Since when is the environment a humanitarian issue?
It's likely you've already heard that Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to bring awareness about Global Climate Change. Now, I like Al Gore. I've met Al Gore (at a student rally at Pitt eons ago). I've voted for Al Gore. I've seen and was greatly moved by An Inconvenient Truth. I care deeply about environmental issues in general. But since when has environmental activism been considered an issue of PEACE rather than SCIENCE? With all of the issues going on in the world (Darfur, anyone? The AIDS crisis in Africa? Extreme poverty?) it boggles the mind that of all the possible people upon whom the Nobel committee could have granted this award, it went to someone whose agenda, which admittedly transcends politics, has nothing to do with peace.
::boggles::
Anyone else feeling headdesky about this?
Comments
maybe it was too hot out for the Nobel peeps to think properly? ;)
While I agree with you on a very basic level (can't have peace without a planet), and while I feel Al Gore's work is worthy of recognition, this still feels like the wrong way to do it.
But as for this being good PR for the Nobel folks...quite possibly. And certainly for the issue for which it was awarded. We're all talking about it now, aren't we?
There are prizes for medicine, chemistry, literature, physics, peace, and even one for economics. Maybe one should be added for outstanding work to help our environment.