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Please note that this web page is under continual development as new issues and questions arise on how to apply the Earth charter in our daily lives. If you have further submissions or questions, please email us at earthcharter @ sgicanada.org (no spaces). How was the Earth Charter created? The principles of the Earth Charter reflect extensive international consultations conducted over a period of many years. These principles are also based upon contemporary science, international law, and the insights of philosophy and religion. Successive drafts of the Earth Charter were circulated around the world for comments and debate by nongovernmental organizations, community groups, professional societies, and international experts in many fields. For more information about the Earth Charter and its history, visit its website at www.earthcharter.org.
As people living in the developed world, we have an important role to play in determining how and when we can aleviate the suffering caused by poverty, hunger, and conflict. For example, our daily consumption habits play a big role in determining how much, or how little waste we generate. If we waste water, that leaves less available for other uses, such as generating hydro-electricity. If we waste electricity, we are wasting the resources used to generate that electricity--whether it's water from a dam, coal from an energy plant, and so forth. Overall, the less resources individuals demand, the more that is available for other uses, and for other people--even for those half way around the world. Individuals in developed countries like Canada have an important role to play. What can I do? The first thing you can do is be more aware of your habits and see how they can use resources more efficiently. Canada is a very prosperous country, however, that also means that Canadians generally consume the most resources per person than anyone else around the world. If we are to be responsible citizens of the world, it's important to be more efficient with our resource consumption, because all resources--including water, electricity, oil and gas--are limited. For details on how to improve our efficiency in using resources such as electricity, water, food, and others, please visit the ENVIRONMENT section of the website. Is the Earth Charter available in other languages? Yes. The Earth Charter is available in 32 languages from around the world, including Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Hindi, and Japanese. They are available for download as a Adobe PDF file here. |
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