future. These sorts of stresses can create environmental refugees and lead to resource conflicts. Preventing environ- mental degradation is therefore essential to world security and world peace. It’s about time this was finally recognized by the Nobel selection committee. Environmentalists, on the other hand, must also recognize the importance of social justice and peace in protecting nature. A starving person who comes across an edible plant or animal, for exam- ple, will not pause and wonder whether it is endangered. Similarly, those living with- out justice or under conditions of terror, genocide, or war, must worry about sur- vival above all. Thus, these issues must also be addressed if we are to protect nature. In Canada, I was recently heart- ened to hear a new tune from our federal leaders. The throne speech contained lan- guage about the environment that signaled a growing understanding of the disconnect between the actual importance of the environment in our lives and the low priority it is given by government. The speech stated, “Our quality of life today, and the legacy we bequeath to future generations, demands fundamental change in the way in which we think about the environment. The Government will work with its partners to build sustainable development systematically into decision- making.” If the federal government follows through on this promise, it will be a criti- cal step towards sustainability. Cleaning up our messes is expensive and time con- suming. By building nature into all our decisions, we can avoid making messes in the first place. This will ultimately reduce costs, and improve our health and quality of life. In his reply to the throne speech, Mr. Martin further noted that that a healthy environment is crucial, “For it is vital not only to our health and well-being but to our economy and our competitiveness.” This is absolutely true, which is why I was disappointed that it was not mentioned as one of the key points in the section of the ame nT speech on the economy, or in the section on health. Still, the change is most promising, Environmental security and national secu- rity are imtricately © connected. Environmental health and public health are joined at the hip. And a strong envi- ronment and a strong economy? Well, ultimately, they go hand in hand too. One can only hope that our federal govern- ment’ words will be backed up with action. Take the Nature Challenge and learn more at . = _ 5 — — — [ ow | Cc J.J. McCullough, OP Columnist The Sad decline of the Nobel Peace Prize There was a time when the Nobel Peace Prize actually meant something. In 1919, Woodrow Wilson was given the prize for founding the League of Nations in this A wake of World War One. Lester Pearson # won it in 1957 for his diplomacy in Egypt, © and Martin Luther King Jr. won it in 1964 for his civil rights work. For the first half of the 20th century, the award was contin- granted to the world’s most prominent and respected peacemakers; men and women whose far-reaching lega- cies and visions ually of human freedom survive to this day. Then it started going downhill. In 1973, the committee gave the prize to Le Duc Tho, one of the tyrannical rulers of Communist North Vietnam, for signing a peace accord that his government would proceed to happily violate a few weeks later. In 1992, a Marxist author from Latin America, Rigoberta Menchu, was awarded the prize in “recognition” of her autobi- ography that made massive allegations of US abuse in Guatemala—allegations which were later revealed to be complete Obuober 20/e00n During “her lengt fabrications. Most disturbing of all, in 1994, the committee gave the prize to Yasser Arafat (yes, Yasser Arafat) for God knows what reason. I guess he promised he would try not to kill anyone for a week or something. This week the once-prestigious award hit a new low when the Norwegian com- mittee awarded the Nobel»Peace Prize to Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan envitonmen- talist and politician. Though many would disagree with “her + polities (Maathai 1 is a social fe to the left ° 4 Nader), initially it seemed » Maathai led a sucet Mandela. ing some ieee: how “sustainable development” of the environment makes countries I ss likely to go to war, of D thing along | those lines. u sy to simply dismiss Ms. Maathai’s awatd as a harmless, albeit | excessive, honouf fot a passionate, albeit underqualified, proponent of eco-democ- Ms. however. Over the years, the woman has racy. Maathai is far from harmless made a variety of disgusting racist, hate- filled, and conspiratorial claims about the West and its alleged of the AIDS virus that is currently plaguing “creation” Africa. Just days after accepting the award, she repeated her belief that “AIDS is not a curse from God to Africans or the black control people. It is a tool to them designed by some evil-minded scientists.” og pa to > fash awarding ; anwhose links to A few days earlier during a press confer- ence she stated, “I may not be able to say who developed the virus, but it was meant to wipe out the Black race.” In her warped mind, it is the “West” who created the dis- “punish the Blacks,” thus commit genocide on an entire conti- nent. She has repeated these views ease to quote, and *tountless times, and anyone who has read anything about her knows of them, but clearly the Nofwegian Nobel Prize com- mitteé*was able to’ overlook this ugly piece et légacy’in favour of promoting her litics and efvitronmentalist agen- vague, tenuous qualifications she held for the Nobel Peace Prize in the first place. The committee argued that planting trees, in an abstract sense, helps promote world peace by improving natural resources. Well, spreading lies about how the “West” is creating diseases helps promote war by fostering racial divisions and conspiratori- al hatred. In a struggling continent like Africa, Maathai’s comments do a tremen- dous disservice to her people. Is this bitter woman really the kind of role model they need? Maathai would be stripped of her prize immediately. But if In a sane world, Arafat can-keep his for over ten years, don’t hold your breath. You know, sometimes | worry we Western leaders aren't paying enough attention to this crisis. Maybe we should stare harder. Ui HUnEPPPeSsSs | 9