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Planeta Terra Coesao Criacional

Universal Declaration of the Common Good of Earth and Humanity

Whereas Earth and Humanity are part of a vast evolving universe and have the same fate, threatened with destruction by the irresponsibility and lack of care of human beings, and whereas Earth forms with Humanity a single entity, complex and sacred, as is clear when you see it from outer space, and that, in addition, the Earth is alive and behaves as a single self-regulating system formed by physical, chemical, biological and human components that make it conducive to the production and reproduction of life and that, for this reason, she is our Great Mother and our Common Home.  

Taking into account that Mother Earth is composed of the set of ecosystems in which she has generated a magnificent multiplicity of life forms, all interdependent and complementary, forming the great community of life, and that there is a kinship bond between all living beings because all are carriers of the same basic genetic code that underlies the sacred unity of life in its multiple forms and that, therefore, Humanity is part of the community of life and the moment of consciousness and intelligence of the Earth itself, making the human being , man and woman, be the Earth itself that speaks, thinks, feels, loves, cares and venerates. 

Considering that all human beings, with their cultures, languages, traditions, religions, arts and worldviews, constitute the only family of brothers and sisters with equal dignity and equal rights and that Mother Earth has provided everything we need to live and that natural and human life depends on a healthy biosphere, with all sustainable ecosystems, with water, forests, animals and countless preserved micro-organisms, and, furthermore, that increasing global warming may jeopardize the vitality and integrity of the Earth system and that serious devastation can occur, affecting millions and millions of people, and eventually make the survival of the entire human species unfeasible. 

Recalling that it is necessary to renew and organically articulate the natural contract with the social contract, which gained an exclusive role and favored anthropocentrism and established strategies for the appropriation and domination of nature and Mother Earth, since the mode of production in force in recent centuries and currently globalized it has failed to satisfy the vital demands of the peoples, generating, on the contrary, a deep gap between rich and poor. 

Considering, finally, that the awareness of the gravity of the critical situation of Earth and Humanity makes changes in minds and hearts essential, as the Earth Charter emphasizes, and that a coalition of forces is forged around common values ​​and inspiring principles that serve as an ethical foundation and stimulate practices that seek a sustainable way of life. People, institutions, the Earth Charter initiative, political leaders, NGOs, religions and churches that subscribe to this Declaration see the urgency of proclaiming this Universal Declaration of the Common Good of the Earth and Humanity, whose ideals and criteria must guide peoples, nations and all citizens in their collective, community and personal practices and in educational processes so that the Common Good is progressively recognized, respected, observed, assumed and promoted universally with a view to the good living of each one and of all the inhabitants of this small blue-white planet, our Common Home. 

Article 1 
The supreme and universal Common Good, a condition for all other goods, is the Earth itself, which, as our Great Mother, must be loved, cared for, regenerated and venerated like our mothers. 

  1. The Common Good of Earth and Humanity requires that we understand the Earth as a living and subject of dignity. It cannot be appropriated individually by anyone, nor be transformed into merchandise, nor suffer systematic aggression by any mode of production. It belongs to all those who inhabit it, including those who have not yet been born, and to all ecosystems.
  2. The Common Good of Mother Earth and Humanity requires that we protect and restore the integrity of ecosystems, with special concern for biological diversity and all natural processes that sustain life.
  3. The Common Good of Mother Earth and Humanity is strengthened when all beings are seen as interconnected and with intrinsic value, regardless of their human use. 


Article 2 
Para assegurar o Bem Comum da Mãe Terra e da Humanidade é necessário reduzir, reutilizar e reciclar materiais usados na produção e no consumo, garantir que os resíduos possam ser assimilados pelos sistemas ecológicos e buscar o bem viver a partir da sustentabilidade dos ecossistemas, em cooperação com os outros e em harmonia com os ritmos da natureza. 

  1. The Common Good of Earth and Humanity results from the sustainable use of renewable goods such as water, soils, forest products and marine life so that they can be replenished and guaranteed for current and future generations.
  2. The use of non-renewable goods, such as minerals and fossil fuels, must be done in a way that reduces their extinction and does not seriously harm the Common Good of Earth and Humanity.


Article 3 
Adopt standards of production and consumption that guarantee the vitality and integrity of Mother Earth, social equity in humanity, responsible and solidary consumption and community well-being. 

  1. O Bem Comum da Mãe Terra e da Humanidade exige a utilização sustentável das energias disponíveis, privilegiando as matrizes renováveis e outras fontes alternativas, como a energia do sol, do vento, das marés e a agroenergia. 
  2. The Common Good of Mother Earth and Humanity is enhanced when the pollution of any part of the environment is reduced as much as possible in order to avoid the perverse effects of global warming and prevent the increase of radioactive or toxic substances and other dangerous chemicals.
  3. The Common Good of Mother Earth and Humanity is not compatible with the existence of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, which must be completely eliminated. 


Article 4 
The biosphere is a Common Good of the Earth and Humanity and is a heritage shared by all forms of life, of which human beings are tutors. 

Article 5 
Natural resources, such as air, soils, fertility, flora, fauna, genes, microorganisms and representative samples of natural ecosystems and outer space belong to the Common Good of Mother Earth and Humanity. 

  1. Water belongs to the Common Good of Earth and Humanity because it is a natural, common, vital and irreplaceable good for all living beings, especially for humans, who are entitled to access to it, regardless of the costs of its capture, reserve, purification and distribution, which will be assumed by the government and society.
  2. The oceans are a Common Good of Mother Earth and Humanity because they constitute the great repositories of life, the regulators of climates and the physical and chemical basis of the Earth.
  3. The forests belong to the Common Good of Mother Earth and Humanity, contain the greatest biodiversity on the planet, the necessary humidity for the rain regime and are the great carbon dioxide scavengers. 
  4. Climates belong to the Common Good of Mother Earth and Humanity because they are the essential condition for the maintenance of life, and climate change must be addressed globally and with a shared responsibility.


Article 6 
Food in its diversity and the genetic / phylogenetic resources necessary for its production belong to the Common Good of Earth and Humanity, over which all types of commercial speculation are prohibited. 

Article 7 
Public Goods of Humanity are the energies necessary for life, health and education, the media, the internet, the post office and public transport. Medicines produced by private laboratories become part of the Common Good of Humanity after five years and, in emergency situations, can be made public immediately. 

Article 8 
Petroleum and mineral activities and agrofuels must be subjected to state and social control due to the harmful effects they may have on the Common Good of Humanity and Mother Earth. 

Article 9 
Together with the Earth and the biosphere, Humanity as a whole is the highest Common Good on Earth and Humanity. It is not the sum of individuals of the human species. Because this species is essentially social, Humanity emerges as the set of relationships of all kinds established between people, institutions, ethnicities and cultures. It is an error and an illusion to divide humanity into different entities by nature or by heterogeneous categories, because we all have the same common origin. We are all Africans, co-owners of the Earth and co-responsible for their care and management. 

  1. Due to the fact that it is conscious and co-responsible, historical Humanity can show itself sapient and demented, selfish and altruistic. It can use technical and scientific knowledge to benefit the lives of everyone and the Earth as well as it can create death engines that can threaten to destroy it. He is able to love until he gives his life as well as to hate until he takes his life. That is why it is necessary to be aware of a humanitarian ethic that loves and protects life in all its forms more than power or personal or collective advantage.
  2. It is humankind's nature to give itself a common goal and to imagine a future of hope, creating the conditions for achieving it in the short, medium and long term. With this, it creates a community of destiny, copiloting the biosphere in the perspective of the perpetuity of the human species. III. It is up to Humanity to become responsible for its demographic growth within the physical and geographical limits of a finite planet, knowing, with ethics and wisdom, to reconcile the rights of people and families with the collective interest of humanity.


Article 10 
The great Common Good of the Earth and Humanity are human beings, men and women, bearers of dignity, conscience, intelligence, love, solidarity and responsibility. 

  1. It is necessary to affirm the inherent dignity of all human beings and their intellectual, artistic, ethical and spiritual potential.
  2. The mission of human beings is to care for and protect the Earth and Humanity as inheritances received from the universe.
  3. Communities at all levels have an obligation to guarantee the realization of fundamental rights and freedoms, creating the conditions for each person to realize their full potential and contribute to the Common Good of Mother Earth and Humanity. 


Article 11 
All the knowledge, arts and techniques accumulated throughout history belong to the Common Good of Earth and Humanity. 

  1. The Common Good of the Earth and Humanity requires the recognition and preservation of traditional knowledge and spiritual wisdom from all cultures that contribute to caring for the Earth, developing Humanity's potential and favoring the Common Good.
  2. The Common Good of Humanity requires that poor and vulnerable peoples be increased with financial, technical, social and intellectual resources in order to achieve a sustainable way of living and collaborate with the common good.
  3. The Common Good of Mother Earth and Humanity requires the eradication of poverty as a humanitarian, ethical, social, environmental and spiritual imperative. 
  4. Social and ecological justice cannot be dissociated because both serve the Common Good of the Earth and Humanity.
  5. Gender equality, overcoming all forms of discrimination, protecting children from violence and social security for all those who cannot support themselves belong to the Common Good of the Earth and Humanity.


Article 12 
All forms of government belonging to the Common Good of Earth and Humanity that respect the rights of each human being and Mother Earth and provide active and inclusive participation of citizens in decision-making, favor unrestricted access to justice and care for the environment ecological. 

Article 13 
The Common Good of Earth and Humanity requires the protection of natural reserves, including wild lands and marine areas, the life support systems on Earth, seeds, biodiversity and the rescue of endangered species and devastated ecosystems. 

  1. Control the introduction of exogenous species and strictly submit to the principle of prevention all genetically modified organisms so that they do not cause damage to native species and the health of Mother Earth and Humanity.
  2. Ensure that the knowledge of the various fields of knowledge that are of vital importance for the Common Good of Earth and Humanity are considered to be in the public domain.
  3. It is forbidden to patent fundamental genetic resources for food and agriculture, and patented technical discoveries must always keep their social destiny. 


Article 14 
The multiplicity of cultures and languages, the different peoples, the monuments, the arts, the music, the sciences, the techniques, the philosophies, the wisdom belong to the Common Good of Humanity and Mother Earth popular traditions, ethical traditions, spiritual paths and religions. 

Article 15 
The hospitality for which we welcome and welcome each other belongs to the Common Good of the living Earth and Humanity, as inhabitants of the same Common Home, the Earth. 

Article 16  
The Common Good of Humanity and Mother Earth belong to sociability and peaceful coexistence with all human beings and with the beings of nature because we are all sons and daughters of Mother Earth and are co-responsible for the same common destiny. 

Article 17 
The tolerance that embraces differences as expressions of the wealth of the only human nature and does not allow such differences to be considered inequalities belongs to the Common Good of Humanity. 

Article 18 
The Common Good of the Earth and Humanity belongs to the capacity for reconciliation on the part of people and peoples in the face of violence and damage suffered in the context of the reconstruction of truth and justice. not allowing revenge and hatred to have the last word. 

Article 19 
The common good of humanity belongs to the commensality that expresses the ancestral dream of all peoples to sit together, as brothers and sisters of the same family, around the table, eating and drinking happily from the fruits of Mother Earth's generosity. 

Article 20 
Compassion with all who suffer in nature and in society belongs to the Common Good of Humanity, relieving their suffering and preventing all types of cruelty to animals. 

Article 21 
Ethical principles of respect for all beings, care for nature and universal responsibility for the preservation of biodiversity and for the continuity of the human planetary project belong to the Common Good of Humanity and the principles of cooperation and solidarity of all with all, starting from the most needy, so that everyone is included in the same Common House. 

Article 22 
It belongs to the Common Good of Mother Earth and Humanity the permanent search for peace that results from the correct relationship with oneself, everyone with everyone, with nature, with life, with national and international society and with the great Whole of which we make part. 

Article 23 
The Common Good of Humanity and Mother Earth belongs to the conviction that a loving Energy underlies the entire universe, sustains each one of the beings and can be invoked, welcomed and venerated. 

Article 24 
All of these ideals and criteria for the Common Good of Mother Earth and Humanity extend and reinforce the principles and values of the Earth Charter and the human rights contained in the Declaration of the Rights of the Man proclaimed on December 10, 1948 by the UN Assembly, generating the hope of a biocivilization in harmony with himself, full of care for Mother Earth, based on the spirit of cooperation, universal brotherhood and unconditional love. 

Leonardo Boff, trained in the Franciscan tradition, theologian, creator, along with Gustavo Gutierrez and others, of Liberation Theology, dedicates himself to a spirituality of change towards the ecological paradigm, which is why he received the alternative Nobel in 2001. Member of the Commission of the “Earth Charter”. Together with Sergio Torres, he is one of the inspirers of the World Forum on Theology and Liberation. 

Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, a Nicaraguan born in Los Angeles, member of the Maryknoll Congregation, became involved in the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua, becoming a diplomat and government minister. He was elected president of the United Nations Assembly for the period from September 2008 to September 2009. 

  

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