The stability of time-honored teachings is a tremendous gift in a world wrenched with chaos and deterioration. A third way to strengthen the Charter would be to include application of the Buddhist law of cause and effect. At the root of many environmental crises lies misunderstanding of the full complexity of causes and conditions that have become manifest. A forest is cut down for the lumber in the trees, ignoring the birds and monkeys which depend on the canopy for shelter. A river is dammed, blocking the flow of water across the flood plain.
Extreme actions lead to extreme consequences.
Add to this the politics involved in exploitation and resistance, and the causes and conditons multiply further. But it is not enough simply to recognize the complexity. To work with the law of cause and effect means to work with agency and accountability. Not all people are equally responsible for all enviromental problems. For example, those involved in weapons production create great human and ecological suffering from civil war, nuclear waste, land mines, and assault guns.