Webinar Series: Earth Charter and Ecological Civilization

A new kind of collaboration, toward a new kind of civilization, is needed if we are to shift humanity away from the current civilization that is indifferent to the needs of the most vulnerable and that predominantly has lifestyles and production patterns that destroys the life support systems that sustain life on Earth.

Two decades ago, after years of international collaboration and with input from visionaries around the world, a document known as the Earth Charter was drafted as a vision of hope and a call to action. The 16 principles of the Earth Charter provide a framework for the long-term well-being of people and the planet.

In 2012, China adopted Ecological Civilization in its National Constitution and mandated its incorporation into “all aspects of economic, political, cultural, and social progress.” This call for civilizational change raises awareness of the need for an alternative paradigm. But, what is “ecological civilization” and how can it be achieved?

Now, as we enter the third decade of the new millennium, there is urgency in generating an intercultural and intersectoral dialogue about the meaning, principles, metrics, vision, and values that ought to drive humanity towards ecological civilization.

Toward this end, a group of global partners are coming together to organize a series of webinars to exchange views, deepen discourse, and hopeful stimulate further collaboration. This series of four webinars, to take place between September and December, is being organized as a collaborative effort between the Earth Charter International, University for Peace, Pace Center for Green Sci-Teck and Development, the Institute of Ecological Civilization, China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF), and the Center for Process Studies.

The following questions will be addressed:

• What is an “Ecological Civilization?”
• What values and worldviews are needed to ground a paradigm shift towards that direction?
• Can the Earth Charter principles provide a framework for building an ecological civilization?
• How to cultivate the consciousness needed, and how to turn this new consciousness into action?
• What are the driving forces of the current civilization and what could be the drivers of “Ecological Civilization”?
• What is the role of education, policies, and international collaboration to turn Ecological Civilization a reality?

Dates, Speakers and Time

September 10
Values & Worldviews: Ecological Civilization as Mutual Flourishing
Speakers: Mary Evelyn Tucker, Meijun Fan, and Karenna Gore
Moderator: Andrew Schwartz
Time: 7:00pm Costa Rica, 9:00pm ET, 9:00am Beijing of 11 September
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