英文文献1eoul Declaration on Environmental Ethics.docVIP

1997 Seoul Declaration on Environmental Ethics World Environment Day 1997 5 June Peoples Pledge Preamble As humanity moves toward the 21st century, we are left with no choice but to redefine the values and principles that underlie our relationship with the Earth. Over the course of history, we see that lifestyles and ways of thinking have changed dramatically, having made tremendous progress in science and technology, economic growth, and material wealth. These changes have enhanced the quality of life for some, but have diminished it for others. We also have witnessed the continuation of unsustainable environmental practices and lifestyles which have detrimentally affected our surrounding natural environment and indeed our very lives. Clearly, a new approach is required. The global community is in need of a set of imperatives that would allow equitable access to the environmental benefits of the planet, without exceeding its carrying capacity. We must come to an understanding that the current global environmental crisis is a result of dominant value systems, driven by human greed and excessive materialism, and the mistaken belief that science and technology hold the key to the solution of all our problems. Unless we change our values and beliefs, such conditions will further environmental degradation, and ultimately lead to the collapse of natural systems that support life. Reevaluating what constitutes sustainable development is the only course of action left for humankind. We believe that in order to enhance the quality of life and to avoid wholesale ecological destruction, a deeper understanding of life and the formulation of a new system of environmental ethics is required. The key is to recognize that humans and the natural environment are interdependent and part of a larger entity, the Whole-Life-System. We must therefore understand that the environment is not a subject of exploitation, but is a partner for life. Human society must also begin to better und