[ Developing Ideas Digest ][ IISDnet Contents ]

About Di Digest | Back Issues | Mailing List | Email DI | On Line Features 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | LitScan

5.

Global Citizens

If the world were shrunk down to a village of a hundred souls, UN number-crunchers say 80 would live in substandard housing, 70 would be unable to read, 50 would be malnourished, six would hold half the community's wealth, and only one would have a university education. If you think about things like this, chances are you're what's called a 'global citizen'. Citizens have rights and responsibilities and, basically, global citizens care about the world around them. They don't just think abstractly that communities and the environment should somehow be 'protected', they go that extra step and do what they can to make things better. The modus operandi isn't protest so much as it is personal stewardship - just as citizenship isn't just obeying laws, it's about engaging fully as a citizen of the world. Three major international initiatives are cur- rently underway to build this new global citizenry. On the environmental side, the United Nations Environmental Program is spearheading a major campaign to promote the idea of global environmental citizenship. UNEP Executive Director Liz Dowdeswell puts it this way, 'We are encouraging people to recognize their ethical obligations to respect life on Earth. The more people engage in environmental citizenship, the less need there is for restrictive regulatory and economic regimes.' On the social side, the World Commission on Culture and Diversity has taken the lead and launched a report, Our Creative Diversity. In it, the Commission identifies five key ingredients of a new 'global ethics':
  1. human rights and responsibilities
  2. democracy and a strong civil society,
  3. protection of minorities,
  4. peaceful and fair conflict resolution, and
  5. equity within and between generations.
Finally, an international Earth Charter could tie both aspects together and enshrine these ideas in a new vision of legal rights and responsibilities. These are fine ideas indeed - 'cultural creatives' (see DI #1) and other global citizens are working hard to convey these thoughts to the wider population.
[citizens working to make the world a better place]

Word Watch creative diversity n. the idea that societal strength derives from respecting human differences, and that cultural and social diversity should be celebrated and protected

world ethos n. another term for 'global ethics'

In Depth Rogers, Adam (ed.). Taking Action: An Environmental Guide for You and Your Community. I995.

Nairobi, Kenya: UNEP. 224 p. World Commission on Culture and Development. Our Creative Diversity. 1995.

NOT HOT -

Energy Hogs

Scientists estimate that the average per capita energy use for a sustainable society would equate to 1.7 tons of carbon dioxide a year. The average European, however, consumes 7.3 tons, making Europeans certifiable energy pigs. Friends of the Earth Europe is now taking aim at this shocking statistic and launching the Sustainable Europe campaign, in an effort to reduce average energy intake levels on the continent. Lest North Americans be too quick to laugh, our figures for energy use are even worse, with Canada taking the cake for having the highest consumption levels of all. The best performers remain in the less industrialized countries.
Virtual Ideas
Virtual Ideas		 Taking Action On-line with UNEP
A Primer on Environmental Citizenship