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| Martian Constitution:
One. Martian society will be composed of many different cultures. It is better to think of it as a world rather than a nation. Freedom of religion and cultural practices must be guaranteed. No one culture or group of cultures should be able to dominate the rest.
Two. Within this framework of diversity, it still must be guaranteed that all individuals on Mars have certain inalienable rights, including the material basics of existence, health care, education and legal equality.
Three. The land, air and water of Mars are in the common stewardship of the human family, and cannot be owned by any individual or group.
Four. The fruits of an individual's labour belong to the individual, and cannot be appropriated by another individual or group. At the same time, human labour on Mars is part of a communal enterprise, given to the common good. The Martian economic system must reflect both these facts, balancing self-interest with the interests of society at large.
Five. The metanational order ruling Earth is currently incapable of incorporating the previous two principles, and cannot be applied here. In its place we must enact an economics based on ecological science. The goal of Martian economics is not "sustainable development" but a sustainable prosperity for its entire biosphere.
Six. The Martian landscape has certain "rights of place" which must be honoured. The goal of our environmental alterations should be therefore be minimalist and ecopoetic, reflecting the values of the areophany. It is suggested that the goal of environmental alterations be to make only that portion of Mars lower than the four kilometre contour human-viable. Higher elevations, constituting some thirty percent of the planet, would then remain in something resembling their primeval conditions, existing as natural wilderness zones.
Seven. The habitation of Mars is a unique historical process, as it is the first inhabitation of another planet by humanity. As such it should be undertaken in a spirit of reverence for this planet and for the scarcity of life in the universe. What we do here will set precedents for further human habitation of the solar system, and will suggest models for the human relationship to Earth's environment as well. Thus Mars occupies a special place in history, and this should be remembered when we make the necessary decisions concerning life here.
Dorsa Brevia Conference, Green Mars, Kim Stanley Robinson.
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