Appendix A
2001 Tokyo Declaration for Earth Ethics
― Learning through Participation & Experience ―
Preamble
We, the one hundred eighty-four participants of the Global Forum on Education for a Sustainable Future: Promoting Earth Ethics,
Coming from various UN and other international institutions, NGOs, academia, journalist, business and other sectors of civil society, and governments,
From thirty-four countries in the East and West, North and South, that contribute to this marvelous cultural diversity of one human community,
Having gathered in Tokyo, Japan, during 4-5 October 2001,
With concerns about the substantial and rapid deterioration of Earth's environmental qualities,
With the desire and intent to contribute to the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, scheduled to be held in September in Johannesburg, South Africa, and to the protection and restoration of ecological balance on planet Earth,
Reviewing the history of humanity's orientation to the natural environment,
Discussing the relevance and content of environmental ethics to be adopted by the human community,
Examining contributions made by the experiential environmental programs run by NGOs in various parts of the world,
Proclaim the following points:
Critically Reviewing the Past
Point 1:
During the past few centuries, the human community experienced a combination of the multiplication of its population, the unreflective and irresponsible application of modern science and technology, the explosive rise of materialist consumer culture, etc. This has entailed alarming environmental deterioration and destruction, resulting from and contributing to poverty and conflict. During the past few decades, we have become increasingly aware of such trends and their adverse implications to our lives, and made increasing efforts to combat them. However, most aspects of the natural environment have continued to deteriorate rather than recover as we enter the 21st Century.
Recommendation I
Transcending Conventional Ethical Perspectives
Point 2:
One of the basic factors in our past failure to conserve and restore a sound natural environment can be found in the weakness of our ethical perspectives:
A. Most moral codes and persuasions, as found in religious and philosophical traditions, have underlined how a person should behave to other existing humans (be obedient, be loving, etc.) or to social constructs (be loyal to the state, contribute to the society), etc., but with scant attention paid to how a person should behave in relation to the natural surroundings, or in consideration of future generations.
B. Environmental ethics, which have gradually emerged as a discussion topic of the international community during recent decades, have been characteristically "state-centric," or mostly concerned with the responsibilities and conduct of the national governments, with little direct relevance to individual world citizens as moral agents.
Point 3:
To rectify such imbalances inherited from the past, the following should be considered:
A. Intensify the international campaign to develop and disseminate "Earth Ethics," or ethical views that encourage humans to love, respect and co-exist in harmony with Earth, have gratitude for what Earth provides and provide for Earth in return, and live with a spirit of only taking what is needed. We must remember that "We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children."
B. Pay more attention to the world's individual citizens, especially youth and children, but also women and older generations, as potential moral agents for environmental ethics, since they can possibly practice it in their daily personal lives, contribute to it by joining volunteer movements, and support it by participating in democratic public decision-making processes.
Recommendation II
Transcending Conventional Environmental Education
Point 4:
Nurturing of environmentally committed citizens, who would act as agents for Earth Ethics, requires significant improvements in all formal, non-formal and informal environmental education. While educational programs should produce environmentally supportive behaviors on the learning side, most humans appear insufficiently committed to such a cause, often appearing to be largely uninformed or misinformed about environmental issues. Moreover even those who are "well-informed" are not necessarily "well-educated," perhaps as they have been mere recipients of abstract knowledge, and learned only through "thinking globally" rather than through "acting locally. "Being concerned but feeling powerless, they have not emerged as the much needed moral agents for global environmental protection and restoration.
Point 5:
To transcend this situation, we must introduce marked improvement into education as it is currently practiced. The programs must address the environmental issues fully. But beyond that, they must become more participatory and experiential for those on the learning side, who can thus acquire affective emotions towards life in its many forms, concrete skills to support it, and identities as caretakers of the Earth and the millions of species living on it. Only after we have established such "Environmental Education for the 21st Century," can we possibly hope to enjoy billions of motivated, inspired, and dedicated people with a strong ethical commitment to the protection of Earth.
Recommendation III
Enhancing NGO Contributions
Point 6:
While the implementation of Recommendations I and II demands contributions by diverse actors, such as governments, business and civil society, we believe that the role to be played by NGOs is particularly crucial. Being attached to the grassroots communities and relatively uninhibited by political and profit considerations, such organizations have a unique potential to effectively inform about environmental issues, implement participatory and experiential programs, and nurture Earth Ethics among the general public. Only with the populace committed to environmental causes, can the public authorities effectively administer pro-environmental policies. We thus proclaim our expectation that NGOs spearhead the movement to turn around this increasingly devastating environmental deterioration.
Point 7:
For environmentally committed NGOs to fulfill their vital mission above, it is essential that they enjoy active partnerships with other sectors including: national and local governments; UN and other international organizations; funding agencies and donor groups; educational, academic and media circles; local community groups, businesses and citizens; etc. Especially in need of partnerships are NGOs in developing countries, where deterioration of nature and its impact on human lives are particularly serious, yet social, economic, and political factors have circumscribed their public contribution. Therefore, we appeal to all relevant actors to aggressively seek ways to strengthen all partnerships within each country and at the global level by joining their heads, hearts and hands together in environmental education campaigns, such as OISCA-International's Children's Forest Program and others presented in this Forum. Such efforts will greatly contribute to capacity-building by learning through participation and experience.
