In the interest of promoting a dialogue on the politics of environmental policy, we are providing a brief summary of the Citizen’s Action Party (PAC) position. It appears in the post from Tex Hawkins, with an explanation of its origin.

The Citizen’s Action Party (PAC) has worked since its formation to define and strengthen those principles that guide our political participation.  The model of integrated development, solidarity and sustainability to which we are committed over the long term is based upon the recognition of universal human rights, from which emanate solid proposals and organizing principles of our thought and political action.  We agree that humanity is one and the planet is home to us all.  For this reason, we campaign for citizen action, solidarity, respect, equity, responsibility and ethics in government.

In the PAC party, we work for human development with environmental sustainability and a long-range perspective that integrates the economic as well as the social, cultural and political.  By “human development” we understand those processes that improve the quality of life associated with positive and balanced evolution of the country’s people and institutions through time.  Human development means better options for satisfying needs and providing individual and collective well-being.

The term “sustainability” relates to biodiversity conservation, responsible management of the nation’s natural resources, and ecosystem stability over time, such that human activity will not threaten or irreversibly affect natural cycles, resources, or bio-geophysical processes.  Sustainability is based on human comprehension and respect for the dynamic equilibriums of nature.  Our economic model and socio-political organization are based on the principles summarized above.

We introduced you to Tex Hawkins a number of months ago. He has just posted a terrific article that shares a combination of environmental and political science. He provides an English translation of the Citizen’s Action Party (PAC) environmental platform, which we consider to be extremely important in Costa Rica’s political dialogue. It will also be posted separately, in the interest of encouraging this dialogue.

“In my last post to Nature Air’s Nature Blog, I translated and shared observations from Costa Rican presidential candidate and opposition party leader Otton Solis, made after he attended the January inauguration of Barack Obama.  Of course, it’s impossible to predict how the ideals embodied in those reflections would play out if he were elected to that nation’s highest office, just as it would have been impossible for many of us to predict the effects of the military-industrial-financial-media complex on the rhetorical promise of our new president’s social and environmental agendas.  As my 90-year-old mother often advises, “hope for the best.”

I would advise further that we stay informed, involved and committed to a peaceful quest for the common good.  In that spirit, Winona State University launched a unique educational exchange last year, in the form of an interdisciplinary travel-study course on comparative conservation history and evolution of environmental policy.  We titled the course, “Making Peace with Nature,” borrowing from the initiative launched by Nobel prize-winning President Oscar Arias.  Our agenda called for visits to important conservation areas and communities participating in innovative programs.  The founders and leaders of Costa Rica’s internationally recognized efforts graciously found time to share their personal stories with the students, frankly discuss successes and failures, and answer many questions regarding future possibilities for a sustainable, healthy and just society. Read on…