The  Deep  Ecology  Platform

by  Arne Naess and George Sessions

            1. The well-being and flourishing of human and nonhuman life on Earth have
    value in themselves (synonyms: inherent worth, intrinsic value, inherent value).
    These values are independent of the usefulness of the nonhuman world for human
    purposes.

            2. Richness and diversity of life-forms contribute to the realization of these
    values and are also values in themselves.

            3. Humans have no right to reduce this richness and diversity except to
    satisfy vital needs.

            4. Present human interference with the nonhuman world is excessive, and
    the situation is rapidly worsening.

            5. The flourishing of human life and cultures is compatible with a substantial
    decrease of the human population. The flourishing of nonhuman life requires
    such a decrease.

            6. Policies must therefore be changed. The changes in policies affect basic
    economic, technological, and ideological structures. The resulting state of affairs
    will be deeply different from the present.

            7. The ideological change is mainly that of appreciating life quality (dwelling
    in situations of inherent worth) rather than adhering to an increasingly higher
    standard of living. There will be a profound awareness of the difference between
    big and great.

            8. Those who subscribe to the foregoing points have an obligation directly
    or indirectly to participate in the attempt to implement the necessary changes.
 

    From: Clearcut: The Tragedy of Industrial Forestry, edited by Bill Devall
                (San Francisco: Sierra Club Books and Earth Island Press, 1993).