This morning I had the opportunity to sit down over a cup of tea with Norman Myers, a Professor from Oxford, renowned for his work on conservation, biodiversity and international environmental issues. He was such a lovely man and I became inspired with his enthusiasm for being alive at such a magnificent time in the world. After 50 odd years of battling the challenges our world faces, this gentleman was a breath of fresh year for me after studying environmental issues for only three years. In I witnessed the impacts that global warming is having on the livelihoods of Himalayan people. The melting glaciers have caused massive floods destroying homes and diminishing the water supply of the Indus of which the people depend on entirely for the irrigation of their farmland. Upon returning from India, a country of 1.2 billion people where the living conditions for the majority are unimaginable by our standards, I wrestled with where I stand as a college student in terms of ever making any kind of substantial difference. It is easy to become overwhelmed at the extreme marginalization other countries are presently facing.
Myers mentioned Nobel Peace Prize winner, German Chancellor Willy Brandt, having began a movement that ended with the fall of the Berlin Wall. And of the paradigm shift in the 1990’s when an overwhelming amount of people unexpectedly quit smoking. He then related the ability to make the impossible possible to his own life. During his 25 years of residing in Kenya working towards wildlife conservation he was told it was not possible for anyone to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in less than 20 hours. This pushed him to rise up and do it in less than 13 hours, setting the record for the fastest ascent at the time. A very modest and humble man, Norman Meyers gave me hope and inspiration that change is possible in our world if we look at each existing and future problem as an exciting opportunity.
His drive to meet challenges and resolve the issues which are thought of as impossible has made me a supporter of the Nobel Peace Prize award to President Obama. Although there is much criticism around the world in the Nobel Peace Committees’ justification, I think the former Norwegian Prime minister, Jagland, had a point when he asked the question, “who has done more in the past year than Barak Obama to enhance peace around the world?” I personally thought it was surprising to see people deem his award as inappropriate such as Michael Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee, who was in avid support of the previous administration that basically perpetuated the financial crisis and who also coined the words “Drill Baby drill” when he promoted offshore drilling at the 2008 Republican National Convention. In his statement, he criticized the President for his lack of job creation and fiscal responsibility. Similar to Norman Meyer’s approach to environmental sustainability in terms of looking at the roots of climate change in terms of overpopulation and overconsumption, is Obama not looking at the root of our economic crisis by seeking economic stability through strengthening international diplomacy and cooperation between countries? Was he not attempting to reconcile fiscal responsibilities in his address to the UN on climate change two weeks ago by seeking to wisely manage our earth’s resources, preparing for the future and avoiding the debt that could arise if the suggested climate change consequences hold true?
As my time with Norman came to an end, he handed me his business card and told me to read the writing underneath the mini image of the earth next to his name. His words read “Our Earth is one, our world is not.” Words of his that I recently learned were used as the opening sentence for the UN’s Brundtland Report, the report that provided the most cited definition of sustainable development and alerted the rest of the world of the urgent need to make sustainable economic progress. We parted with a hug as he wished me a wonderful life. I waved with a new found sense of purpose on this earth and hope that the Nobel Peace Prize will motivate Obama to continue pursuing climate stability, mitigate world poverty and seek peaceful resolutions in countries with conflict.
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