Date and time: Thursday, 26 June – 1:00pm Costa Rica Time = 3:00pm NYT = 9:00pm Dutch Time
“We stand at a critical moment in Earth’s history, a time when humanity must choose its future.” (Preamble, The Earth Charter)
The Earth Charter was launched in June 2000 as a declaration of global interdependence with fundamental ethical principles for building a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world. It is an urgent call for action. During the first quarter of the century, thousands of organizations endorsed the Earth Charter, including UNESCO and the World Conservation Congress, and major steps toward implementing the Earth Charter vision were taken in 2015 with adoption of the SDGs by the United Nations followed by international support for the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. However, the world has changed dramatically over the past twenty-five years and efforts to implement the Earth Charter vision and SDGs and to combat and adjust to climate change face many complex challenges, including a backlash against globalization, increasing support for nationalism and authoritarianism, and the spread of violent conflict and war.
As we celebrate 25 years of the launch of the Earth Charter, it is, therefore, a good time to reflect on the purpose and relevance of the Earth Charter and our movement and the many challenges it faces. This webinar will explore these issues and serve as the kickoff for the Earth Charter+25 event that will take place on July 1-3 in the Netherlands.
Draft Questions
- What was the core purpose of the Earth Charter when it was developed and launched? Has there been any change in its purpose over the past 25 years, especially in terms of what we see in the current global situation?
- What are some of the key critical ideas we can find in the Earth Charter?
- Do you think the Earth Charter can be used as a guide or an ethical foundation for building an ecological civilization?
- Do you have any further thoughts on why the Earth Charter emphasis on Planetary Consciousness, an Ethic of Care, and Intergenerational Justice remain essential concerns for the 21st century?
- In a world facing the challenge of climate change and growing geopolitical tensions, how should we envision the futures of education and the role the Earth Charter can play in it?
Speakers:
Steven C. Rockefeller, member of the Earth Charter Commission and Chair, Earth Charter Drafting Committee (from 1996 to 2000).
Mary Evelyn Tucker, Co-founder and co-director, Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology. Journey of the Universe Project, USA
Moderator: Mirian Vilela, Earth Charter International executive director, Brazil
Bio
Steven C. Rockefeller
Steven Rockefeller is professor emeritus of religion at Middlebury College, where he also served as dean of the College. He received his bachelor of arts degree from Princeton University, his master of divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in New York City, and his Ph.D. in the philosophy of religion from Columbia University. He is the author of John Dewey: Religious Faith and Democratic Humanism (Columbia, 1991) and the co-editor of two books of essays, The Christ and the Bodhisattva (SUNY, 1987) and Spirit and Nature: Why the Environment is a Religious Issue (Beacon, 1992). His essays appear in many books and journals. Much of his research and writing has focused on global ethics, sustainable development, and the interrelation of democracy, ecology, and spirituality.
Prof. Rockefeller chaired the Earth Charter International Drafting Committee from 1996 to 2000, served as a member of the Earth Charter Commission and was co-chair of the Earth Charter International Council until 2010.
Mary Evelyn Tucker
Mary Evelyn Tucker directs the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology with John Grim. Her specialty is Asian religions. She has lived in Japan for several years and received her Ph.D. from Columbia University in Japanese Confucianism. Since 1997 she has been a Research Associate at the Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies at Harvard. Her Confucian publications include: Moral and Spiritual Cultivation in Japanese Neo-Confucianism (SUNY, 1989) and The Philosophy of Qi (Columbia, 2007 and Confucianism and Ecology (Harvard, 1998). She edited two volumes on Confucian Spirituality with the Confucian scholar, Tu Weiming. She has also been working on Ecological Civilization in China for many years.
Her concern for the growing environmental crisis, especially in Asia, led her to organize with John Grim a series of ten conferences on World Religions and Ecology at Harvard (1995-1998). They are series editors for the ten volumes from the conferences. Each conference had a session which responded to the draft of the Earth Charter. After the conference series she and Grim founded the Forum on Religion and Ecology at a culminating conference at the United Nations in 1998.
Tucker and Grim studied world religions with, Thomas Berry, and worked closely with him editing his books. They also collaborated with evolutionary philosopher, Brian Swimme. They created a multi-media project called Journey of the Universe – a book from Yale University press, an Emmy award winning film, 20 interviews, and online courses. See www.journeyoftheuniverse.org.
Tucker has been involved with the Earth Charter since its inception. She served on the International Earth Charter Drafting Committee from 1997-2000 and was a member of the Earth Charter International Council for ten years.
