The speed at which the fabric of life has begun to change seems beyond the ability of most people and institutions to comprehend, leading to ethical uncertainties. Do we have the right to clone ourselves, or rewrite genetic codes to create thousands of new life forms, or genetically change ourselves and future generations into new species? Is it right for humans to merge with technology, as one way to prevent technological hegemony over humanity? Is a genetics race to build a superior people possible? Experts speculate that the world is heading for a “singularity”—a time in which technological change is so fast and significant that we today are incapable of conceiving what life might be like beyond the year 2025. Meanwhile, is it ethical to allow one population to pay another for their right to pollute? Since the poorest create the least greenhouse gas emissions but will suffer the most from climate change, should not those who produced the most GHGs pay for adapting to climate change? Should information about how to make a roadside bomb or an epidemic-causing virus be posted on the Internet? What is the appropriate balance between security and personal freedom?

Globalization and advanced technology allow fewer people to do more damage and in less time, so that possibly even one day a single individual may be able to make and deploy a weapon of mass destruction. Hence the healthy development of anyone should be the concern of everyone. Such observations are not new, but the consequences of failure to realize their importance may be much more serious in the future than in the past. New technologies also allow more people to do more good than ever before, such as single individuals organizing worldwide actions around specific ethical issues via the Internet.

Public morality based on religious metaphysics is challenged daily by growing secularism, leaving many unsure about the moral basis for decisionmaking. Unfortunately, religions and ideologies that claim moral superiority give rise to “we-they” splits, yet spiritual education should grow in balance with the new powers given humanity by technological progress. The moral will to act in collaboration across national, institutional, religious, and ideological boundaries that is necessary to address our global challenges requires global ethics. More of the very rich could form global partnerships for development with the poorest 2 billion—as Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are doing in health, Richard Branson is doing in climate change, and Ted Turner is doing with UN systems.

The Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption have begun implementing the treaty, and the World Bank is helping to strengthen national anticorruption units. Over 4,000 businesses in 120 countries have joined the UN’s Global Compact to use global ethics in decisionmaking. The International Criminal Court has successfully tried political leaders. Memes could be promoted, like “make decisions that are good for me, you, and the world.” We need to promote parental guidance to establish a sense of values, encourage respect for legitimate authority, support the identification and success of the influence of role models, implement cost-effective strategies for global education for a more enlightened world, and make behavior match the values people say they believe in.

Challenge 15 will be addressed seriously when corruption decreases by 50% from the World Bank estimates of 2006, when ethical business standards are internationally practiced and regularly audited, when essentially all students receive education in ethics and responsible citizenship, and when there is a general acknowledgment that global ethics transcends religion and nationality.