An unbreakable link: peace, environment, and democracy.

by Maathai, Wangari

Harvard International Review • Wntr, 2008 • PERSPECTIVES

In order to help communities to understand these linkages, the Green Belt Movement developed a citizen's education program. In this program, women identify their problems, the causes of these problems, and then possible solutions. They make connections between their own personal actions and the problems they witness in the environment and in society. Women then come to understand that meeting their needs depends on their environment being healthy and well-managed, and that they must be part of the solution.

This is one of the most significant messages of the Green Belt Movement's holistic approach toward development: the need to expand "democratic space" by educating, mobilizing, and empowering local communities to take action and create change. People must come to realize that they should not wait for local authorities, government, or development agencies to bring about change. Rather, all individuals themselves can and should take action, no matter how small that action may seem. These individual, small acts have resulted in the planting of over 30 million trees in the past 30 years. Furthermore, the courage and commitment of ordinary citizens can push for political change and demand reform from the government. In 2002, ordinary people and civil society organizations realized Kenya's peaceful transition from a one-party state to a democratic government.

Turning Theory into Action

The experience of the Green Belt Movement underscores the link between the environment, development, democracy, and peace. A country cannot develop where there is no peace; peace, in turn, will not prevail if resources are mismanaged or put in the hands of a few at the expense of many. Finally, sustainable development and peace can only be ensured if citizens participate in protecting and restoring their environment and demanding a place at the decision-making table. Understanding these indivisible links is critical to promoting sustainable development.

A number of excellent initiatives indicate that leaders, international organizations, and civil society are already acting to promote these fundamental pillars of development. One example at the regional level is the Congo Basin Forest Partnership. The forests of the Congo Basin are among some of the last remaining large areas of primeval forested lands in the world, second only to the Amazon Basin. Together with the forest ecosystem in Southeast Asia, they are considered the "three lungs" of the planet. The Congo Basin ecosystem includes almost one-quarter of the world's tropical forests and is home to 400 mammal species and more than 10,000 plant species. It provides food, materials, and shelter for over 20 million people and plays an important role as a global sink for carbon dioxide. However, logging, hunting, agriculture, and the oil and mining industries are degrading these forests at a rate of two million acres every year.

The Congo Basin Forest Partnership brings together about 30 governmental and non-governmental organizations to manage the Congo Basin in a sustainable manner. The Congo Basin Forest is located within the boundaries of Cameroon, Central Africa Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Republic of Congo. The goal of the partnership is to promote economic development and alleviate poverty through conservation programs in the region, improve local governance through natural resource conservation, and enhance resource management through control of illegal logging and wildlife poaching. This partnership is the result of a growing understanding that managing forest ecosystems' resources sustainably and equitably can help stabilize the planet's atmosphere and ecology. Additionally, doing so can also help foster peace in an area that has been historically torn by conflict over resources. Under the leadership of Former Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin and myself, the government of Britain has been the first to make a substantial contribution to support the implementation of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership agreement. We are currently working hard to develop a governance structure that will allow other donor agencies to provide similar financial support.

Another important example of an effort to expand democratic space and bring the voices of African people into decision-making processes is the formation of the African Union's Economic, Social, and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC). According to its Statutes adopted in 2004, ECOSOCC's objective is to establish an assembly of civil society organizations from all African countries to facilitate dialogue between governments and civil society and to promote African civil society's participation in implementing policies and programs of the African Union. It provides African civil society with an opportunity to have a voice during the AU Heads of State summit.

In 2005, I was asked to preside over the formation of this assembly and was proud to do so. I strongly believe that until a critical mass of Africans are sufficiently empowered to hold their leaders responsible and accountable, Africa's resources will continue to be plundered for the benefit of others.

The Green Belt Movement is not alone in recognizing the importance of empowerment through environmental action. Indeed, thousands of other organizations around the world are educating and mobilizing citizens and instilling in them a sense of responsibility that deliberate, doable steps can and do make a difference. One such effort is The Billion Tree Campaign, which is an initiative that encourages people, communities, business and industries, civil society organizations, and governments to plant trees. Participants record their pledges on the campaign's website. The campaign strongly encourages the planting of indigenous trees and trees that are appropriate to the local environment, demonstrating the power of organized efforts.

A Call to Action

It is imperative that humanity stops threatening its life-support system and starts treating the earth and its resources with respect. This is wonderfully articulated in the word mottainai, which is a Japanese concept that means "do not waste resources," "have respect for the resources around us," and "use them with a sense of gratitude." It personifies the need to respect our environment and encapsulates the concept that the Green Belt Movement has been actively promoting for decades: reduce, reuse, and recycle. To this, we should add one more word: "repair."

The concept of mottainai captures how each one of us can protect the environment through simple, deliberate, conscious efforts every day. We can use both sides of a piece of paper before discarding it; we can conserve water every time we turn on the tap; we can use public transportation; and we can always plant more trees. Finally, we must remember that while the rest of the species on the planet can survive without us, we cannot survive without them. In protecting the survival of other species and respecting their right to be, we can, in turn, ensure our own.

Wangari Maathai founded the Greenbelt Movement in 1977 and was elected to the Kenyan parliament in 2002. In 2004 she became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.