The Earth Charter

After reading The Earth Charter and having a group discussion in class, I believe that while a few of the points seem reasonable, the charter as a whole seems unrealistic. While some of the points listed in The Earth Charter may be obtainable in certain areas, the main point of the charter is to get people around the world to adopt these points. I do not believe that that will ever be possible. For example points such as "act with restraint and efficiency when using energy, and rely increasingly on renewable energy sources such as solar and wind" is s point which we have discussed in class as a possible solution for many Americans. However, in other countries where the governments and people do not have the money to fund the technologies needed to create such energy sources, this point in currently unobtainable. I think that the points discussed in The Earth Charter would be more easily obtained if, at least for the time being, we reworded it to pertain to individuals, communities, cities, and even whole nations, but not to unrealistically aim to incorporate the entire world. I think that if each of us individually could pick at least a few points to adopt for our everyday life, we could see a significant impact. Points such as reducing, reusing, and recycling materials used in production and consumption are realistic changes that, especially the American population, could make. As for the rest of the charter, I believe that while achieving world-wide participation in the charter is currently unthinkable, hopefully with time and a few changes, we will one day all be able to accept the charter in an effort to save our Earth.