Explanations
§ 1 Our Global Crisis:
Until recently, the biggest challenges to the survival of the increasing world population were the food and water deficits, pollution, loss of biodiversity, poverty, and inequality. Now, global climate change threatens to further exacerbate all these problems and compromise our efforts to deal with them.
§ 2 We ought to learn from the past
The world has recently shown the capacity and flexibility to quickly respond to short-term natural disasters. Moreover, environmental management has successfully addressed problems resulting from acid rain and stratospheric ozone depletion. The signatories of the declaration urge that similar capabilities be quickly mobilized to address the far more serious and longer term Earth-system crisis.
§ 3 Our deeds must follow our words
There is no excuse for delaying implementation of available state-of-the-art technologies. While there is need for innovation in certain areas, proven, established and sustainable responses already exist for handling large parts of the global crisis. The signatories of the workshop want to motivate those who have solutions, in order to share this knowledge with the global community so that implementation can begin now.
§ 4 We must raise awareness of the problem
Efforts to address the crisis require social empowerment to change behavior and deal wisely with the Earth system. This is the primary responsibility of the current generation.
§ 5 We need to protect our indispensible global commons
Utilization of the global commons, including the atmosphere and oceans, is currently only partially regulated, and degrading global commons carries few penalties. We recommend the formation of a binding international legal framework and a Global Commons Trust as proposed by Christopher D. Stone (in “Wege zum ökologischen Rechtsstaat“ (Path towards an ecological state under the rule of law), H. Baumeister (ed), E. Bottner Verlag, 1993). Most urgent is a globally validated administration of a global cap and redistribution system for atmospheric carbon emission or climate protection credits.
§ 6 Execution of deliberate climate modification requires authorization
Climate engineering is the deliberate, planned, large-scale intervention in the climate system. Such initiatives with potential global effects need rigorous risk and legal assessment, and authorization by a process of international consensus to which all nations are supposed to participate. Climate engineering must never be seen as an alternative to the necessity to solve the global crisis at its roots.
§ 7 Sustainability has to be our goal
The purpose of the new frontier of Earth system engineering must be to promote improved management of the global commons. Our global society must find a relationship between the natural environment and human endeavors that ensures sustainability.
§ 8 The global commons trust fund should assist in financing advanced research
The global commons trust fund should support, among other important tasks, advanced research which is holistic and multi-disciplinary in nature.
§ 9 We need a United Nations authority responsible for preserving the functioning of the Earth system
A United Nations body is to be established and authorized to enforce measures capable of preserving the life-enabling functions of the Earth system. Decisions should be based on the advice of the IPCC, and on the recommendations of a second intergovernmental panel responsible for assessing and evaluating, within the context of sustainability, those technologies and methods proposed to preserve the life-enabling functions of the Earth system. This proposal goes beyond earlier suggestions to elevate the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) to the level of the WTO, because of the severity of the crises we now face.
