4.23.2005
Fourth 'R' for Earth Day - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle ... Repair (ChristianScienceMonitor.com)
By Wangari Maathai
Christian Science Monitor
Published Friday, April 22, 2005
In 2004, the Norwegian Nobel committee made a revolutionary decision. In awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to an environmentalist for the first time, the committee broadened the concept of peace. The message the committee sent was this: If we want a peaceful world, we have to manage our environment responsibly and sustainably. We also have to share natural resources equitably at local, national, and global levels.
Since winning that prize, I have traveled to many parts of the world sharing the groundbreaking message of the Nobel committee. Friday, the 35th celebration of Earth Day provides us the opportunity to rededicate ourselves to doing all we can in our daily lives to protect and nurture the Earth. There can be no better time. The recently released Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Report shows that nature provides so many "services" that the decline of ecosystems worldwide has measurable deleterious effects on human well-being. The 1,300 scientists compiling the report found that 60 percent of nature's vital services that make all life possible - including fresh water and the flood protection and climate-stabilizing capacities of forests - are already degraded or in danger.
Nature is not an amenity to be drawn upon. It is a fundamental component of our ability to survive - and a central pillar in expanding the possibilities for peace.
(More ... Fourth 'R' for Earth Day - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle ... Repair) ¶ 17:34
Christian Science Monitor
Published Friday, April 22, 2005
In 2004, the Norwegian Nobel committee made a revolutionary decision. In awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to an environmentalist for the first time, the committee broadened the concept of peace. The message the committee sent was this: If we want a peaceful world, we have to manage our environment responsibly and sustainably. We also have to share natural resources equitably at local, national, and global levels.
Since winning that prize, I have traveled to many parts of the world sharing the groundbreaking message of the Nobel committee. Friday, the 35th celebration of Earth Day provides us the opportunity to rededicate ourselves to doing all we can in our daily lives to protect and nurture the Earth. There can be no better time. The recently released Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Report shows that nature provides so many "services" that the decline of ecosystems worldwide has measurable deleterious effects on human well-being. The 1,300 scientists compiling the report found that 60 percent of nature's vital services that make all life possible - including fresh water and the flood protection and climate-stabilizing capacities of forests - are already degraded or in danger.
Nature is not an amenity to be drawn upon. It is a fundamental component of our ability to survive - and a central pillar in expanding the possibilities for peace.
(More ... Fourth 'R' for Earth Day - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle ... Repair) ¶ 17:34
