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Cherry-picking offers lessons in life – Science Matters

By David Suzuki – When my daughter Severn was born in 1979, my wife Tara and I wanted to raise her with an understanding that a lot of food is seasonal, particularly vegetables and fruits, especially in a country like Canada. The only reason we can always get fresh strawberries, tomatoes, avocadoes, and lettuce is because we use the entire planet as a source of products. Continue reading Cherry-picking offers lessons in life – Science Matters

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Natural gas is not a solution for climate change – Science Matters

Can a fossil fuel help us avoid the harmful effects of other fossil fuels? It’s a question that’s come up lately as natural gas is eyed as a cleaner alternative to oil and coal. Continue reading Natural gas is not a solution for climate change – Science Matters

Energy

Natural gas is not a solution for climate change – Science Matters

Can a fossil fuel help us avoid the harmful effects of other fossil fuels? It’s a question that’s come up lately as natural gas is eyed as a cleaner alternative… Continue reading Natural gas is not a solution for climate change – Science Matters

Air and Climate, Water

State of the ocean report a wake-up call for the world – Science Matters

If we care about ourselves and our children and grandchildren, we must look beyond our immediate surroundings and do all we can to care for the oceans. Continue reading State of the ocean report a wake-up call for the world – Science Matters

Energy, Manitoba

How to become an environmentalist – Science Matters

Young people often ask me what they have to do to be environmentalists. They want to make a difference. My answer is, “Follow your heart. Do what you love most and pursue it with passion.” Continue reading How to become an environmentalist – Science Matters

Energy

Small farms may be better for food security and biodiversity – Science Matters

We often assume the only way to feed the world’s rapidly growing human population is with large-scale industrial agriculture. Many would argue that genetically altering food crops is also necessary to produce large enough quantities on smaller areas to feed the world’s people. Continue reading Small farms may be better for food security and biodiversity – Science Matters

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Small farms may be better for food security and biodiversity – Science Matters

We often assume the only way to feed the world’s rapidly growing human population is with large-scale industrial agriculture. Many would argue that genetically altering food crops is also necessary… Continue reading Small farms may be better for food security and biodiversity – Science Matters

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A new kind of NIMBY: Nature in My Backyard – Science Matters

On reading about the growing resistance to a mega-quarry being proposed for southern Ontario, I had an epiphany about the media’s use of the term NIMBY, for "not in my… Continue reading A new kind of NIMBY: Nature in My Backyard – Science Matters

Food and Health, Natural Resources Management

It’s time to stop eating endangered animals like the bluefin tuna – Science Matters

The bluefin tuna is large, fast, tasty, and rare. For those reasons, it’s highly prized by both commercial and sports fishers. The Atlantic bluefin often sells for more than $1,000 a kilogram. That’s pushed the fish even closer to the brink of extinction. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada recently recommended that the western Atlantic population of bluefin tuna be listed as endangered. The bluefin joins salmon, rockfish, sharks, loggerhead sea turtles, Atlantic cod, and many others on the list of at-risk marine species in Canada. Fishing was identified as a key factor in the decline of all these species. Continue reading It’s time to stop eating endangered animals like the bluefin tuna – Science Matters

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Politicians who reject science are not fit to lead – Science Matters

By David Suzuki with Dr. Faisal Moola. My life as a scientist got its boost in the United States. I was attending college in Massachusetts in 1957 on a scholarship when the Soviet Union launched the first Sputnik satellite. The event also launched the space race between the U.S.S.R. and the U.S., as the Americans started pouring money into the sciences in an attempt to catch up. Continue reading Politicians who reject science are not fit to lead – Science Matters

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If there is a war on cars, which side is winning? – Science Matters

We humans like our wars. We have a war on drugs, a war on terror, a war on crime, and now, it seems, a war on cars. The latter “war” has entered the political vocabulary in Vancouver, where city council has been trying to reduce reliance on private automobiles; in Toronto, where the mayor is driving the agenda in the opposite direction; and in Seattle, where bike lanes and increased parking fees have come under fire. In the U.K., they’ve been calling it a war on motorists. Continue reading If there is a war on cars, which side is winning? – Science Matters

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We have much to learn from our elders – Science Matters

As I approach my 75th birthday, I find myself often thinking about mortality. I’m in the last part of my life, and that’s reality. This is the time when we must fulfill our most important duty: to reflect on a lifetime and then sift through the detritus of experience, observation, and thought in order to winnow out lessons to pass on to coming generations.
Continue reading We have much to learn from our elders – Science Matters