Editor's note: Last month, five members of Y-Press heard former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev speak at DePauw University. While they had researched the activities and background of Gorbachev and his environmental advocacy organization, Green Cross International, they were struck by Gorbachev's dire forecasts that environmental problems might lead to a worldwide war.

Each Y-Press member took time to reflect on Gorbachev's speech, and the threats he sees from poverty and diminishing natural resources.

Izaak Hayes, 15

I have known for years that conservation is important, ever since I was little and would walk through the Department of Natural Resources Building at the Indiana State Fair. Seeing Mikhail Gorbachev in person, however, made me realize how many challenges my generation faces in dealing with dwindling natural resources.

In his speech, Gorbachev urged everyone to think more about conser vation, such as our use of water and oil. He also asked us to consider the needs of the poor, who often desperately lack the resources that we squander. "If some of us think that the 3 billion people who live in extreme poverty should be of no concern, that's a big mistake. And if we continue to make that mistake, we could see disastrous consequences," he said.

These consequences might include war. Gorbachev predicted the next major resource war will be over water, not oil.

A future where water is scarce and hunger is widespread could be devastating for the world as a whole, causing problems such as diminished agricultural production, resource wars and public health epidemics due to lack of proper nutrition and contaminated water. Third World countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America would fare the worst, largely because they have few natural resources to sell, and are less competitive than countries with more resources and more money. On the flip side, they will be less likely to get involved in a war of resources than countries such as the United States and China, which have much at stake due to each party's massive consumption of oil and natural gas.

My generation will have to fight and pay for conflicts in many different ways. At the very least, we will have to deal with the problems that we as a nation are creating right now. We must take drastic measures to conserve the resources we have, as well as spread the messages of caution and warning from political and environmental activists like Gorbachev.

Mallory St. Claire, 14

W

hen he was 13, Mikhail Gorbachev learned to work a combine harvester on his family's farm and witnessed firsthand the effects of dust storms and water and wind erosion. In 1993, 49 years later, he spearheaded the environmentalist group Green Cross International, which is dedicated to preventing and resolving conflicts over natural resources, addressing the environmental consequences of wars and conflicts, and promoting value and behavioral changes "necessary to build a sustainable global community, according to its Web site, greencrossinternational.net.

As he said in his lecture, "I believe the situation in the world today is a contest between man and the rest of nature to the point where the biosphere is being destroyed. This is our home. This is the only environment in which we can live. And it is being destroyed."

I, as well as many other Americans, worry about the environment being eroded. But our realization of the problem and our determination to do something to stop it is another matter.

Global Green, the American branch of Green Cross, operates largely in California, building schools and housing units "in an ecological and resource-efficient manner." These changes, which provide better acoustics, natural lighting and ventilation as well as employ solar-powered energy, have not only improved the performance of students but also will save the school districts approximately $2 million over the buildings' life spans.

But such initiatives are not widespread. California already is an environmentally conscious state. Indiana schools could benefit from such work, but money and resources are already stretched thin.

These changes, although significant for some, aren't widespread enough to make a consequential impact on Americans' consciences and way of life. While Green Cross has worked with countries around the world to resolve major conflicts over resources, its work in California has not been enough to change our world.

Gorbachev said that there was an increased interest in the environment among the people of the world. Children and adolescents must be taught above everyone else that our natural world is being destroyed, and how we can stop it. Because, inevitably, we will need to know how.

Cassyetta Price, 15

M

ikhail Gorbachev predicted that the next big war is going to be more about water than oil. That got me thinking about how important water is to us, not only to our comfort but our daily lives.

In America, we use water for everything -- washing, bathing, drinking, watering plants, flushing toilets. But we take it for granted. We don't always use it properly. We let it run out of the faucets, and we don't always bother to fix leaks.

There isn't a lot of fresh water in the world. About 97.5 percent of all water on Earth is salt water, which we can't drink. According to the World Health Organization, less than 1 percent of the world's fresh water, or 0.007 percent of all the water on Earth, is available for humans to drink.

The world's population keeps increasing, but our fresh water supply doesn't. As we learn in school, there's the same amount of water available now as there was when the Earth was formed.

We're lucky that there's plenty of water where we live. But even in the United States, not everybody has it when they need it. There aren't water fountains on the streets, so homeless people don't always have water. And sometimes people lose their fresh water, like in New Orleans after the hurricane. Without fresh water, the people stuck in the city were lost.

Beware of how much water you use. Wasting it is cruel. Water is used everywhere in the world, but not everyone has enough of it.

Andy Goldblatt, 17

M

ost people think of Mikhail Gorbachev as the man who ended Communism in Russia. They think what he did was a great contribution to society. But what many people don't know about Gorbachev is that he also is a humanitarian who is continuing to contribute to society on a global scale.

While Gorbachev spoke a lot about scarce resources and conservation, he also had a lot to say about poverty, a rising problem not only in Russia but in many other places. He said more than 1 billion people worldwide live on the equivalent of a dollar a day, and that 25,000 people die each day due to hunger. He also said that globalization, which was thought to benefit poor and "backward" nations, actually benefits only the rich.

This struck me deeply. I am aware of poverty in other countries, yet I can't comprehend the extent of it. Gorbachev, who grew up poor, recognizes this shortcoming of youth and is addressing his appeals to college-aged students, a very smart move on his part.

Like most Americans, I take many of our privileges and rights for granted. Take education: I spend way too much time pointing out shortcomings at my school, such as the lack of supplies, crowded classrooms and poor policies; however, millions of people dream of such an education. According to Gorbachev, one in five adults worldwide is illiterate, with two-thirds of those being women.

I can only imagine what it must be like to do so much for people. Gorbachev is joined by Bono of U2 and former President Bill Clinton in the fight against poverty. After hearing Gorbachev speak, I feel incredibly lazy and selfish. As a resident of the suburbs, I know that many people share my ignorance; therefore, as a society we should become more aware of the ongoing problems in other countries, as well as in our own.

Millie Cripe, 12

S

tanding in a roomful of adults waiting for Mikhail Gorbachev is unnerving. Add in approximately 25 experienced journ alists, all shouting, "Mr. Pres ident!" and the situation becomes downright terrifying.

At a press conference following Mr. Gorbachev's speech, he called on me. "Ah, a question from the youngest in the room," he said, smiling. I was incredibly nervous, as I was a seventh- grader and he is a Nobel Prize winner. I asked, "Mr. President, you have seen many changes in your time, both governmental and social. In your opinion, what has been the biggest change for youth in your country since the fall of Communism?"

Gorbachev responded that the biggest change for Russian youth has been the basic freedoms now enjoyed by all citizens. Before, Russians didn't have such basic rights as freedom of speech that I take for granted. I can't imagine life without them.

To be able to speak my opinion is a right I take advantage of every day. It is a great benefit for Russian children to be able to speak and develop their opinions openly.

Another freedom he talked about was the ability to travel outside of the country. In the United States, we have the option of visiting other places, experiencing new things and seeing another country's perspec tive. This is essential for youth like myself, if we are to become informed voters and policymakers.

During the reign of Communism, Russian youth generally weren't permitted to visit other countries, and the information they had about other nations would often be skewed to reflect the Communist perspective. Today, Russian youth have access to many sources of information, rather than just the party line.

The youth of Russia are now more able to form educated opinions and to express those opinions. Because the youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow, this is a great benefit to Russia and to the United States. In the years to come, our two countries will need to work closely to solve the problems facing the world.