Parliament of Worlds Religion 1999 Capetown SA

Author(s): Parliament of the World’s Religions
Publisher: USA Parliament of the Worlds Religions

Page 11

A CALL TO OUR GUIDING INSTITUTIONS
DECEMBER • 9 9
• Commitment to Sustainability
The issue of sustainability addresses the relationship of basic human needs to the continued viability of the Earth. Today the human family numbers has exceeded six billion. If our present rate of population growth and resource consumption continues, we are likely to approach and then exceed the limits of the Earth's ability to support us. Economic analysis suggests that to meet even the basic needs of so many would require a huge increase in agriculture and industry, prompting thoughtful persons to ask whether the Earth can possibly sustain such demands. For example: levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide have risen dramatically; one-half of all land has already been transformed for human use; and one-half of all accessible fresh water has been claimed to meet current human needs. As a result, one of every eight plant varieties and evergreater numbers of animal species are at risk of extinction, a prospect that further imperils the planet and its human community. The challenge is to find sustainable ways to peacefully meet the needs of all people while preserving the integrity of the whole community of life on Earth.
Striving for Justice
Currently, four-fifths of the world's people live on one dollar (U.S.), five rand (South Africa), or fifty rupees (India) per day or less. Wrenching poverty, exacerbated by systemic injustice and inequitable distribution of resources, gives rise to disease, crime, violence, and hopelessness. Current trends toward globalization and modern models of "development," which are rarely community oriented, have often increased hardship and privation for millions of people. Injustice of this kind and scope poisons the familial, social, and spiritual life of us all. It is imperative, from both an idealistic and a pragmatic point of view, that the sufferings of a majority of the human community be alleviated through urgent economic, political, and social reform.
• Solidarity and Service
The division of the world into rich and poor, north and south, empowered and disenfranchised, privileged and exploited, is growing. These divisions feed, and then feed upon, a pervasive alienation. If we are unaware of our fundamental connection to one another, we will not choose to work for justice and therefore will find no peace. The remedy is to identify compassionately with others—with their joys and sorrows, their sufferings and struggles, and their essential human needs. Such solidarity is the root of justice and the wellspring of service. In rediscovering our shared humanness and in serving one another, we emerge from estrangement into community.
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