Sheila Hetherington

Worst of 2008

Let's begin with the worst event of the year...My fingers waver over the computer's keys as I consider the matter. There are so many candidates, and all, in a sense, are non-events: failures: the abysmal failure of regime change in Zimbabwe following the election; the failure to resolve the Palestinian crisis, the repercussions of which will continue to affect the entire world until it is settled with fairness and justice; the failure on the part of the UN to end the plight of the people in Darfur.
     Perhaps the greatest failure of all is the inability of nations to agree on a strategy to begin to end – and, if there is time, ultimately reverse – climate change. Throughout the 20th-century scientists became increasingly aware of the continuing and sinister increase in the blanket of CO2 which is now beginning to smother the planet, due to human activity. The alarm was first raised in 1896, but dismissed as 'cranky'. By the 50s and 60s an ominous and continuing rise had been observed, but the urgency of the situation was lost upon us all as we enthusiastically lit our cities, heated our homes, drove our cars, flew to new and exciting destinations, fueled our factories. There was a refusal – similar to Mugabe's stance regarding cholera – on the part of the most influential statesmen to acknowledge the cause, let alone to begin to deal with the problem.
     The recent Poznan Conference, attended by 9,000 people from almost every country, proved frustrating. There was general acknowledgement that the problem existed and required urgent remedies. Promises were made for the future, new targets were set – but it seems to me that the world is simply playing around the edges of a black hole into which life on earth may quite abruptly descend.

Best of 2008

That brings me to the best event of the year. Next spring, those same representatives will meet again to review progress, in Bonn, with a further conference in Copenhagen in a year's time. A new young American president will attend those conferences, promising a 'green deal' – and much else. He is as yet untried, but at the moment he represents the best hope of providing a world-wide impetus for action. Despite all its past failings, America is still the most dominant force in the world, and President Obama has the power – and I hope the will – to address the immediate changes in human lifestyle that will be essential to preserve life on this planet.

Book of 2008

If the definition of a favourite book is one that has been greatly enjoyed, and occasionally returned to over many years with renewed interest and pleasure, let me nominate Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset. It is a saga set in 14th-century Norway. Kristin, the central character, comes through great tribulation, often as a result of her own impulsive nature, as we travel alongside her (for 1,000 pages), from her childhood to her death in the black plague epidemic. Undset's historical references are impeccable, as is her understanding of human nature, with all its frailties.
     My copy of the book – actually three books in one – is the earlier translation by Charles Archer and J C Scott. I understand that a later translation by Tilda Nunnery is recommended.

Sheila Hetherington is a biographer

Andrew Hook [click here]