- Responsibility to allocate resources so that greed of the few does not eclipse need of the many. (Survival Principle; Democracy Principle)
- Responsibility to preserve the planet and its resources for future generations. (Intergenerational Equity Principle)
- Responsibility to do no irreparable harm to the planet and its inhabitants. (Precautionary Principle)
- Responsibility to foster diversity of species and ideas. (Anti-Monopoly Principle)
- Responsibility to make war a last resort, not a first resort of the powerful. (Nonviolence Priority Principle)
- Responsibility to hold accountable the perpetrators of crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, including genocide. (Nuremberg Principles; International Criminal Court)
- Responsibility to guarantee basic human rights for all individuals. (Human Rights Principle: Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Torture Convention, etc.)
- Responsibility to cooperate across national borders to achieve these ends. (State Cooperation Principle: Global problems are incapable of solution by any single state, no matter how powerful.)
- Responsibility to choose hope over despair. (Hope Principle; Perseverance Principle)
- Responsibility to leave the planet a better place than you found it. (Individual Action Principle; Horace Mann Principle: “Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.”)
- Responsibility to educate for global sustainability. (Education Principle; Critical Thinking Principle)
In sum, I would encourage you to seek to advance global sustainability by adopting a planetary perspective, doing no harm, engaging in doing good for the planet and its present and future inhabitants, choosing hope, and persevering. If we accept these responsibilities as individuals and work to implement them in our national and international policies, we can turn Earth Day into a year-round commitment to creating a planet we can be proud to pass on to future generations.
