At the end of the European Tolerance Talks 2023, the board of trustees of Denk.Raum.Fresach published a growth charter in which the increasing social inequality in the world is denounced. Future growth must be lived, organized and operated in terms of sustainability. Only then can the dynamic that sustains life and improves the living conditions of all grow. As the introduction goes, the widespread prosperity in the northern hemisphere is the result of strong economic growth shared by many, albeit to varying degrees. Social and economic inequality has not been reduced significantly, and prosperity is also based on the overexploitation of natural resources and the exploitation of the Global South to the point of slavery. The initiators of the growth charter propose a fairer distribution of global resources, which requires an intelligent combination of technical innovations, but also changes in people’s behavior – including transformation in the production and use of energy and food. The new pattern of growth requires profound changes, from political decision-making processes to corporate governance to the personal sphere. However, the growth and energy transformation must not fail because of democracy, because its instruments are misused for ecological dictates in a way that is inappropriate and inappropriate. “We, the state and society, need a new, comprehensive enlightenment as a democratic process of approaching solutions and compromises based on knowledge and reason,” the statement said. Future growth must be social and cultural, environmentally friendly and humane. It must lead to more social justice. It must place more emphasis on social cohesion and involve all social classes and regions. This newly understood growth must lead to a culture of respect – towards all people, indeed all living beings and nature in general. Last but not least, it must be based on innovations that are always checked for their social impact and consequences. About the declarations of Fresach The final declarations of the European Tolerance Talks in Fresach are already a tradition. In 2015, the Fresach Declaration on Tolerance was written, and in 2016 a Declaration on Climate Change. The Fresach Freedom Charter followed in 2017, and the Europe Charter in 2018. In 2019 the Denk.Raum.Fresach organizers published a regions charter, in 2020 the Corona declaration, in 2021 a fairness charter and in 2022 a declaration on the turning point afte the war in Ukraine.
