World Religions, Ethics, and the Earth Charter for a Sustainable Future - Earth Stewardship: Linking Ecology and Ethics in Theory and Practice - page 389

Thus their tendency to be both conservators of continuity and agents of change are
both apt descriptions. Religions have always played this role of conserving and
transforming, balancing the dynamic tension of continuity and change for cultures
over long spans of time. Indeed, human cultures are profoundly shaped by this dia-
lectic and civilizations endure by navigating the delicate balance between tradition
and modernity. Moving too deeply into traditional ways leads to fossilization and
fundamentalism, while going too far into modernity can lead to superfi cial and inad-
equate responses to change.

26.8 Contributions of Religious Values and the Earth

Charter Toward a Sustainable Future

We are at a moment of immense signifi cance for the future of life on the planet and
thus the world's religions may be of assistance as they move into their ecological
phase. The common set of values for human-Earth fl ourishing identifi ed from the
Harvard conference series on World Religions and Ecology can be seen as compat-
ible with the ethical principles of the Earth Charter. Recognizing the complemen-
tary nature of these two ethical frameworks may be helpful for linking religion,
ethics, sustainability, and a low carbon future.

26.9 An Overview of the Earth Charter

The Earth Charter is both a document and a movement. It draws on scientifi c knowl-
edge, legal principles, sustainability practices, ecological economics, the precau-
tionary principle, and equity issues. In its decade long drafting process, it involved
thousands of individuals and groups from around the planet and is the most inclu-
sive civil society document ever negotiated. As a people's treaty it is a soft law
document that is complemented by hard law of international covenants and laws.
It has been endorsed by such international agencies as United Nations Educational
Scientifi c and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Union for the
Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the largest body of conservationists in the world.
It is also endorsed by thousands of individuals and groups as well as by a number
of countries and cities. The implications for the application of the Charter is seen in
the Earth Charter in Action , a topic of inspiring stories from around the world -
ranging from youth to civil servants and government offi cials ( www.earthcharterin-
action.org ).
The Charter was drafted by an international committee chaired by Steven
Rockefeller from 1996 to 2000. A distinguished group of international fi gures
served as Earth Charter Commissioners for the drafting process and now an Earth
Charter International Council guides the activities of the Charter. There is a
Secretariat and a website based in Costa Rica at the University for Peace.