Nobel laureate Maathai calls desertification 'new enemy'
February 13, 2006Wangari Maathai, the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, urged Japan and other countries on Monday to make environmental conservation a priority as desertification is a ''new enemy'' that causes harm to peace. Maathai, 65, who has served as Kenya's deputy environment minister, delivered a keynote speech titled ''Environment and Peace'' before an audience of about 400 people at Tokyo's Waseda University after receiving an honorary doctorate for her contributions in the fields of democracy, human rights and environmental protection.