Toward
a Declaration of the Rights of Future Generations and
Bill
of Responsibilities of Present Generations July 2013
Statement of Intention
We stand witness for Future Generations and are making a Declaration of the Rights of Future Generations and Responsibilities of Present Generations.
The intention of the Women’s
Congress for Future Generations is to fulfill the special
responsibility and authority that women hold as the first environment for
future human generations and create pathways toward achieving whole
health, justice, and sustainability for the Earth Community in this generation
and for all generations to come. To this
end we are sourcing a Living Declaration of the Rights of Future Generations to
serve as a guide for dialogue, values realignment, and precautionary action.
What follows is a living draft Declaration
of the Rights of Future Generations and Bill of Responsibilities of Present
Generations. These were first drafted by those who attended a Women’s Congress
for Future Generations convened in Moab, Utah in the fall of 2012. Not wanting
to speak on behalf of those whose voices were not represented, Congress
participants conceived of these as working documents to be amended in
perpetuity, as an ever-widening circle add their voices to these
statements, and as these rights and responsibilities are passed down from
generation to generation.
All are invited to join in this effort. We want this
Declaration debated, amended, and edited by a wide group. We seek your wisdom.
We invite you to draft what might be absent from current iterations of this
document, to add to it rights, responsibilities and principles that reflect
your experiences; to challenge and push back; to add nuance; and, to delight in
the places where you feel resonance with what others have contributed. Even
more, we hope that we find ways of translating these working ideas into
concrete action.
This document is not so much a product as a reflection of a
process of relationship and movement building.
The document has four sections: a Preamble, set
of Guiding Principles, a Bill of Rights, a Bill
of Responsibilities. A working draft of the preamble and principles was
written collaboratively by Carolyn Raffensperger in conversation with Bob
Gough, Osprey Oreille Lake, Polly Higgins, Peter Montague and Rebecca Altman in
advance of the Moab gathering to facilitate group discussion. The rights and
responsibilities were distilled from discussions held at the Moab Congress on
the gifts and rights of all beings and the responsibilities present generations
carry to honor those gifts and rights. Those gathered in Moab focused their
deliberations on the principles and preamble, but due to time constrains, were
not able to deliberate over the content, language or organization of these
rights and responsibilities as currently written, however.
Here are some questions on which we actively seek
collaboration. We would welcome collaborators to help create new iterations of
this document in the coming months and years. Core questions that we are still
grappling with:
(a) how can this document more fully capture the state of
environmental harms and injustice experienced in this generation, and how
current injustice threatens the well-being of future generations?
(b) how best can this work acknowledge and address the
dynamics of social stratification based on race, gender, ethnicity,
socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation within our movements, within
present generations, as they relate to how we advocate on behalf of Future
Generations’ well-being?
(c) how can we incorporate a more structural critique of the
political economic structures that contribute to environmental justice within
this generation, and how those injustices translate forward to Future
Generations?
(d) even if Future Generations were granted rights,
political economic structures and power differentials would persist and still
operate to distribute the consequences of environmental policies, programs and
decisions (or the lack their of) in inequitable and intolerable ways. How can
such a formation of rights and responsibilities get at these underlying forces?
What is the role of claiming rights for Future Generations in addressing these
underlying structures and in redistributing power?
(e) as more voices, experiences and communities add their
wisdom to the document, what rights, principles and responsibilities must be
added or changed, and/or what tweaks must be made to the overarching message of
the preamble?
(f) does our language and the metaphors and discourse used honor
our goal of radical inclusion of all earthly communities, in all their
diversity?
(g) how can we more fully acknowledge and encapsulate the
dynamic relationship between women and Future Generations?
(h) how might we use the process of editing and applying
these ideas in the service of community-building, in collaboration-building, in
movement building?
(i) what are the ideological tensions present within the
environmental, social and climate justice movements, and how can the process of
articulating the rights of Future Generations explore these tensions and map
new paths through them?
We invite you to comment on this draft and this process.
We hope you can help carry forward the rich dialogue that both inspired the
Women’s Congress and was transmitted through it.
Preamble
We women, speaking from our responsibility and authority as the first environment for Future Generations, honor and
uphold all relationships in the Earth community so that we may leave a healthy,
humane and beautiful world to Future Generations.
We live in a world tipped out of balance by pollution, war
and conflicts of all kinds, and injustice; a world diminished by declines in
the rich diversity that once existed; a world less whole because too many are
sick before their time, struggling to breathe, to be nourished, to reproduce,
or facing an environment less stable than the one into which they were born. As
the oceans grow more acidic and less able to support life, our old-growth
forests are clear-cut, the countryside stripped of its natural abundance and
mined for that last ounce of fossil fuel, minerals or radioactive atoms. We are
altering, in some cases, irrevocably, the landscape and all the relationships
sustained by it. Climate change shifts weather patterns, making extreme
weather, in many places, the norm. As a result, a growing number of communities
face strife of varying magnitude – extinction of species, loss of diversity,
disruption of vital ecosystem cycles, land loss, drought, inadequate food
supplies, conflicts and threatened infrastructure and community ties. These
effects are felt worldwide, but are distributed unevenly, leaving some
communities to bear far more of these burdens to life and wellness.
Present laws, policies and social norms allow for the
continued destruction of the Earth and of all earthly communities—animate and
inanimate. We continue to squander and plunder without recognition of a
system’s regenerative limits and without full consideration of the long-term
consequences, consequences estimated on the order of centuries, even millennia.
We continue to struggle within our own movements and communities to honor all
voices from all earthly beings. This is not the legacy we wish to leave Future
Generations, but it will be, and our legacy will only continue to encroach upon
a livable future if we do not act now.
In drafting this document, we withdraw our complicity in
this future. We seek to create a forum through which we, as women, can
articulate an alternative vision of the relationship we share with each other
and with Future Generations.
To those who came before us, our generation was once a
Future Generation whose lives were cradled by the hopes of our ancestors. The
foundation for our world was laid by them. We realize we have an opportunity —
and a responsibility — to those who will follow us. We acknowledge the
interdependence of the innumerable communities and systems — past, present and
future — that comprises our shared planet, and work from the core values of
respect, interrelationship, radical inclusion, and reciprocity. What we give
unto each other, the Earth, and Future Generations, so shall be given unto us.
We stand for the rights of Future Generations. We see these
rights as inalienable. We call out our responsibilities as guardians and
ancestors for those who will follow. We acknowledge that our sacred
responsibilities to Future Generations requires us to listen, to address
injustices that exist among present generations, to seek the wisdom of
indigenous peoples, and to create opportunities for each and every earthly
community to speak on behalf of its own Future Generations.
We call for a fundamental shift in politics and discourse as
we know it. We call for a new wave of policies, alliances, norms and movements
that can redirect human activities in service of sustaining an interconnected,
all inclusive world in which Future Generations can thrive. We acknowledge the
deep connections between present generations and those that will follow, and
that look beyond our immediate needs into deep time. We wish to enliven our
societies and governance with wonder, gratitude and humility.
We seek to create an alternate legacy, with an abiding sense
of humility that acknowledges our place within humanity, as one species
dependent on complex ecological systems, and with a sense of our lives relative
to the infiniteness of deep, geologic time.
Guiding Principles that Inform this Covenant between Present and Future Generations
Health and well-being is a function of interdependent, ecological relationships
Life arises within the interdependence of the elements (air,
earth, water, fire), mountains, oceans, rivers, deserts, soil and sky,
microbes, plants and animals, including humans. All visible and invisible
beings are interrelated, sharing molecules and energy and making up the web of
life. Nothing is separate in the Earth Community. Love and
compassion are the glue holding the parts together as a whole.
Health and well-being is a function of relationships.
Without whole, intact and healthy systems, the capacity for Future Generations
to live full and healthy lives is diminished.
As the first environment for Future Generations, the Womb must be respected, protected, and honored.
For humans, the first
principle of interdependence is learned in the Womb creating intrinsic trust
that is foundational to healthy relationships.
What happens in the womb impacts each child born now and every future
generation.
Rights of Nature and Rights held in Common
All life has the right
to exist and maintain its natural systems, rhythms and cycles in a clean and
healthy environment.
The rights of present and Future Generations of all
communities, human and ecological, are rights with each other to a whole and
healthy commons. The commons include what is shared among all and that are
necessary for life and community integrity. "All"
includes but is not limited to air, water, seeds, climate, belonging and
beauty. Commons may not be owned, traded
or sold.
Governments hold two responsibilities: protect rights and care for the commons
Governments hold two foundational responsibilities derived
from the rights of the governed: to protect rights and to serve as the trustee
of the common wealth and the common health.
Precautionary principle is key to fulfilling responsibilities
The precautionary principle is a key method for governments,
communities or corporations to fulfill their responsibilities to protect the
rights of Present and Future Generations of nature and of communities. Precautionary Principle
shifts the burden of proof and assumes the axiom “Do no harm." If you don't know whether harm will be done,
don't do it.
Economies must not harm or destroy ecosystems, families or communities
Economies are situated within ecosystems, and thus, economic
activities are dependent on intact ecological systems. Economies must honor
ecological principles of interrelatedness and interdependency, and be
regenerative. For example, economic activities must not take things from the
Earth faster than the Earth can regenerate them nor put things into the Earth
faster than it can assimilated. Economic activity must not destroy the very
basis of economy and life itself.
Ecocide is a violation of the rights of individuals, communities and nature
Ecocide is a fundamental violation of the rights of the
individual, communities, and nature. It is the extensive damage to, destruction
of or loss of ecosystem(s) of a given territory, whether by human agency or by
other causes, to such an extent that peaceful enjoyment by the inhabitants of
that territory has been or will be severely diminished. This includes the
large-scale destruction of the environment by war, mining, discharge of nuclear
or hazardous materials or other act. Ecocide is a crime against nature and
humanity and will not stand.
Intergenerational and intragenerational justice are inseparable
Some places, and the communities that inhabit them, bear a
disproportionate burden of harm and threats to common wealth and common health.
True justice for Future Generations is predicated on justice within this
generation. Inter and intra generational justice are inseparable.
Restorative justice
We owe amends for how
we have treated each other and our planet.
Restorative justice
views criminal offenses as an injury to the community as well as the individual
and as injuries that must be repaired. Restorative justice is an effective form
of justice to address current environmental destruction, to prevent it from
being repeated and to restore relationships among people and between people and
the natural world.
A transformation of current human values of domination to planetary values of harmony is imperative.
A prerequisite to
creating new institutions and generating new ideas is the transformation of
current human values.
|
Values of Domination
|
To
|
Planetary Values of Harmony
|
|
·
Possession
·
Exploitation
·
Competition
·
Short term profit
|
|
·
Liberation / Freedom and wildness
·
Compassion and honor
·
Cooperation and interdependence
·
Long term viability
|
Rights create responsibilities
Rights create responsibilities. We are responsible for honoring and upholding
these rights for Current and Future Generations. Responsibilities for protecting rights must
be located in specific bodies that can be held accountable, such as government
commissions and agencies.
Toward a Bill of the Rights of Future Generations
Right of individuals and our greater Earth Community to a clean and healthy environment
Individuals of all species and the communities in which they
live have a right to a clean and healthy environment. This right cannot be
bought or sold. It is unalienable.
Right of nature to exist
Nature and all ecosystems have the right to exist and
regenerate, whole and intact.
Right of integrity of MotherBaby
Present and Future Generations of the MotherBaby and
the relationships that support them have the right to be well resourced,
undisturbed, protected, and respected.
Right of Future Generations to whole, biologically diverse, unpolluted ecosystems
Future Generations of all communities, human and ecological,
animate and inanimate, have the right to a wholesome ecosystem that is
biologically rich and diverse with its vital integral cycles and systems
intact, to be respected, and to not be wasted, degraded, polluted, devalued,
excluded or cast aside. This right cannot be bought or sold.
Right of Future Generations to have ecosystems restored
Present and Future Generations of all
earth communities
have the right to have their ecosystems restored to their naturally dynamic and
healthy equilibrium.
Right to peace
All earth communities have the right to peaceful, cooperative
living in their communities, generating meaningful relationships or partnership
based on respect, trust, interdependence, and humility with fellow members and
natural systems.
Right to freedom and wildness (natural state) of all life forms and elements.
Present and Future Generations have the right to exist and
flourish in their natural state.
Right of communities to self-representation and self-determination
Communities, human and ecological, animate and inanimate,
have the right to self-representation and self-determination. A key component
of this right is Free, Prior, and Informed Consent to activities that will
impact present or Future Generations, nature, or the commons.
Right to return or remain in place of origin, heritage or ancestors
Present and Future Generations of all communities, human and
ecological, animate and inanimate, have the right to return to or remain in the
place of their origin, heritage or ancestors.
Right not to be coerced into or implicated in harm
Present and Future Generations of all communities, human and
ecological, animate and inanimate, have the right not to be coerced into or
implicated in harm.
Right to environmentally sustainable and socially just economies
Present and Future Generations of all human communities have
the right to an environmentally sustainable work practice, commerce and
economic system that accounts for the
overall social value and long term viability of our Earth Community and does
not sacrifice nor put our planetary ecosystem in jeopardy to fulfill the greed
and profit driven goals of the market place.
Corporations do not have inherent personhood rights
Corporations are not people and do not have inherent
personhood rights. Corporations exist because states enact laws defining
corporations and specifying what they can and cannot do. Accordingly,
corporations are constructions of government and thus granted limited
privileges and have delegated responsibilities based upon the rights of the
community and governments, and not solely derived from the rights of their
shareholders. The privileges of corporations may be revoked if they violate the
terms of their charters, repeatedly break laws, no longer serve the general
welfare, or violate the rights of individuals or communities.
Toward a Bill of Responsibilities of Present Generations
With these Rights Come Responsibilities. Present Generations have the:
Responsibility to honor Earth’s systems
Present Generations carry the responsibility to honor the
continuity of life and Earth’s systems, to hold reverence for life, respect and
protect the integral limits, boundaries, relationships, interdependencies, and
natural organization of the Earth and its natural systems, rhythms and cycles.
Present Generations carry the responsibility to maintain
a planetary perspective that recognizes the unique niche and contribution of
all elements and life forms in the planetary ecology. Furthermore, Present Generations carry the
responsibility to recognize humankind's place in the planetary ecology as an
individual species and component.
Responsibility to act as conscious guardians and stewards of our
Earth Community
Present Generations carry the responsibility to act as conscious guardians for Future
Generations. Present Generation will take active responsibility to listen to
the wisdom of our children, our planet and our own inner wisdom; and to speak
and openly discuss matters that affect Future Generation. Present Generations
carry the responsibility to educate Present Generations, decision-makers and
children.
Present Generations carry the responsibility to
live through our heart/mind connection of empathy, tolerance and compassion.
Responsibility to uphold the right of communities to self-representation and self-determination
Present Generations carry the responsibility to uphold the
right of communities, human and non-human, animate and inanimate, the rights of
self-representation and self-determination.
Responsibility of economic practices aligned with the balance of life
Present Generations carry the responsibility of sustainable
economic practices and to not denigrate the environment by wasteful practices,
polluting beyond its means to regenerate, and by avoiding practices that cause
harm to the Present and Future Generation. Present Generations carry the
responsibility to align economic, governance and social systems with the
balance of life.
Responsibility to prevent harm
Present Generations carry the responsibility to assess and
predict impacts of social, ecological, political and technical systems on
Future Generations, and to apply this knowledge to prevent harm.
Protect the integrity of MotherBaby
MotherBaby are
integral and interdependent and cannot be treated separately. Present Generations
have the responsibility to honor, support, protect, and nurture the MotherBaby.
Responsibility to heed early warnings
Present Generations carry the responsibility to heed the
warnings of sentinel species, and of beings and systems that face threats to
dignity, survival and integrity.
Responsibility to listen to indigenous communities
Present Generations carry the responsibility to listen to
indigenous communities, and to act on and learn from their wisdom.
Responsibility to warn Future Generations
Present Generations carry the responsibility to warn Future
Generations in instances where our actions or decisions have already
compromised the health and well-being of Future Generations.
Responsibility to uphold United Nations declarations on rights
Present Generations carry the responsibility to fulfill all
United Nations existing and forthcoming declarations on Human Rights,
Indigenous Rights, Rights of Nature, Harmony with Nature, Rights of Future
Generations, and the Rights of the Child.
Responsibility to restore and regenerate ecological systems
Present Generations carry the responsibility to restore and
regenerate ecological systems.
Responsibility to admit mistakes and course correct
Present Generations carry the responsibility to stay
open, continually seek new learning, admit mistakes, recognize incomplete knowledge, create
feedback mechanisms, and to course correct upon early indication of harm.
Responsibility to replace harmful systems
Present Generations carry the responsibility to replace,
re-imagine, and create systems that heal rather than harm.
Responsibility to respect
Present Generations carry the responsibility to treat all
beings, systems and communities with respect, and to not exploit.
Responsibility to act
As Present Generation
humans, we have a responsibility to take action.
Call for New Institutions and Ideas
These rights and responsibilities have implications for our legal, moral and economic systems.
The scale and scope of environmental problems call for new
institutions and new ideas to address the problems facing our Earth Community. New
economic, social, and legal systems must be aligned with the holistic well
being of the Earth Community and recognize the rights of all beings and
elements.
These include the respectful person standard, ecocide as a
crime, laws that recognize the rights of nature and Future Generations, and
legal guardians for nature and future generations. Many cultures, particularly
indigenous cultures have practiced these principles for millennia.
We seek guidance from them in how to live respectfully and
to fulfill our responsibilities to the Earth and Future Generations.
Humanity is capable of critical and mass change. The time
for exercising that capability is upon us and the rights of Creation demand it.
Commitment on Behalf of Future Generations
Do you feel compelled to speak on
behalf of Future Generations?
We ask that you commit to this
Declaration to
honor and uphold all relationships in the Earth Community so that we
may leave a healthy, harmonious, and beautiful world to Future Generations.
_______________________________________________________ __________________________________________________
Name Organization/Affiliation
Date____________________________________
We must act now!
The Women’s
Congress for Future Generations was a gathering inspired by the long
line of community leaders and visionaries, especially women, who have worked on
behalf of Future Generations. Our central organizing team and affinity support
groups include writers, dreamers, public speakers, organizers, lawyers,
academics, grandmothers, mothers, sisters, filmmakers, and artists. All are
committed to issues of women, health, justice, and the environment. Our elder
circle includes luminaries such as Joanna Macy and Mona Polacca, one of the thirteen
Indigenous grandmothers.Peaceful Uprising and the Science
& Environmental Health Network are
co-sponsoring the Women's Congress for Future Generations.
We are in the
beginning stages of planning the next Congress in 2014 in Minneapolis, MN and
we welcome your thoughts.
To contribute
to the draft of the Declaration of the Rights Held by Future Generations,
please visit our blog http://celebratewcffg.wordpress.com/
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