Harrison Ford Urges Arizona State University Graduates to Address Environmental Issues

Actor Harrison Ford addressed graduates at Arizona State University during a commencement ceremony on May 11. He received an honorary Doctor of Arts and Humane Letters degree for his work in conservation. Ford told graduates that his generation had left an environmental mess and urged them to extend social justice to address it.

He said humanity is part of nature and called for protecting 30 percent of the world's land and sea by 2030.

Ford stated that new science and policies have not prevented the loss of nature to profiteering, corruption, and conflict. He said cultural change is needed and that Indigenous communities should be respected and elevated. Ford encouraged graduates to embrace wisdom in daily life, love the planet, and honor nature's authority.

He said their generation has more power than they may realize and can change the world. A university representative noted that universities are not about one perspective or position. The representative pointed to another speech by university leadership that praised the founding of the United States.