David Suzuki: Force of Nature

Thursday, 17 March 2011 | by Pat's Picks

David Suzuki wants you to know that we’ve ruined the planet. The iconic Canadian scientist and broadcaster was in New York last night to speak at the international premiere of a documentary about his life.

He’s been a fixture on Canadian television for five decades with his science program “The Nature of Things,” but yesterday was the first time I’d seen Suzuki speak in person. He was at the Museum of Modern Art’s “Canadian Front” film event, along with Sturla Gunnarsson, who directed the new film, called “Force of Nature - The David Suzuki Movie.l” It’s built around what Suzuki has billed as his last lecture.

The “Legacy Lecture” delivers the message that we’ve set the planet on an unsustainable path of consumption and growth. Suzuki’s main point is that we are just short-term residents on the planet and we’ve got a broader responsibility to the next generation and the one after that. There are elements that are similar to Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth,” except this time, the message comes from someone with a long resume in science.

Some clips from the documentary:

More about Suzuki’s work at the David Suzuki Foundation website.