2005 Erice Prize for Science and Peace.
Chancellor: HE Monseigneur Professor Bartolo Sanchez Sorondo
I am greatly honored by the award of the 2005 Erice Prize for Science and Peace. . It is an especial pleasure because I have known Nino Zichichi for 40 years, firstly merely by his publications and an exchange of letters, ever since we were both working on the same scientific subject, nucleon form factors, on different (space like) continents and from opposite directions : Nino from the time-like region and myself from the space like region. We were both stimulated by the work of Bruno Touschek on electron-positron colliding beams and both knew that this was apparatus needed to do the next experiments but circumstances (different in each case) prevented our doing what we had wished. Others took these important steps.Already in 1978 we were talking about the
fact that there is no GLOBAL energy problem as such.
Plenty of coal in USA, Australia, India, China and Russia. Enough oil
for many years but with a
problem of distribution of resources with over 60% of oil in an
unstable region. This leads to
problems of Peace, and lots of environmental problems. In 1980 we were
already thinking about
how we could persuade the "hoi polloi" to accept nuclear energy. Since
electricity generation
produces 40% or so of CO2 emissions, the continued expansion of nuclear
electric power from 1970 to
now would have gone far further than Kyoto on reducing CO2 in the
atmosphere. The ENERGY
PMP has been making recommendations to the world's governments -
particularly that all countries, in discussing subsidies and
preferences, one
consider nuclear energy on a par with all other non-carbon sources. So
far the actual actions
of European and US governments, as listed for example in the recent
Stern report, reek of
tokenism, with unique support of technologies that cannot, on their
own, solve the problem.
Those of us who live comfortable lives are somewhat unwilling to
understand the problems of
those that do not. This is worse when powerful interests claim
"exemptions" .
Nino's seminars (in which I particpated) on prevention of nuclear war in the 1980s were very important. Many of us had the belief that scientist to scientist contact was crucial to prevention of nuclear war and ending the cold war. Nino gave us a focal point. The Pugwash conferences won the Nobel Peace Prize, but Nino's meetings may well have been more important. Alas, we have not yet achieved a nuclear free world but the continuing conferences on Planetary Emergencies, which bring together people from both nuclear countries and non-nuclear countries may help us to do so.
My own work, in addition to participation in Erice, has included going further afield. I have had successes and failures. My visits in 1983 to Pakistan and India, while well received and created personal trust and friendships, failed to stop their nuclear bomb programs. My visits to Three Mile Island and Chernobyl and my efforts to explain the meaning and consequences of these accidents have borne fruit - but very slowly. I helped organize the first Sakharov conference in Moscow in honor of Andrey Dmitreyvitch Sakharov whom I had visited several times. A delegation from that conference went to the Armenian-Azeri border between Voskepar and Nishki Voskepara and quieted that trouble spot, (although 30,000 people died later in Karabagh). I believe that my visits, work and friendships all over the Middle East have been, and will be helpful in ensuring peace and respect for the poor in these turbulent countries, and reducing their tragic misunderstandings of the west. Most recently, I have had the honor and pleasure of helping my friend Dr Quasi Quamruzzaman, (Zaman), President of the Dhaka Community Hospital Trust, and his dedicated staff, bring pure, arsenic free water, to some 30,000 villagers in Bangladesh. Since John Alderdice has talked about terrorism, I cannot resist describing this fine man. 35 years ago the Pakistani Army went on a rampage in Pakistan. Randomly shooting civilians in the street, and deliberately targeting intellectuals.Zaman picked up a gun - He became a terrorist
Zaman began to win - he was a Freedom fighter
Zaman and others won - he became a statesman.
Last year 34 years later, there was an earthquake in NE Pakistan. Within a week, he had set up a field hospital in the area, working with the army he had fought. It has been a privilege knowing this man and others like him, who struggle for human betterment. I wish there were more like him.
Zaman faces by-pass surgery next week. I
ask for your prayers for his speedy recovery.
In accepting this award, I pledge myself to continue, in the spirit of Erice, to continue and expand these activities whenever and wherever they can be useful.
I thank the Chancellor of the Pontificia Academia Scientarium, His Excellency Monseigneur Professor Marcello Sanchez Sorondo for his great hospitality to this conference and to me and my wife personally.