Fifth Principle of the Earth Charter

Earth Charter Principle 5. Protect and restore the integrity of Earth's ecological systems, with special concern for biological diversity and the natural processes that sustain life.

As our awareness of Earth and the impact our species has had on our environment slowly creeps into our social awareness, principle #5 has become pivotal to groups with interests ranging from Science to New Age. Principle #5 is one of the longest principles of the Earth Charter’s sixteen principles and addresses the heart of the matter. Unless we protect and take action to restore Earth’s ecological systems we may destroy the very home that gives all Earth’s species shelter, food and rest.
This principle speaks to us about principles we value on other levels as well, namely diversity and complementarity. I find it interesting that the definitions of these terms span the spectrum from Physics to social action. For example, complementarity is defined as:
o noun1. a relation between two opposite states or principles that together exhaust the possibilities 2. the interrelation of reciprocity whereby one thing supplements or depends on the other; "the complementarity of the sexes" 1
o The concept that the underlying properties of entities (especially subatomic particles) may manifest themselves in contradictory forms at different times, depending on the conditions of observation; thus, any physical model of an entity exclusively in terms of one form or the other will be necessarily incomplete. For example, although a unified quantum mechanical understanding of such phenomena as light has been developed, light sometimes exhibits properties of waves and sometimes properties of particles (an example of wave-particle duality) 2
Diversity is defined as:
o The fact or quality of being diverse; difference.
1 complementarity. (n.d.). WordNet® 3.0. Retrieved November 01, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/complementarity
2 complementarity. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Science Dictionary. Retrieved November 01, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/complementarity
o A point or respect in which things differ.
o Variety or multiformity: "Charles Darwin saw in the diversity of species the principles of evolution that operated to generate the species: variation, competition and selection" (Scientific American).3
Diversity’s definition too illustrates the various ways we can think about diversity from diversity of thought to biological diversity. This type of thinking across sciences and integrated into the whole of life is a challenge for us as we move into a more complex and complicated world view and consciousness. Yet we are being called to such thinking from various voices that make up our lives. From our Acts of Chapter which urge us to, “urgent concern for Earth and the survival of its life systems” and to “recognizing the urgency of working to protect and restore Earth’s healthy living systems in these next years” to our country’s and our world’s concern about affordable non Earth threatening sources of energy as we journey into the future, “Climate change is real. And it’s happening much faster than was predicted just a few years ago. The good news is that we can solve this crisis. We can switch 100% of America's electricity to clean energy sources – within 10 years. To make the switch, repowering America must be a priority for our leaders. If leaders know you care, they will take action. Join us today and be a voice for solutions.”( from www.wecansolveit.org)
We may feel a small part of the solution or that we not able to have much of an effect at all. However small steps can be taken on our part from awareness of our local ecology to research on the web where our fingers can help us take action to be part of the solution. I close with this thought that I read a few days ago from Thomas Moore’s Book “The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life, “ Enchanted ecology is the work of religion more than science, love more than understanding, and ritual more than heroic action. It is rooted in both a love for home and a willingness to let the place where we live set limits on our lives, define our personalities, and shape our values. This kind of ecology is concerned not simply with the natural world but with our place in the human environment as well, and it has as much to do with meaning and emotion as with the protection of literal nature.”
3 diversity. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved November 01, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/diversity