Sustainable Liberties

by Terrell Clemmons, guest blogger

This morning, while you were sipping your coffee and checking the morning news, an august body of global luminaries continued their three-day meeting planning what kind of coffee you may drink in the future, how much of it you may drink, and what kind of cups you may drink it from. If they allow you to live, that is.

Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration. But not much of one. Earth Summit 2012, also known as the U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development, also known as Rio+20 in recognition of the 20th anniversary of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is officially underway. One of the main goals of Earth Summit 2012 is to solidify support from governments around the world for its designs on sustainable development, which have been set forth in a 300-page document known as Agenda 21. The key strategy for advancing Agenda 21, global implementation at the local level, is being driven by an organization called the International Council of Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI).


At first glance, Agenda 21 appears to be about saving the world’s resources (a respectable enough goal) and preventing climate change (a questionably achievable one at best). But at second glace, one can see it goes far beyond that. If you read the U.N. literature you will find repeated mention of “global governance.” You will read of a plan for an “institutional framework” to be “erected” to “mandate compliance” with sustainable development initiatives.

If you think sustainable development means recycling and employing other methods of using resources conservatively, I recommend a brief perusal of the 158-page Pocket Guide to Sustainable Development. The titles of the four sections are as follows:

1. Global Institutions for Sustainable Development Governance 

2. Concepts for Sustainable Development Governance 

3. Reform Proposals for Sustainable Development Governance 

4. Processes for Sustainable Development Governance

That's an awful lot of governance. Clearly The U.N.’s designs for world governance are incompatible with the American form of limited, participative government deriving its just powers from the consent of the governed. They’re also clearly incompatible with individual human liberties. A UN-approved introduction to the Agenda 21 document acknowledged as much quite plainly:

Effective execution of Agenda 21 will require a profound reorientation of all human society, unlike anything the world has ever experienced—a major shift in the priorities of both governments and individuals and an unprecedented redeployment of human and financial resources. This shift will demand that a concern for the environmental consequences of every human action be integrated into individual and collective decision-making at every level.

Let that sink in: “Every human action.”

Enjoy your coffee now, while you can. Better yet, get involved locally, while you can. Take advantage of having a voice in government, and oppose all attempts to implement Agenda 21 in your locality. Consider it an initiative for “Sustainable Liberties.”

That way we can continue to enjoy our coffee and conserve our resources as we see fit. And the global busybodies can mind their own business.

 Click here to find out if ICLEI has a member chapter in your area.

Related links:

• Agenda 21 for Dummies  
• Agenda 21 Today – Success Stories in the Fight for Freedom  
• Democrats Against Agenda 21