Earth Charter

The Earth Charter is an international document on fundamental values and principles that seeks to contribute to a just, sustainable and peaceful society in the 21st century. According to the vision of the Earth Charter, ecological integrity, human rights, equality and peace are inextricably linked. The document therefore creates a framework in which these topics are discussed together.

The Netherlands played an important role in this process: they provided the starting capital to draw up the charter. The idea to create an Earth Charter emerged in 1987, when the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) sought guidelines to guide the transition to sustainable development. In 1992, another attempt was made to reach a treaty, this time instigated by then Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali during the Rio Earth Summit. The governments present did not ultimately reach an agreement on the principles to be included and the Rio Declaration became the document on which consensus was reached. In 1994, Maurice Strong (chairman of the Earth Summit) and Mikhail Gorbachev restarted the Earth Charter as a citizens’ initiative through the organizations they had both started (Earth Council and Green Cross International). The drafting of the Earth Charter (1994-2000) was one of the most open and complete collaborative processes ever created for writing an international document. The official launch took place on June 29, 2000 during a ceremony in the Peace Palace in The Hague.

The approximately 2400 word document is divided into 4 different pillars, 16 main principles and 61 supporting principles. The four pillars are:
I. Respect and care for the world community,
II. Ecological Integrity,
III. Social and economic justice, and
IV. Democracy, nonviolence and peace.

Protest

There are countless examples of how to deal with nature more peacefully. On the page about sustainability as part of a culture of peace, it was indicated that violence towards nature is a symptom of a culture of violence, in which humans are seen as rulers of nature, rather than an (equal) part of it. Fortunately, a lot is changing in this area because we cannot live without nature. The group “Extinction Rebellion”, founded in 2018 in the United Kingdom, makes this position very explicit through their chosen name, which refers to the extinction of humans and many animal species. Greta Thunberg also received a lot of publicity in 2018 and 19 with her “Fridays for Futures” movement, which mobilized many students. Many were surprised by the powerful formulations of this young lady, just 16 years old. But in addition to these large movements that organize many protests, there are also many initiatives that, more in the ‘background’, contribute every day to dealing with nature in a better way.

Agriculture

Consider, for example, organic and small-scale agriculture. So-called Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has become increasingly popular. People pay for seasonal or annual subscriptions to local produce and share in whatever harvest is available, providing these farmers with a stable market. What also became, or is becoming, increasingly popular is “permaculture”. This is an approach or philosophy to land management that is based on what is observed in natural ecosystems. The term was coined by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in 1978, who formulated the concept in opposition to Western industrialized agricultural methods and in congruence with indigenous or traditional knowledge. Permaculture is practised around the world as an agricultural and architectural design system and as a guiding philosophy of life. A concrete example of sustainable agriculture, at national level, is that of Cuba, which became an international example in the 1990s. In response to the collapse of the Soviet Union, which until then had supplied many goods to Cuba, the island became an organic agricultural pioneer. Techniques such as worm composting, soil conservation and the use of bio-pesticides were developped, to replace imported supplies and large-scale monoculture. A very recent development is “Ocean Farming”. Greenwave started a ‘farming system’ that grows a mix of seaweeds and shellfish that require zero inputs, making it the most sustainable form of food production on the planet, while removing carbon and rebuilding reef ecosystems. The “farms” sit vertically below the surface and produce high yields with a small footprint (See https://www.greenwave.org/).

Urban planning, transport and energy

Also important is of course human geography or urban planning. Copenhagen is a green city that received the European Environmental Management Award in 2006. The award was given for long-term holistic environmental planning. It also has an efficient public transport system, many cyclists and therefore low levels of C02 pollution. But while Amsterdam also does well in terms of cycling and public transport, the best European cycling city is Vienna, because of its 1300 km long road for cycling. Vancouver, Canada, aspires to become the world’s greenest city and runs on more than 90% renewable energy, thanks to its large supply of hydroelectricity. It has also invested a lot of money and time in green construction and expanding its transport network in a sustainable manner. Renewable energy includes solar panels and windmills, but also geothermal heat pumps (geothermal energy from the heat below the earth’s surface), a micro-hydro-power system (a water wheel, turbine or pump to convert the power of water into electricity) or a biogas generator (which works by breaking down organic waste). These systems can also all be installed by individual households or local cooperatives. There is a lot to be gained from transport too in terms of sustainability: electric cars, bicycles or so-called e-scooters are becoming increasingly popular and affordable. However, the impact on the environment depends on how the electricity they use is generated. The government could also decide to reduce train fares and increase airport taxes, something Greenpeace Netherlands has campaigned for in the past two years.

Transition projects

So-called ‘Transition Towns’ are grass-roots community projects (community projects built ‘from the ground up’) that aim to increase self-sufficiency to reduce the potential effects of peak oil, climate change and economic instability. These projects tackle these major challenges at a local level. By coming together they are able to ‘crowd-source’ solutions (get solutions from their environment/group). In 2006, the first transition town, Totnes, was established in the UK, and became an inspiration for other groups. The transition network organization was established in early 2007 to support these projects. Transition initiatives have started in locations around the world. Although the objectives remain the same, the solutions of transition initiatives may vary based on the characteristics of the environment.

Forests

Another important theme is forests. All over the world, trees are being felled for commercial or agricultural reasons, and forests have been severely damaged by major fires. Trees are important for our ecosystem: not only do they purify the air, water and soil, but we as humans could not exist without trees. A mature tree produces as much oxygen in one season as 10 people breathe in an entire year. This is one of the reasons why reforestation is so important. Some of the effects of deforestation include: soil erosion, soil pollution, flooding, loss of biodiversity and the extinction of animal species, endangering the livelihoods of indigenous peoples and further warming the planet. There are many initiatives and organizations that contribute to forest conservation or plant trees. An example of a movement that planted trees is the Green Belt movement in Kenya. This movement emerged in response to the lack of water and wood in the 1970s. Founder Wangari Maathai encouraged women to work together to grow seedlings and tree plantations to prevent erosion, store rainwater, grow more food and collect firewood in exchange for a small monetary token for their work. The movement is still active and remains on the front lines of advocacy for environmental conservation in Kenya and the reclamation and restoration of forests. Maathai became the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. She became an elected member of parliament and served as Assistant Minister for Environment and Natural Resources between 2003 and 2005. There is an excellent film about her work called “Taking Root”.

Water

Finally, the subject of water also deserves attention. There is a threat of a shortage of drinking water in some countries, usually due to mismanagement. At the same time, sea water is also a threat to some islands and countries below sea level, such as the Netherlands. A well-known example of a natural disaster was Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans (in the US) in 2005. New Orleans continues to struggle with storms and stormwater management due to increasing climate change and the city’s ageing infrastructure. A group of nuns in the area therefore chose to make their monastery, damaged in Hurricane Katrina, available as a city area, which can absorb millions of gallons of rainwater. The water will trickle into the city’s old drainage system, but the wetland will more gradually filter water from even the largest flood, making stormwater run-off less overwhelming. Other cities have adopted similar strategies, but the Mirabeau Monastery stands out for its size and for highlighting how, even in cities, underutilized or abandoned land can be reused to improve flood resilience.

The photo of Greta Thunberg comes from this Wikipedia page and was taken in 2018 by Anders Hellberg, who published it under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
The photo “Degradação Florestal Amazônia” (Destruction of the Amazon Forest) comes from this Wikipedia page and was taken in 2012 by Uederson de Amadeu Ferreira, who published it with a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.