationship let us assume that we want to create a business symbiotical relationship. Say an accounting firm in Canada having data entered by local people of a small business in a nation of Africa. With today's communications it is easy to send data through the Internet, have the data processed by the business in Africa. Data and results are instantly entered on computer. All of Revenue Canada Taxation data entries and processing could be handled this way at a much cheaper cost. And this way would certainly help Africans to get on the technological bandwagon.
Global warming, the highest threat to Earth security, is everyone's business. Terrorism was, and still is, a problem humanity needed to tackle head-on and resolve the best we can, but global warming is by far the greatest threat to security of all people on Earth and to life itself. We have never tackle the problem head-on. We played around the problem. We know the solution to the problem of global warming, we know what we need to do to make this generation and future generations safe and secure, but we just never do what we really have to do to resolve the problem. Why? What will it take to make us act on the problem of global warming? What will it take to make the United States sign on the Kyoto Protocol and go along with the rest of the world with security on Earth, security of the person, security of The Global Community, security of life itself? What will it take to make the American Way of Life safe and secure to humanity? What will it take to make Americans understand that it does not matter how many guns they have, how many weapons of mass destruction they have hidden everywhere, or how good a 'Star War System' could be, and how many nations they invade, and how big is their GDP and how good is their economy. None of that matters! None! The biggest problem to security is smaller than anything they can see, smaller than the smallest particle that they can breathe, and it is a trace element in the air they breathe. A deadly gas, the greenhouse gas! We all know the problem, and we also know the solution. We can stop creating greenhouse gases. So now what is the problem? The biggest problem is the American Way of Life, consuming too much of the wrong things. The biggest problem is too much freedom of doing the wrong things. The biggest problem is their own weaknesses and helplessness in tackling the problem head-on and solve it. The biggest problem is that Americans are getting too proud about things that are completely unimportant and missing on the things that are truly important, and they have been left behind most other nations on those things that are truly important for the generations to come and to life itself. Earth Government is asking Americans and everyone else on Earth to tackle the problem head-on. We must solve the problem we have with global warming. Canada is willing to reach the Kyoto target of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to 6 per cent below the 1990 level. The European Union leaders have agreed to ratify the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. Let us hope that the action plan they will offer to the world will be real and honest. Earth Government has created the Climate Change Ministry and offer national governments to coordinate efforts in implementing the Earth Government Action Plan with regard to climate change. There are thousands of actions everyone in Earth Community could take right now. Several more of these actions were listed in the Proceedings of the World Congress on Managing and Measuring Sustainable Development - Global Community Action 1 held on August 1-22, 2000. Positive actions: A) By increasing vegetation in urban areas will reduce the urban heat, and the impacts of other urban environmental problems, which will be exacerbated under climate change. Reducing the urban heat will also reduce the energy demand for space conditioning, and hence greenhouse gas emissions. Plants directly reduce the urban heat through evaporative cooling but further reduce energy consumption through shading. The most common strategy to increase urban vegetation is to plant trees at ground level. However, where space is not available for trees, vegetation can be grown on building roofs, but walls offer far more space, hence vertical gardening is a viable alternative.
B) Aboriginal Peoples as well as everyone else in the world have noticed that the climate has changed over the past years.
They came forward (actions) and said that they too had observed climate changes over the past years and generations. In some countries the temperature has increased
by one or two degrees and natural catastrophes are becoming more and more frequent. Flooding or freshwater scarcity as well as
water pollution are harming the environment of the Third World and developing countries and water and air pollution characterizes the
industrialized regions. Therefore, poor and rich regions are facing a common problem which is linked to climate change, that's why
we should negotiate honestly and find a compromise as quickly as possible. If no
solution is suggested, developing countries like China will
repeat the same mistakes as the developed world. In fact, the latter can expect a higher salary, which will close the gap between rich
and poor regions.
The most devastating effects of contamination of the atmosphere on a
global scale include: * An increase in greenhouse gas concentrations brought the warming of the climate;
The most sophisticated climate models take into account factors such as: * The changes in the radiation balance of the Earth; A consequence of a warmer climate is a rise in global mean sea-level. Several countries will be more susceptible to inundations. We will see hundreds of millions of environmental refugees searching for land. The mid-latitude wheat belts of the planet will dry; forest fires will wipe out most of the forests; world food markets will have to adjust to help a starving population. Tourism and wildlife in the tropics will be seriously affected by a temperature that is just too hot. Tropical diseases will cause epidemics. Major changes in evaporation and precipitation patterns will not adjust quickly enough to supply the population with water it needs to survive; agriculture will become a dying industry either because of too much water or not enough of it. Sub-Arctic communities will disappear because of the melting of the permafrost.
It is well known that biological communities of the waters and of the
land absorb and bio-accumulate toxic contaminants through the food webs.
Trace concentrations deposited by the atmosphere have become harmful.
They are chemicals carried through the atmosphere to seas, rivers, lakes
and other streams, and subsequently into sediments and soils. Metals and
chemical contaminants can be absorbed for a long time, and are in fact
chemical 'time bombs'. Urban air pollution is a mixture of several pollutants emitted from different energy and industrial processes, and of secondary pollutants in the atmosphere. Some air pollutants are more important than others. At a given concentration some pollutants are more toxic or more unpleasant. Pollutants have different effects related to health, ecosystems, economics and aesthetic.
C) Tropical tree plantations may be an important component of the global carbon cycle because they represent a carbon sink that can be
manipulated by humans and they ca mitigate the effects of tropical deforestation, which is the main biotic source of atmospheric
carbon.
Most forest plantations in the tropics are planted with fast growing trees that culminate in volume and biomass production earlier than
natural forests. These high biomass production forests have a high capacity to sequester atmospheric CO2 and hence assist in
mitigating global warming. Sequestration of CO2 in plantations occurs in tree biomass (stems, branch, foliage and roots), forest floor
and as storage in the soil. Young growing forests are one of the best means to removing CO2 (the gas partially responsible for the
greenhouse effect) from the air. Thus planting forests help to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the air (by the action of sunlight
on the green chlorophyll organic compound, CO2 is absorbed by trees through the small fissures in the leaves or needless, these gases
are fixed as biomass).
D) Ever-increasing anthropogenic releases of greenhouse gases are driving the United Nations Climate Change effort. As the atmosphere's concentrations of "greenhouse gases" increase, so too does the atmosphere's ability to retain heat radiated from the earth's surface. This phenomenon, known as the greenhouse effect, is linked by many scientists to a long-term rise in global temperatures. * Introduction of appropriate sustainable agricultural system with balanced use of chemical fertilizers incorporated organic minerals and green manure's. There are approaches to limit and regulate the pollution emissions of industrial activities. These are standards, taxes and pollution permits. The choice among these alternatives depends on the administrative structure of a nation. In an urban community site, air usually contains materials such as nitric oxide, sulfur oxide, carbon monoxide, aldehydes, dust and many others. A city would have a department measuring indicators and indices in order to: a) Provide a daily report to the public Immediate and honest actions by the USA, Russia, Japan and Canada, and all countries in resolving the problems creating the greenhouse gases. The ratification of the Kyoto Protocol and the implementation of measurable positive actions to resolve the problems of global warming. The support of the Climate Change Ministry of Earth Government in coordinating efforts.
Back to top of page |
|
Copyright © 2003 Earth Government
|