Much has been written, and rightly so, about the political impact, significance and legacy of Mikhail Gorbachev (1931-2022). However, in addition to his grand and historic roles in changing the shape of Europe and Russia, and bringing to an end a Cold War that threatened to end in nuclear annihilation and mutually assured destruction, Gorbachev was also an environmentalist.
Prior to the official end of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic Soviet empire when on Dec 25, 1991, he resigned as president, Gorbachev speaking at the Global Forum on Environment and Development for Survival of Humanity (Moscow USSR, Jan 15-19, 1990) proposed the creation of a "Green Cross for the Earth" to promote international cooperation for environmental protection. He went on to found, in 1993, Green Cross International, which became established in 30 countries with a focus on Earth ethics and environmental education, elimination of the environmental consequences of the arms race and access to clean water.
