Markets that respect the commons are the way of the future.

As part of the Green Economy series 

By Hazel Henderson

The idea that more markets are always better and should eventually spread worldwide (known as “market fundamentalism”) is now challenged by the growing movement to protect and defend the global commons: our Earth’s atmosphere, rivers, oceans, biodiversity and electromagnetic spectrum underpinning our global communications networks, satellites and the Internet – providing the publicly funded platform of global finance.

Read More

The roots of happiness lie in richer soil than money.

As part of the New Economy 2.0 series

By David Korten

In 1992, I participated in the civil society portion of the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It involved some fifteen thousand people representing the vast variety of humanity’s races, religions, nationalities and languages. It was at the time the largest and most diverse global gathering in human history. Our discussions centered on defining, and committing ourselves to, the vision of the world we would create together.

These discussions were chaotic and often contentious. But at one point it hit me like a bolt of lightning. Despite our differences, we all wanted the same thing: healthy, happy children, families and communities living in peace and cooperation in healthy, natural environments. Out of our conversations emerged an articulation of our shared dream of a world in which people and nature live in dynamic, creative, cooperative and balanced relationships. The Earth Charter, which is the product of a continuation of this discussion, calls it Earth Community, a community of life.

Read More