Funeral services begin today for former President Jimmy Carter. He died Sunday, at 100-years-old. Carter brought attention to global health challenges, particularly "neglected" tropical diseases like Guinea worm. With reporter Jason Beaubien, we look at that decades-long effort and how science was central to Carter's drive for a better world. Questions or comments for us at Short Wave? Let us know by emailing [email protected] — we'd love to hear from you! Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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Hey, Emily Kwong here. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter passed away Sunday at his home in Plains, Georgia. He was 100 years old. And during his lifetime, he did a lot for science and for treating one disease in particular. Here to talk about it with me is science reporter Jason Bovian. Hey, Jason. Hey, Emily. Hi. So how are you doing with the Carter news?
Look, he had an amazing life, both in politics and out of politics. So I think it's great to be able to celebrate Carter. And he's probably going to be remembered more for the work that he did after he left the White House rather than those chaotic four years that he spent in Washington in the late 1970s.
Yeah. I mean, I wasn't alive, but it does appear that way for
It was. It was a very chaotic time. And so I was thrilled when I got word you wanted to chat about two of my favorite subjects, Jimmy Carter and guinea worms.
Oh, yeah. We at Shortwave, we will seize any opportunity to discuss worms. So.
Absolutely. No brainer. As you should. Right here at the beginning, let's be clear. Jimmy Carter, he did a lot of things in his post-presidential time. His legacy goes well beyond his battle with guinea worms. You know, he became an advocate for Habitat for Humanity. He was out there actually swinging a hammer with them, building houses in the U.S. and in other places.
He was a major champion for human rights. He continued to work on peace in the Middle East. You know, he was working on elections. He helped negotiate some really sticky political stalemates in Central America. And for all of that work, he was recognized not just in the U.S., but globally.
The Nobel— The Committee in Norway has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2002 to Jimmy Carter for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.
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