U.S. President Barack Obama's receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize was an important event witnessed by many people all over the world. Nevertheless, I do not support the decision to give him the award.

Mr. Obama announced that he would send 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, a decision that perpetuates the war and violence, even if the United States is fighting against terrorism.

Mr. Obama has gained the attention of the world through bold foreign policy decisions and speeches such as his speech on nuclear disarmament. With regards to the nuclear issue, there is still some doubt as to whether this goal will be met. The United States has not stated how it will deal with its nuclear arms. Further, the United States needs to address the nuclear arms issue with countries like India, Israel, Iran, North Korea and Pakistan because to date there has not been any meaningful agreement regarding nuclear disarmament with these countries.

After reading "Saving the planet will have to wait" (Dec. 26-Jan. 2 issue) on the results of COP15, I found it hard to believe that people, especially politicians, are not able to deal with global warming properly. The responsibility to save the planet is shared by all peoples. All countries, whether they be developing or developed, share this burden.

Usually the G-7 and G-8 summits are key forums for world leaders to talk about issues like security, economic policy and other issues. The same leaders appeared at Copenhagen and were provided with a unique opportunity to talk about the climate, which they seemed to have ignored.

But world leaders still have a chance to mend these environmental problems. Ordinary people are increasingly making efforts to be more environmentally friendly. So I say to all the indecisive politicians out there: If we can do it, so can you.

If Al Gore had won the 2000 presidential race, the direction of the world would have likely differed from its present course. In my view, Mr. Gore would have been able to help achieve a better agreement on climate change before COP15.

In the Dec. 19 "Readers' Voice" section of The Japan Times Weekly reader Martina Onishi suggested her solution to some environmental problems we are now facing. She suggested we evaluate our lifestyles and change them to benefit the environment. I think that we might be used to leading lives of wastefulness and environmental ignorance.

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's pledge to cut Japan's greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 is a welcome one. I wonder, though, if it is achievable.

Although political negotiations between the developed countries and the developing countries have stalled, we can take Mrs. Onishi's advice and try to live a better, greener life.

The Japan Times Weekly: Jan. 23, 2010
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