World Religions, Ethics, and the Earth Charter for a Sustainable Future

Abstract

The environmental challenges we are facing require more than science,policy, economics, and law. There is a need for broader ethicalresponses. The search for a sustainable future requires an integrationof the Earth Charter and the world religions. This integration of theprinciples of the Earth Charter with the virtues for human-Earthflourishing of the world's religions provides a unique synergy forrethinking a sustainable future. Such a synergy can contribute to thebroadened understanding of sustainability as including economic,ecological, social, and spiritual well-being. This broadenedunderstanding may be a basis for long-term policies, programs, andpractices for a planetary future that is not only ethically sustainable,but also sustaining for human energies.