A Billion Thanks!
Weekend Australia
November 9, 2007
Wangari Maathai plants a tree with Klaus Toepfer of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) at UNEP's headquarters, Nairobi, Kenya, October 9, 2004. Photo: United Nations Environment Programme.
Nobel Laureate Prof Wangari Muta Maathai is known the world over as an environmental activist. But there is more to her than a billion trees. She speaks to Weekend about why planting a tree is vital to the wellbeing of our planet and to world peace.
Anyone in the world can dig a hole, plant a tree and make sure that it survives, she says with her trademark smile. Her smile broadens into a big grin when you ask her about her trees.
She exudes warmth and her simplicity is disarming. The winner of Nobel Prize for Peace for 2004, carries the Nobel halo lightly.
She was part of the Festival of Thinkers recently held in Abu Dhabi.
Despite the punishing schedules of the event, and the milling crowd around vying for her attention, she stops to talk because she wants her message to reach out to as many people as possible.
It is the same humility that prompted her to say on receiving the Nobel Prize, “I'm humbled by the recognition and uplifted by the honour.”
She had also said then, "In the course of history, there comes a time when humanity is called to shift to a new level of consciousness, to reach a higher moral ground. A time when we have to shed our fear and give hope to each other. That time is now.”
So what is her view on this year’s Nobel Prize for Peace? The Nobel committee has once again honoured environmentalists, resonant of her own Peace Prize.
“The Nobel Peace Prize for 2007 being awarded to the former US Vice President Al Gore and scientists of the IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) for their work on raising international awareness about man-made climate change is great news. It is very encouraging,” she says.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank the Norwegian Nobel Committee for Peace for identifying Al Gore and the inter-governmental Forum for Climate Change. This is a loud and clear statement that in order for peace to prevail in the world, protection of the environment is vital.”
What are the implications, one wonders aloud.
“This is an extremely important issue for the world — highlighting environmental issues vis-à-vis peace,” she says.
“It highlights the fact that it is not possible for us to live peacefully on this planet if we don’t take care of the planet.”
When you probe her about global warming, she says, “Global warming is one of the major threats to the planet — to our bio-diversity, including our crop bio-diversity. It is a threat to our water systems and we all know we need water to survive. It is vital to our agriculture. Global warming is also a threat to many of our large farmland systems. So it is very important for us to recognise that the environment must be managed very, very responsibly.”
On the issue of taking responsibility for our planet, Prof Maathai says, “Yes, we all need to take the responsibility for the environment. It is absolutely necessary for us human beings to live in peace with one another. And this year’s Nobel Prize for Peace has brought this aspect into focus by choosing to award those who have focused on the issue of the environment. Environment plays a very big role in global peace.”
What about her own Nobel Prize for Peace in 2004?
“Yes,” says Prof Maathai. “Even in the year 2004, the Norwegian Committee started this debate. And now they have continued it by highlighting the issue through the Prize. They have drawn international attention to the issue.
“I think it is a continuous chain. Awarding the Nobel Prize for Peace to me and to the work we do and this year to those who are striving to raise awareness about our planet.”
Isn’t peace also linked with poverty?
“Yes, indeed,” she replies. “Giving the Peace Prize in 2006 to Dr Muhammad Yunus for his work towards Grameen Bank for his pioneering concept of eradicating poverty through micro credit is laudable. This is because addressing the issue of poverty and equitable distribution of resources are important to world peace. All the three are different facets of the same issue — the problems of poverty, environmental degradation and conflict are entwined. Eradication of poverty and protection of the environment leads to world peace.”
Ask her how her project to plant more trees is growing, and she beams. There is an unmistakable glow of pride on her face.
“The Green Belt Movement continues to expand. We have a very major challenge because we are here dealing with the protection and nurturing of primary resources. We are talking about resources such as forests, such as water, such as the land,” she says.
“Our project emphasises the need for these primary resources to be properly managed. We are talking about these resources to not only be properly managed, but equitably distributed, not only at the national level and the regional level, but also at the global level so as to preempt a lot of the reasons why people go to war.”
How many more trees have been planted as part of the Green Belt Movement after her efforts were recognised by the Nobel Prize committee you want to know. And again she predicates her reply with a disarming smile.
“We have planted more than ten million trees since we got the Nobel Prize. We continue to reach out to other parts of the world,” she says.
What is the next thing on her agenda? Where is her gaze trained?
“The next thing we are focusing on is to share our experiences and success with other countries. For example, we want to reach out to countries like Haiti, which have a devastated environment. We want to help mobilise people and encourage them to take action,” responds Prof Maathai.
“Our focus is not just on destroyed or environmentally degraded areas. We also have the campaign to draw attention throughout the world to the fact that we need to protect some of the major blocks of forests such as the Amazon Forest, the Congo Forest and forests in South East Asia. These are very, very important for the survival of our planet. They are the lungs of our planet.”
Have others emulated the successful model she envisioned that has yielded positive results?
“Yes,” she says. “Many people have come to appreciate the need for such a project. Very many people have come to realise the importance of what we have done and are doing. They are now emulating our model and adapting it to their own situations. I do hope that the practice of tree planting grows and flourishes everywhere.”
“Plant more trees,” she says simply when asked what her message is to the UAE and the rest of the world.
“You see tree planting is easy. It is something anybody can do. Through this forum and your publication, I want to appeal to everybody to join the Green Belt Movement. No matter where you are in the world, you can be a part of the project.”
The earnestness in her voice is unmistakable when she says, “I want to appeal to especially young people to plant more trees. I want young people to be a part of the global Billion Tree Campaign. I appeal to them to register with UNEP Billion Tree Campaign because this is extremely important for young people. It is important that they be aware of the planet and its wellbeing. It is so simple. Anyone in the world can dig a hole, plant a tree and make sure that it survives.”
A quiet revolution
STARTING WITH a small tree nursery in her backyard in 1977, Prof Wangari Maathai founded Kenya's Green Belt Movement (GMB). Since then, she has mobilised poor women to plant more than 30 millions trees in 12 countries across Africa.
An innovative, community-based, development and grassroots environmental organisation, GBM focuses on sustainable development of communities through its empowerment. It seeks to improve people’s livelihoods, alleviate poverty, and promote the rights of women. It has done so by focusing especially on tree planting and environmental conservation.
Strong roots
PROF WANGARI MAATHAI was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2004. She is the first African woman to win the prestigious Prize.
The Nobel Committee in its citation said: "Peace on Earth depends on our ability to secure our living environment. Maathai stands at the front of the fight to promote ecologically viable social, economic and cultural development in Kenya and in Africa. She has taken a holistic approach to sustainable development that embraces democracy, human rights and women's rights in particular. She thinks globally and acts locally."
In her Prize acceptance speech Prof Maathai said: "Today we are faced with a challenge that calls for a shift in our thinking, so that humanity stops threatening its life-support system. We are called to assist the Earth to heal her wounds and in the process heal our own."
She urged the corporate world, global institutions and governments to take on the responsibility, as the environment is a barometer of a nation’s health.
"The state of any country’s environment is a reflection of the kind of governance in place, and without good governance there can be no peace," she said.
Branching out
UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) has launched a campaign to plant a billion trees under the Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign, inspired by Professor Wangari Maathai’s successful project.
Ordinary people, communities, organisations, corporate businesses and industry, civil society and governments are being encouraged to plant trees and enter their tree planting pledges on the website: http://www.unep.org/billiontreecampaign. The objective is to plant at least one billion trees worldwide during 2007. It is a wonderful opportunity for all of us, especially children, youth groups, schools and community groups to join the campaign.
Anyone in the world can dig a hole, plant a tree and make sure that it survives, she says with her trademark smile. Her smile broadens into a big grin when you ask her about her trees.
She exudes warmth and her simplicity is disarming. The winner of Nobel Prize for Peace for 2004, carries the Nobel halo lightly.
She was part of the Festival of Thinkers recently held in Abu Dhabi.
Despite the punishing schedules of the event, and the milling crowd around vying for her attention, she stops to talk because she wants her message to reach out to as many people as possible.
It is the same humility that prompted her to say on receiving the Nobel Prize, “I'm humbled by the recognition and uplifted by the honour.”
She had also said then, "In the course of history, there comes a time when humanity is called to shift to a new level of consciousness, to reach a higher moral ground. A time when we have to shed our fear and give hope to each other. That time is now.”
So what is her view on this year’s Nobel Prize for Peace? The Nobel committee has once again honoured environmentalists, resonant of her own Peace Prize.
“The Nobel Peace Prize for 2007 being awarded to the former US Vice President Al Gore and scientists of the IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) for their work on raising international awareness about man-made climate change is great news. It is very encouraging,” she says.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank the Norwegian Nobel Committee for Peace for identifying Al Gore and the inter-governmental Forum for Climate Change. This is a loud and clear statement that in order for peace to prevail in the world, protection of the environment is vital.”
What are the implications, one wonders aloud.
“This is an extremely important issue for the world — highlighting environmental issues vis-à-vis peace,” she says.
“It highlights the fact that it is not possible for us to live peacefully on this planet if we don’t take care of the planet.”
When you probe her about global warming, she says, “Global warming is one of the major threats to the planet — to our bio-diversity, including our crop bio-diversity. It is a threat to our water systems and we all know we need water to survive. It is vital to our agriculture. Global warming is also a threat to many of our large farmland systems. So it is very important for us to recognise that the environment must be managed very, very responsibly.”
On the issue of taking responsibility for our planet, Prof Maathai says, “Yes, we all need to take the responsibility for the environment. It is absolutely necessary for us human beings to live in peace with one another. And this year’s Nobel Prize for Peace has brought this aspect into focus by choosing to award those who have focused on the issue of the environment. Environment plays a very big role in global peace.”
What about her own Nobel Prize for Peace in 2004?
“Yes,” says Prof Maathai. “Even in the year 2004, the Norwegian Committee started this debate. And now they have continued it by highlighting the issue through the Prize. They have drawn international attention to the issue.
“I think it is a continuous chain. Awarding the Nobel Prize for Peace to me and to the work we do and this year to those who are striving to raise awareness about our planet.”
Isn’t peace also linked with poverty?
“Yes, indeed,” she replies. “Giving the Peace Prize in 2006 to Dr Muhammad Yunus for his work towards Grameen Bank for his pioneering concept of eradicating poverty through micro credit is laudable. This is because addressing the issue of poverty and equitable distribution of resources are important to world peace. All the three are different facets of the same issue — the problems of poverty, environmental degradation and conflict are entwined. Eradication of poverty and protection of the environment leads to world peace.”
Ask her how her project to plant more trees is growing, and she beams. There is an unmistakable glow of pride on her face.
“The Green Belt Movement continues to expand. We have a very major challenge because we are here dealing with the protection and nurturing of primary resources. We are talking about resources such as forests, such as water, such as the land,” she says.
“Our project emphasises the need for these primary resources to be properly managed. We are talking about these resources to not only be properly managed, but equitably distributed, not only at the national level and the regional level, but also at the global level so as to preempt a lot of the reasons why people go to war.”
How many more trees have been planted as part of the Green Belt Movement after her efforts were recognised by the Nobel Prize committee you want to know. And again she predicates her reply with a disarming smile.
“We have planted more than ten million trees since we got the Nobel Prize. We continue to reach out to other parts of the world,” she says.
What is the next thing on her agenda? Where is her gaze trained?
“The next thing we are focusing on is to share our experiences and success with other countries. For example, we want to reach out to countries like Haiti, which have a devastated environment. We want to help mobilise people and encourage them to take action,” responds Prof Maathai.
“Our focus is not just on destroyed or environmentally degraded areas. We also have the campaign to draw attention throughout the world to the fact that we need to protect some of the major blocks of forests such as the Amazon Forest, the Congo Forest and forests in South East Asia. These are very, very important for the survival of our planet. They are the lungs of our planet.”
Have others emulated the successful model she envisioned that has yielded positive results?
“Yes,” she says. “Many people have come to appreciate the need for such a project. Very many people have come to realise the importance of what we have done and are doing. They are now emulating our model and adapting it to their own situations. I do hope that the practice of tree planting grows and flourishes everywhere.”
“Plant more trees,” she says simply when asked what her message is to the UAE and the rest of the world.
“You see tree planting is easy. It is something anybody can do. Through this forum and your publication, I want to appeal to everybody to join the Green Belt Movement. No matter where you are in the world, you can be a part of the project.”
The earnestness in her voice is unmistakable when she says, “I want to appeal to especially young people to plant more trees. I want young people to be a part of the global Billion Tree Campaign. I appeal to them to register with UNEP Billion Tree Campaign because this is extremely important for young people. It is important that they be aware of the planet and its wellbeing. It is so simple. Anyone in the world can dig a hole, plant a tree and make sure that it survives.”
A quiet revolution
STARTING WITH a small tree nursery in her backyard in 1977, Prof Wangari Maathai founded Kenya's Green Belt Movement (GMB). Since then, she has mobilised poor women to plant more than 30 millions trees in 12 countries across Africa.
An innovative, community-based, development and grassroots environmental organisation, GBM focuses on sustainable development of communities through its empowerment. It seeks to improve people’s livelihoods, alleviate poverty, and promote the rights of women. It has done so by focusing especially on tree planting and environmental conservation.
Strong roots
PROF WANGARI MAATHAI was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2004. She is the first African woman to win the prestigious Prize.
The Nobel Committee in its citation said: "Peace on Earth depends on our ability to secure our living environment. Maathai stands at the front of the fight to promote ecologically viable social, economic and cultural development in Kenya and in Africa. She has taken a holistic approach to sustainable development that embraces democracy, human rights and women's rights in particular. She thinks globally and acts locally."
In her Prize acceptance speech Prof Maathai said: "Today we are faced with a challenge that calls for a shift in our thinking, so that humanity stops threatening its life-support system. We are called to assist the Earth to heal her wounds and in the process heal our own."
She urged the corporate world, global institutions and governments to take on the responsibility, as the environment is a barometer of a nation’s health.
"The state of any country’s environment is a reflection of the kind of governance in place, and without good governance there can be no peace," she said.
Branching out
UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) has launched a campaign to plant a billion trees under the Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign, inspired by Professor Wangari Maathai’s successful project.
Ordinary people, communities, organisations, corporate businesses and industry, civil society and governments are being encouraged to plant trees and enter their tree planting pledges on the website: http://www.unep.org/billiontreecampaign. The objective is to plant at least one billion trees worldwide during 2007. It is a wonderful opportunity for all of us, especially children, youth groups, schools and community groups to join the campaign.