Al Gore receiving his Nobel Peace Prize
What are the UN's Nobel
Peace Prizes?
On 12 December2007, the Nobel Prize for Peace was awarded to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and to the former United States Vice-President and eminent environmentalist Mr. Albert Arnold (Al) Gore Jr. It was awarded for “their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change.” By doing so, the Norwegian Nobel committee “is seeking to contribute to a sharper focus on the processes and decisions that appear to be necessary to protect the world’s future climate, and thereby to reduce the threat to the security of mankind. Action is necessary now, before climate change moves beyond man’s control” (The Nobel Peace Prize, 2007). IPCC was established in 1988 by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WHO). It is comprised of more than 2,000 climate experts from over 100 countries. Their role is to assess scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant to the understanding of climate change, evaluate its potential consequences, and provide options for adaptation and mitigation (UNEP, 2008). Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon paid a tribute to Mr. Gore’s “exceptional commitment and conviction”. He said Mr. Gore is an example of how individuals and the civil society can play a crucial role in encouraging multilateral responses to global issues. Mr. Ban marked the occasion with the IPCC and its co-sponsors, UNEP and WMO. He thanked the IPCC for its lucid and well-documented findings, and reminded all of the fact that “much of [climate change] is caused by human activities; thus, there is now unprecedented momentum for action on climate change around the word, and recognition of the UN as the forum for reaching agreement on it” (The United Nations, 2007). Accepting the Novel Peace Prize, both the IPCC and Al Gore issued a strong call to fight climate change. At the award ceremony in Oslo, Norway, Al Gore mentioned: “we, the human species, are confronting a planetary emergency- a threat to the survival of our civilization that is gathering ominous and destructive potential even as we gather here.” (Gore, 2007) At the same time, the chairman of the IPCC, Dr. Pachauri, warned in his acceptance speech of the threats to peace that could result from global warming. He defined peace as “security and the secure access to resources that are essential for living.” He said that a disruption in such access is correlated with a disruption of peace in which climate changes could adversely affect some communities’ access to clean water and sufficient food. This could result in unstable health conditions and threatens ecosystem resources and security of settlements (Pachauri, 2007). The Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in 2007 has sent an urgent call for the protection of our planet. It has also emphasized that combatting climate change is central for the peace and security of today’s world. According to Al Gore, the hopeful news is that “we have the ability to solve the crisis and avoid the worst- through not all- of its consequences, if we act boldly, decisively, and quickly” (Gore, 2007). Dr. Pachauri, who was recently appointed as a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador pointed out three important realities that global action should incorporate (Pachauri, 2007): 1) The power and promise of collective scientific endeavor can reach across national boundaries and political differences in the pursuit of objectives defining the larger good of human society. 2) The importance of the role of knowledge in shaping public policy and guiding global affairs for the sustainable development of human society. 3) An acknowledgement of the threats to stability and human security inherent in the impacts of a changing climate and, therefore, the need for developing an effective rationale for timely and adequate action to avoid such threats in the future. --article by Seo Yoon Chang References: Gore, A. A. (2007, December). Nobel Lecture. Speech presented at City Hall in Oslo. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (UNEP) (2008).Retrieved on June 25, 2008, from http://www.ipcc.ch/ Pachauri, R.K. (2007, December). Nobel Lecture. Speech presented at City Hall in Oslo. Retrieved on June 22, 2008, from The Novel Peace Prize (2007). Retrieved on June 28, 2008, from The United Nations (2007). Statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General
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