The Earth Charter

Fifth Principle of the Earth Charter

Earth Charter Principle 5. Protect and
restore the integrity of Earth's ecological systems, with special
concern for biological diversity and the natural processes that sustain
life.

As our
awareness of Earth and the impact our species has had on our
environment slowly creeps into our social awareness, principle #5 has
become pivotal to groups with interests ranging from Science to New
Age. Principle #5 is one of the longest principles of the Earth
Charter’s sixteen principles and addresses the heart of the matter.
Unless we protect and take action to restore Earth’s ecological systems
we may destroy the very home that gives all Earth’s species shelter,
food and rest.
This principle speaks to us about principles we value
on other levels as well, namely diversity and complementarity. I find
it interesting that the definitions of these terms span the spectrum
from Physics to social action. For example, complementarity is defined
as:
o noun1. a relation between two opposite states or principles
that together exhaust the possibilities 2. the interrelation of
reciprocity whereby one thing supplements or depends on the other; "the
complementarity of the sexes" 1
o The concept that the underlying
properties of entities (especially subatomic particles) may manifest
themselves in contradictory forms at different times, depending on the
conditions of observation; thus, any physical model of an entity
exclusively in terms of one form or the other will be necessarily
incomplete. For example, although a unified quantum mechanical
understanding of such phenomena as light has been developed, light
sometimes exhibits properties of waves and sometimes properties of
particles (an example of wave-particle duality) 2
Diversity is defined as:
o The fact or quality of being diverse; difference.
1
complementarity. (n.d.). WordNet® 3.0. Retrieved November 01, 2008,
from Dictionary.com website:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/complementarity
2
complementarity. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Science Dictionary.
Retrieved November 01, 2008, from Dictionary.com website:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/complementarity
o A point or respect in which things differ.
o
Variety or multiformity: "Charles Darwin saw in the diversity of
species the principles of evolution that operated to generate the
species: variation, competition and selection" (Scientific American).3
Diversity’s
definition too illustrates the various ways we can think about
diversity from diversity of thought to biological diversity. This type
of thinking across sciences and integrated into the whole of life is a
challenge for us as we move into a more complex and complicated world
view and consciousness. Yet we are being called to such thinking from
various voices that make up our lives. From our Acts of Chapter, as Sisters of St. Joseph, which
urge us to, “urgent concern for Earth and the survival of its life
systems” and to “recognizing the urgency of working to protect and
restore Earth’s healthy living systems in these next years” to our
country’s and our world’s concern about affordable non Earth
threatening sources of energy as we journey into the future, “Climate
change is real. And it’s happening much faster than was predicted just
a few years ago. The good news is that we can solve this crisis. We can
switch 100% of America's electricity to clean energy sources – within
10 years. To make the switch, repowering America must be a priority for
our leaders. If leaders know you care, they will take action. Join us
today and be a voice for solutions.”( from www.wecansolveit.org)
We
may feel a small part of the solution or that we not able to have much
of an effect at all. However small steps can be taken on our part from
awareness of our local ecology to research on the web where our fingers
can help us take action to be part of the solution. I close with this
thought that I read a few days ago from Thomas Moore’s Book “The
Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life, “ Enchanted ecology is the work of
religion more than science, love more than understanding, and ritual
more than heroic action. It is rooted in both a love for home and a
willingness to let the place where we live set limits on our lives,
define our personalities, and shape our values. This kind of ecology is
concerned not simply with the natural world but with our place in the
human environment as well, and it has as much to do with meaning and
emotion as with the protection of literal nature.”
3 diversity.
(n.d.). The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language,
Fourth Edition. Retrieved November 01, 2008, from Dictionary.com
website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/diversity