Almost everyone watches films on occasion and many seem to catch the latest new releases seemingly every week. From time to time an actor comes along who seems to just stand above the crowd such is his or her ability to dominate a film or take a role to unimagined heights. While I don’t think the last generation has brought along a Pacino or a De Niro I think Edward Norton has the ability to go down in that sort of company if his career keeps finding the roles that bring out the very best of his talents. The 40 year old actor has a long film resume but it is his work as a conservationist that is gaining equal billing in recent years.

This has never been more apparent that the news that Norton has now been named the U.N. goodwill ambassador for biodiversity. After his appointment Norton was naturally thrilled with the opportunity:

“It is an issue that I’ve been engaged with on many different levels for a number of years, but it’s very, very exciting to be asked to engage with it on the level of the U.N. with its incredible capacity and reach.”

He explained how his new role will move away from traditional methods of conservation that are having limited success as the emphasis shifts to looking more deeply at human needs which directly lead to the requirements of conservation action in the first place.

“People have recognized that fragmenting the ecosystems or creating protected pockets is not actually authentic to the way ecosystems work,”

Norton has been involved in many causes most recently Crowdrise which seeks an easier way to engage the public in performing or sponsoring charitable work. His interest in environmental issues is more than a celebrity gesture as his activities have been juggled with his film career for many years. His new appointment will make that balance ever more precarious but he seems willing and able to give as much of himself to the U.N. position as possible:

“Increasing people’s focus on the fact that human well-being is intertwined fundamentally with biodiversity, I think catastrophic events like what’s happening in the Gulf with the oil spill do highlight for people that there is enormous ramification for human well-being through a loss of biodiversity,”

As with many actors he has now taken his talent to film-making and his own Class 5 films is actively pursuing making future works that focus on environmental topics in addition to those already completed.

2010 is the United Nations international year of biodiversity. When you take the time to explore their website and learn far more about the many initiatives the U.N. supports the scope is quite breathtaking. The website itself is very informative and the far-reaching designs of the U.N. to combat negative environmental impact is inspiring. If Edward Norton can help make the project be known in more households throughout the world this can only be a good thing in my opinion.

To learn more about the U.N. biodiversity platform please visit here
To learn more about Crowdrise please visit here

Video of Edward Norton appointment