Dr. Korten recounts how he learned about poverty and awoke to nature while he was on track to become a businessperson. His own mindset experienced another sudden shift with a conversation on a airplane travel. Over the years, Dr. Korten has further reflected and expanded on the concepts of earth community, ecological civilization, phantom wealth and more. He articulates the importance that we see human beings as living beings, rather than financial beings, and that we recognize our dependence on a living Earth. Moving beyond the current crisis requires a fundamental reframing of our understanding of who we are, and a deep institutional transformation. Critical of the UN SDGs, Dr. Korten regards the Earth Charter as a unique instrument that establishes the common ground towards a viable human future.

1. Reflections on the shift of mindset or paradigm with personal examples.
2. Comments on the “manifestations of empire,” “Earth Community,” and “Ecological Civilization” in The Great Turning (2006).
3. Reflections on the idea of “phantom wealth” in Agenda for a New Economy (2009).
4. The concept of “changing the story” in Change the Story, Change the Future: A Living Economy for a Living Earth (2015).
5. What is the relevance of the Earth Charter to current times?