...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 - indeed, to embrace the whole creation in all its diversity, beauty and wonder. This will happen if we see the need to revive our sense of belonging to a larger family of life, with which we have shared our evolutionary process.
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.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has challenged the world to broaden the understanding of peace: there can be no peace without equitable development; and there can be no development without sustainable management of the environment in a democratic and peaceful space. This shift is an idea whose time has come.
...Those of us who have been privileged to receive education, skills, and experiences and even power must be role models for the next generation of leadership.
...There is also need to galvanize civil society and grassroots movements to catalyse change. I call upon governments to recognize the role of these social movements in building a critical mass of responsible citizens, who help maintain checks and balances in society. On their part, civil society should embrace not only their rights but also their responsibilities.
Further, industry and global institutions must appreciate that ensuring economic justice, equity and ecological integrity are of greater value than profits at any cost.
The extreme global inequities and prevailing consumption patterns continue at the expense of the environment and peaceful co-existence. The choice is ours.
I would like to call on young people to commit themselves to activities that contribute toward achieving their long-term dreams. They have the energy and creativity to shape a sustainable future. To the young people I say, you are a gift to your communities and indeed the world. You are our hope and our future.
Wangari Maathai-- Nobel Peace Prize Winner 04
i was floored when i read Wangari's Nobel Lecture. i had never heard of this woman or the movement she inspired and i was unexpectedly blown away by her words. she was being recognized for promoting the EXACT message i had been trying to convey in my Evergreen essay, and she verbalized it perfectly. i could not believe my eyes as I read her words perfectly expressing my strongest and most precious values and beliefs. the message that an environmentally consciousnesses global community would promote peace, stability, positive development of humanity, and is a necessary step in the survival of mankind. “industry and global institutions must appreciate that ensuring economic justice, equity and ecological integrity are of greater value than profits at any cost.”
I can’t even begin to express my thoughts right now, because nothing I could write would illustrate my beliefs as clearly and perfectly as the words of Wangari Maathai in her Nobel Lecture yesterday. She has left me completly and utterly speechless. Thank you Wangari Maathai.
http://nobelprize.org/peace/laureates/2004/index.html