It is clear from his writings, that Gorbachev’s concerns for the environment and sustainability were a lifelong concern. In a 2005 essay on the Earth Charter entitled The Third Pillar of Sustainable Development, Gorbachev wrote “I was not born an ecologist, but the environment has always meant a lot to me. I grew up in a village and perceived the dying of rivers and land erosion as personal pain. Right after coming to power in the Soviet Union, I had to deal with a huge project of reversing the flow of the rivers from North to South. If not stopped, it would have resulted in a tremendous ecological disaster. I thought this was a tough school. Yet, I still had Chernobyl to face.… This catastrophe of planetary scale shook the world and showed, in the most harsh form, that nature does not forgive human mistakes.”
He also understood with great clarity that maintaining Earth’s environment as a safe and healthy home for the people of all nations, and those to come, was fundamental to global peace and security. In the same article he further argued that: “I believe that the world is confronted today with three major challenges which encompass all other problems: the challenge of security, including the risks associated with weapons of mass destruction and terrorism; the challenge of poverty and underdeveloped economies; and the challenge of environmental sustainability.”Adding that “..to help the human community [meet these challenges)… another document is missing, one…defining the human duties towards the environment. In my opinion, the Earth Charter should fill this void, acquire equal status, and become the third pillar supporting the peaceful development of the modern world.”
From humble origins – his parents were peasants from farming village of Privolnoye – to the deadly game of nuclear disarmament, the environment was an ever-present component of his life experiences, thinking and vision for a more just sustainable and peaceful world. Through his work with Green Cross International, the Earth Charter, and other international initiatives, he should also be remembered as a great environmentalist.