Environmental champion, politician, climate and peace negotiator
Currently the Global Head, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Erik Solheim is one of the world’s most visionary politicians, having served for 12 years as a Member of Parliament in Norway. He also served as Minister of International Development between 2005 and 2007 and held the combined portfolio of Norway’s Minister of the Environment and International Development between 2007 and 2012. In January 2013, he took charge of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC), a position to which he was unanimously elected. A special UN envoy for environment, conflict and disasters, he has received recognitions too numerous to list, including UNEP’s ‘Champion of the Earth’ award. He met Bittu Sahgal in Mumbai earlier this year when the Sanctuary Nature Foundation and UNEP jointly organised a discussion on economics, biodiversity and climate change, and shared his vision, work and determination to leave our children a better world with the million-strong Sanctuary network.
ERik, we know a fair deal about your work life, but what was your childhood like? Where did you grow up and how did nature so totally infuse your life with purpose? I had a very normal, sheltered childhood in Oslo, where I grew up playing soccer and doing all the other things that European children do. But even way back then, around the age of 15, I began to develop an interest in politics. I think it started with a massive exhibition on poverty that was held in Oslo that opened my eyes to the state of the human condition beyond my own protected life. Nature? That is part of every Norwegian child’s life. There is almost nowhere you can go in Norway that does not infuse you with awe and respect for wild nature. Between the wildlife of the sea and the mountains, to which our family would inevitably escape during the holidays, my life choices were virtually predestined.
Denne historien er fra August 2017-utgaven av Sanctuary Asia.
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Denne historien er fra August 2017-utgaven av Sanctuary Asia.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Why Children Are Needed To Help Save The World
On my very first day in India, I encountered many marvelous new customs not practiced in the United States, my home country. But the most curious by far involved trees. Here and there, alongside the roaring streets of Mumbai were rings of marigold wreathed around twisting banyan trunks like dried rays of afternoon sunlight…
Who's Who?
Fact: all toads are frogs, but not all frogs are toads! Let’s unpack this...
The Sea Raptor
The White-bellied Sea Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster is one of the most common raptors along the Indian coastline. Nevertheless, the sight of this soaring, broad-winged, white and black bird of prey is nothing less than majestic
Bringing Up Bob Hoots.
While we were visiting a friend’s farm in the village of Yelachetty, near Bandipur Tiger Reserve, we found Spotted Owlets nesting on the tiled roof… and one of the chicks on the kitchen floor!
Yala, Land Of The Leopard
Yala is not only Sri Lanka’s second-largest, but also the most-visited national park in the island nation.
The Wizards Of Oz!
Australia is not only a country, but also a continent. The land down under, cut-off from the rest of the world has an abundance of unique species of native animals, birds, reptiles, insects and plants.
Scales & Tails
I was really excited and looking forward to the workshop on reptiles and amphibians at Nature’s Nest in Mollem, Goa, between June 24 and 26, 2017. It was my opportunity to meet renowned herpetologist Varad Giri.
Big, Brilliant And Endangered
When one thinks of elephants, the first word that probably comes to mind is BIG! But elephants, while they may be the largest creatures on land, are not just big and powerful, they’re wise and sensitive as well. Recent scientific studies have established that they are among the most intelligent animals in the world.
Earth Manners
Everyday habits matter! Let’s be kind to the planet, animals and ourselves!
World Scan
CHINA’S IVORY TOWNAn explosive investigation by the Environmental Investigation Agency has revealed how criminal gangs originating from an obscure town in southern China have come to dominate the smuggling of ivory tusks poached from African elephants.
