Remarks to Environmental Leaders

Washington D.C.7 November 1993

The Global Forum in Moscow has been mentioned by one of you during our introductions. That was the Global Forum in 1990 when I was precocious enough to suggest that perhaps the time had come to create a truly global ecological movement that could perhaps be patterned on the Red Cross and called the Green Cross. So when the Earth Summit was held in Rio de Janiero last year, in a parallel event parliamentary and spiritual leaders from more than 100 countries met at the Global Forum there and decided to launch such a Green Cross movement. And since I launched the Green Cross idea initially, those assembled at the Global Forum invited me to become the Founding President of the Green Cross International.

I took about two months to think about that invitation and eventually decided that this was a responsibility that I had no right to avoid. I believe that now, since we have ended the Cold War, the environment is the number one priority in the world. And I define this issue as the relationship between humanity and the rest of nature. If we are able to measure up to this challenge then the world will have a future.

Last April the Global Forum met in Kyoto to inaugurate the Green Cross and to hold the first meeting of the Board of Trustees. We met and among other things adopted a kind of memorandum resembling the charter of the International Red Cross.

The debate in Kyoto reflected that most of us believed Green Cross international should not try to supplant or supersede existing national or international environmental organizations; nor should Green Cross try to compete with the existing activities of the various groups that make up the environmental movement. As a result of our debate and discussion in Kyoto, we decided that the Green Cross International should focus on certain objectives. First, developing a planetary Green Cross International organization while at the same time stimulating the emergence of national Green Cross organizations that within a year or two will be able to send delegates to an international conference that will legitimize Green Cross International. Of course everyone was in favor of the Green Cross International being non-governmental and independent.

As for the areas on which we will be focusing, this centers primarily on the development and shaping of new values; of a new value system that will provide new goals for the development of our civilization in the future, because all of us understand that the existing civilization has run it's course. Indeed the existing values have brought us the existing world civilization and the current global, environmental crisis while not having been able to provide a decent standard of living for two-thirds of mankind. So we welcome, appreciate and salute what the existing national and international environmental organizations are doing in this regard. The Green Cross International will seek to enhance their efforts by working together with them. Let me tell you the real debate that took place regarding what the International Green Cross should focus on - what it should be doing. There was a real difference of opinion within the Board of Trustees and perhaps even a split emerging among the members. One line of thinking was articulated by Dr. Thor Heyerdahl who said that if the International Green Cross decided to focus only on specific environmental cleanup projects, then he could not support it. In fact he thought there was no need for such an organization as the Green Cross if that was its only task. In response to that, it became clear that the first priority of Green Cross International will be to work on developing a new system of values at the global level.

The members of the Board agreed that the second priority for Green Cross International which is to begin to develop some kind of international environmental law - am international environmental code of behavior for nations and governments. And the third priority adopted was to stimulate national Green Cross organizations that will eventually shape Green Cross International.

We did agree nevertheless that Green Cross International will undertake some specific projects that address global concerns. Today, for example, we began a discussion of one such project that is to stimulate an international project to address the environmental legacy of the arms race and the Cold War - the toxic wastes they generated. This is an example of the way that we intend to act.

We are in still in the formative stage. We feel that building national organizations is one of the principal priorities today. Green Cross International 's Board of Trustees has certified one national chapter in Japan. In Russia we are close to that state and I am very glad, based on the information that I have been provided, to note that the process of shaping and developing the United States Green Cross national chapter is well underway.

In a number of other countries these organizations are being set up. I believe that it is of critical importance to have national organizations in countries like the United States, Russia, Japan and other leading industrialized countries. I believe that this will provide very good leadership. And of course, the development of national Green Cross organizations should in no way detract from the existing national movements and organizations for the environment. I think that rather than weakening your organizations, we will enhance your capacity. So I very much hope that here in the United States you will be able to come to an arrangement that will work. But let me say right now that I appreciate the fact that this is a country where environmental work is perhaps the most highly developed. At the same time we should always be mindful of the fact that your country and our country have perhaps sinned the most against the environment. Let us be self critical enough to recognize this and let us take the initiative to change that situation.

I believe that the Green Cross movement has a lot of potential internationally and nationally, althoughI do not want us to emulate Greenpeace. This is not, by the way, a condemnation of Greenpeace, but we should lead the way as a powerful organization of consciousness. An organization that involves credible people and intellectual leaders, an organization that brings together those with unique experience and knowledge. And let me say that however challenging are our problems in Russia during the current very difficult transition and however challenging you find your domestic problems here in this country, still I am convinced that globally the number one challenge we face is the relationship between humanity and nature.

There was a time when nature existed without man. I think we all should hope that this will not be repeated, but if we put too mony demands on nature then there will again be nature without man. So it is inevitable that we must readjust and we must adapt to nature. As I have just been saying in another form, the bell is already tolling for us.

My final message is a request that you please work together in order to develop Green Cross USA.

QUESTIONS ADDRESSED TO PRESIDENT GORBACHEV FOLLOWING HIS REMARKS

Do you have plans for Green Cross national organizations in developing countries like Brazil?

Well, this building process should start from below rather than from above. There is no doubt that a country like Brazil can not be ommited from the process of creating a national Green Cross because the problem of rainforests is also the problem of the world's lungs. We want a national chapter there, but we have to wait for some credible people to come forward and start it.

As the leader of Green Cross International will you be willing to criticize the political leaders in countries, rich or poor, whether they are popular or unpopular, left or right, if they are not doing what they ought to do in support of the environment?

No doubt about it, always being careful to use constructive methods of action. We should act by providing expertise and analysis and, when we can, putting forward authoritative proposals based on that analysis; proposals and recommendations for governments, for non-governmental organizations and for citizens.

In the Gorbachev Foundation my media advisor, Mr. Likhotal, is working to create an international media network to work on environmental matters. CNN has agreed to work with us on this. Other media organizations in Europe and Latin America and elsewhere are also willing to work with us on this project. The basic idea is that on a regular basis, say once a month for a couple of hours, various networks would be dedicated to environmental broadcasting. This would include debates and appeals by the most credible leaders from environmental groups that have something to share about how they are addressing environmental problems. What we should do is to educate people to understand that the environment is not something that can be done perhaps tomorrow or at some time in the future, but as something which needs to be done today or even yesterday. And I believe that on such a network during these broadcasts there could be presented views by and about governments on specific issues. And then perhaps two or three months later on the next program in that region could be information about how the government is responding.

How large a role do you envision family planning and population to play in Green Cross?

The role for us to play here, I think, is to stimulate cultural change. And of course no kind of pressure is acceptable. It can only be promotion of cultural change with no kind of agressive measures.This is what we should do.

Many of the people here recognize that there is a direct correlation between devestation in the environment and the role of males in nature. I am hopeful that the Green Cross will recognize that women hold a key to effective solutions in that if we want to address the problems of biodiversity we need to factor women into every facet of the issue. We need a little compassion and tolerance.

I agree with you. Women, I think, are the first to be affected by environmental problems and of course women are ultimately responsible for the continuation of humankind and therefore their role is extremely important in this movement.

Mikhail Gorbachev
President of Green Cross International