RESOURCES

We hold these truths to be self-evident:

That the real, physical world is the source of our own lives, and the
lives of others. A weakened planet is less capable of supporting life,
human or otherwise.

Thus the health of the real world is primary, more important than any
social or economic system, because all social or economic systems are
dependent upon a living planet.

It is self-evident that to value a social system that harms the
planet’s capacity to support life over life itself is to be out of touch
with physical reality.

That any way of life based on the use of nonrenewable resources is by definition not sustainable.

That any way of life based on the hyper-exploitation of renewable
resources is by definition not sustainable: if, for example, fewer
salmon return every year, eventually there will be none. This means that
for a way of life to be sustainable, it must not harm native
communities: native prairies, native forests, native fisheries, and so
on.

That the real world is interdependent, such that harm done to rivers
harms those humans and nonhumans whose lives depend on these rivers,
harms forests and prairies and wetlands surrounding these rivers, harms
the oceans into which these rivers flow. Harm done to mountains harms
the rivers flowing through them. Harm done to oceans harms everyone
directly or indirectly connected to them.

That you cannot argue with physics. If you burn carbon-based fuels,
this carbon will go into the air, and have effects in the real world.

That creating and releasing poisons into the world will poison humans and nonhumans.

That no one, no matter how rich or powerful, should be allowed to create poisons for which there is no antidote.

That no one, no matter how rich or powerful, should be allowed to create messes that cannot be cleaned up.

That no one, no matter how rich or powerful, should be allowed to destroy places humans or nonhumans need to survive.

That no one, no matter how rich or powerful, should be allowed to drive human cultures or nonhuman species extinct.

That reality trumps all belief systems: what you believe is not nearly so important as what is real.

That on a finite planet you cannot have an economy based on or
requiring growth. At least you cannot have one and expect to either have
a planet or a future.

That the current way of life is not sustainable, and will collapse.
The only real questions are what will be left of the world after that
collapse, and how bad things will be for the humans and nonhumans who
come after. We hold it as self-evident that we should do all that we can
to make sure that as much of the real, physical world remains intact
until the collapse of the current system, and that humans and nonhumans
should be as prepared as possible for this collapse.

That the health of local economies are more important than the health of a global economy.

That a global economy should not be allowed to harm local economies or land bases.

That corporations are not living beings. They are certainly not human beings.

That corporations do not in any real sense exist. They are legal
fictions. Limited liability corporations are institutions created
explicitly to separate humans from the effects of their actions—making
them, by definition, inhuman and inhumane. To the degree that we desire
to live in a human and humane world—and, really, to the degree that we
wish to survive—limited liability corporations need to be eliminated.

That the health of human and nonhuman communities is more important than the profits of corporations.

We hold it as self-evident, as the Declaration of Independence
states, “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of
these ends [Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness], it is the
Right of the People to alter or abolish it. . . .” Further, we hold it
as self-evident that it would be more precise to say that it is not the
Right of the People, nor even their responsibility, but instead
something more like breathing—something that if we fail to do we die.

If we as a People fail to rid our communities of destructive
institutions, those institutions will destroy our communities. And if we
in our communities cannot provide meaningful and nondestructive ways
for people to gain food, clothing, and shelter then we must recognize
it’s not just specific destructive institutions but the entire economic
system that is pushing the natural world past breaking points.
Capitalism is killing the planet. Industrial civilization is killing the
planet.

Once we’ve recognized the destructiveness of capitalism and
industrial civilization—both of which are based on systematically
converting a living planet into dead commodities—we’ve no choice, unless
we wish to sign our own and our children’s death warrants, but to fight
for all we’re worth and in every way we can to overturn it.