David Suzuki Quotes

“More than a billion people lack adequate access to clean water.”

People Water Clean Access Billions Adequate Clean Water Access To Water

“Outright bans on plastic bags may not be the best solution, but education and incentives to get people to stop using them are necessary.”

People May Solutions Being The Best Bags Plastic Incentives Bans Plastic Bags

Author:David Suzuki

“Plastic bags are bad and for the most part unnecessary.”

Bags Plastic Unnecessary Plastic Bags

Author:David Suzuki

“The truth is, as most of us know, that global warming is real and humans are major contributors, mainly because we wastefully burn fossil fuels.”

Knows Humans Real Truth Is Majors Fuel Global Warming Fossils Fossil Fuel Contributors Burning Fossil Fuels

Author:David Suzuki

“We have much to learn by studying nature and taking the time to tease out its secrets.”

Secret Study Tease

Author:David Suzuki

“Because countries often have differing political and economic systems, agreements are needed to protect those invested in trade.”

Country Political Economic Needed Protect Trade Agreement Economic Systems

Author:David Suzuki

“Faced with the evidence, many deniers have started to admit that global warming is real, but argue that humans have little or nothing to do with it.”

Humans Littles Real Evidence Arguing Global Warming

Author:David Suzuki

“Feeding our energy appetite is top of mind for many people these days.”

People Mind Energy These Days Appetite Feeding

Author:David Suzuki

“It's time we stopped ignoring the environment. Let's not let another election go by without making this a high priority.”

Time Environment Election Priorities

Author:David Suzuki

“Just as human activity is upsetting Earth's carbon cycle, our actions are altering the water cycle.”

Humans Action Earth Water Activity Upset Cycles Carbon Our Actions Human Activity Carbon Cycle

Author:David Suzuki

“Many scientists and economists also say putting a price on carbon through carbon taxes and/or cap-and-trade is necessary.”

Taxes Scientist Trade Carbon Economist Caps Carbon Tax

Author:David Suzuki

“Most North Americans know that human-caused global warming is real, even if political leaders don't always reflect or act on that knowledge.”

Ifs Knows Humans Real Political Leader Global Warming Political Leaders

Author:David Suzuki

“Scientists have been warning about global warming for decades. It's too late to stop it now, but we can lessen its severity and impacts.”

Has Beens Late Scientist Impact Decades Global Warming Too Late Warning Severity

Author:David Suzuki

“Ultimately we need to recognize that while humans continue to build urban landscapes, we share these spaces with others species.”

Needs Humans Space Share Species Landscape Urban Urban Landscape

Author:David Suzuki

“Water is our most precious resource, but we waste it, just as we waste other resources, including oil and gas.”

Water Waste Resources Including Oil Gas Oil And Gas

Author:David Suzuki

“We have altered the physical, chemical and biological properties of the planet on a geological scale. We have left no part of the globe untouched.”

Left Planets Property Scales Chemicals Globes Altered

Author:David Suzuki

“When I was a kid, being outside was the norm. Rain or shine, our parents would tell us to get out of the house.”

Kids House Parent Rain Shining Norm Rain Or Shine

Author:David Suzuki

“As parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts we need to start getting out into nature with the young people in our lives. Families play a key role in getting kids outside.”

People Needs Play Kids Young Parent Roles Our Lives Keys Uncles Grandparent Aunt Family Life People In Our Lives

Author:David Suzuki

“Doing all we can to combat climate change comes with numerous benefits, from reducing pollution and associated health care costs to strengthening and diversifying the economy by shifting to renewable energy, among other measures.”

Care Energy Economy Cost Benefits Climate Climate Change Health Care Combat Pollution Shifting Reducing Strengthening Renewable Energy Health Care Costs

Author:David Suzuki

“Humans are an infant species, a mere 150,000 years old. But, armed with a massive brain, we've not only survived, we've used our wits to adapt to and flourish in habitats as varied as deserts, Arctic tundra, tropical rainforests, wetlands and high mountain ranges.”

Years Humans Used Brain Mountain Mere Species Wit Desert Range Massive Survived Infant Arctic Habitat Tropical Rainforest Mountain Ranges Wetlands

Author:David Suzuki

“The increasing frequency of extreme weather events, droughts and floods is in line with what climate scientists have been predicting for decades - and evidence is mounting that what's happening is more severe than predicted, and will get far worse still if we fail to act.”

Ifs Has Beens Stills Lines Failing Events Happenings Evidence Scientist Climate Extremes Decades Weather Flood Severe Frequency Drought Predicting Extreme Weather

Author:David Suzuki

“With the world's human population now at seven billion and growing, and the demand for technology and modern conveniences increasing, we can't control all our negative impacts. But we have to find better ways to live within the limits nature and its cycles impose.”

World Way Humans Technology Growing Modern Demand Limits Negative Impact Seven Population Billions Cycles Convenience Better Ways Way To Live Human Population Modern Conveniences

Author:David Suzuki

“Beyond reducing individual use, one of our top priorities must be to move from fossil fuels to energy that has fewer detrimental effects on water supplies and fewer environmental impacts overall.”

“Conserving energy and thus saving money, reducing consumption of unnecessary products and packaging and shifting to a clean-energy economy would likely hurt the bottom line of polluting industries, but would undoubtedly have positive effects for most of us.”

Energy Hurt Lines Economy Effects Products Industry Clean Bottom Saving Consumption Unnecessary Shifting Bottom Line Reducing Saving Money Clean Energy Packaging Conserving

Author:David Suzuki

“From year to year, environmental changes are incremental and often barely register in our lives, but from evolutionary or geological perspectives, what is happening is explosive change.”

Years Environment Our Lives Perspective Happenings Environmental Register Explosives Environmental Change Incremental Change

Author:David Suzuki

“Hydraulic fracturing requires massive amounts of water. Disposing of the toxic wastewater, as well as accidental spills, can contaminate drinking water and harm human health.”

Humans Wells Water Amount Drinking Harm Massive Toxic Spills Drinking Water Human Health Hydraulic Fracturing

Author:David Suzuki

“I've always been more interested in organisms that can move on their own than in stationary plants. But when I canoe or hike along the edge of lakes or oceans and see trees that seem to be growing out of rock faces, I am blown away. How do they do it?”

Seems Faces Moving Growing Tree Rocks Ocean Plant Edges Lakes Organisms Blown Away Stationary

Author:David Suzuki

“If America wants to retain its position as a global power, its president must listen to the people and show strong leadership at this turning point in human history.”

People Ifs Want Humans Shows America Strong President Position Human History Turning Points

Author:David Suzuki

“If we want to address global warming, along with the other environmental problems associated with our continued rush to burn our precious fossil fuels as quickly as possible, we must learn to use our resources more wisely, kick our addiction, and quickly start turning to sources of energy that have fewer negative impacts.”

“Just as fossil fuels from conventional sources are finite and are becoming depleted, those from difficult sources will also run out. If we put all our energy and resources into continued fossil fuel extraction, we will have lost an opportunity to have invested in renewable energy.”

Ifs Running Opportunity Energy Lost Difficult Source Becoming Resources Fuel Conventional Finite Fossils Fossil Fuel Renewable Energy Burning Fossil Fuels Extraction Renewable Resources

Author:David Suzuki

“Nature surrounds us, from parks and backyards to streets and alleyways. Next time you go out for a walk, tread gently and remember that we are both inhabitants and stewards of nature in our neighbourhoods.”

Remember Next Walks Streets Parks Surround Next Time Backyards Stewards Neighbourhoods Alleyways

Author:David Suzuki

“Rapid population growth and technological innovation, combined with our lack of understanding about how the natural systems of which we are a part work, have created a mess.”

Understanding Growth Natural Innovation Population Mess Technological Rapids Population Growth Lack Of Understanding World Population

Book:Just Cool It!: The Climate Crisis and What We Can Do - A Post-Paris Agreement Game Plan

Source: Just Cool It!: The Climate Crisis and What We Can Do - A Post-Paris Agreement Game Plan

“Some argue we should get coal, oil and gas out of the ground as quickly as possible, build more pipelines and make as much money as we can selling it here and abroad. Their priorities are the economy and meeting short-term energy needs so we can live the lives to which we've become accustomed.”

Needs Should Energy Term Economy Meetings Oil Arguing Priorities Selling Gas Coal Accustomed Short Term Pipeline Oil And Gas

Author:David Suzuki

“Some solutions are relatively simple and would provide economic benefits: implementing measures to conserve energy, putting a price on carbon through taxes and cap-and-trade and shifting from fossil fuels to clean and renewable energy sources.”

“Thanks to evolution, our bodies have powerful ways to ward off illness and infection and enable us to live long and healthy lives. Why, then, do health costs continue to climb at unsustainable and frightening rates?”

Way Long Body Powerful Evolution Healthy Cost Rate Illness Thanks Climbs Frightening Infection Healthy Life

Author:David Suzuki

“The damage that climate change is causing and that will get worse if we fail to act goes beyond the hundreds of thousands of lives, homes and businesses lost, ecosystems destroyed, species driven to extinction, infrastructure smashed and people inconvenienced.”

People Ifs Home Lost Failing Climate Species Climate Change Driven Destroyed Damage Infrastructure Extinction Ecosystems

Author:David Suzuki

“The government's desire to expand global trade may be understandable, but we mustn't give away too much. We must tell our elected representatives to at least delay the Canada-China FIPA until it has been examined more thoroughly, and to reconsider the inclusion of investor-state arbitration mechanisms in all trade deals.”

Giving May Has Beens States Government Desire Deals Too Much Trade China Canada Investors Inclusion Mechanism Representatives Delay Arbitration

Author:David Suzuki

“We humans have become dependent on plastic for a range of uses, from packaging to products. Reducing our use of plastic bags is an easy place to start getting our addiction under control.”

Humans Use Easy Products Addiction Range Dependent Bags Plastic Reducing Packaging Plastic Bags

Author:David Suzuki

“The fact of the matter is that today, stuff-selling mega-corporations have a huge influence on our daily lives. And because of the competitive nature of our global economy, these corporations are generally only concerned with one thing - the bottom line. That is, maximising profit, regardless of the social or environmental costs.”

“I see a world in the future in which we understand that all life is related to us and we treat that life with great humility and respect.”

World Life Is Understanding Humility Future Respect Treats Related

Author:David Suzuki

“Each of us has the ability to act powerfully for change; together we can restore that ancient and sustaining harmony.”

Action Together Change Ability Harmony Climate Change Ancient Sustainability Sustaining Together We Can

Author:David Suzuki

“The event of creation did not take place so many eons ago, astronomically or biologically speaking. Creation is taking place every moment of our lives.”

Moments Vision Our Lives Events Creation

Author:David Suzuki

“People.. especially people in positions of power.. have invested a tremendous amount of effort and time to get to where they are. They really don't want to hear that we're on the wrong path, that we've got to shift gears and start thinking differently.”

People Thinking Want Effort Power Path Position Amount Gears Position Of Power Wrong Path Thinking Differently Effort And Time

Author:David Suzuki

“We can no longer tolerate what's going on in Ottawa and Edmonton. What I would challenge you to do is to put a lot of effort into trying to see whether there's a legal way of throwing our so-called leaders into jail because what they're doing is a criminal act.”

Way Trying Science Challenges Effort Leader Criminals Jail Throwing Tolerate Ottawa Edmonton

Author:David Suzuki

“Despite the international scientific community's consensus on climate change, a small number of critics continue to deny that climate change exists or that humans are causing it. Widely known as climate change "skeptics" or "deniers," these individuals are generally not climate scientists and do not debate the science with the climate scientists.”

Humans Science Individual Energy Community Numbers Known Environment Scientist Climate Critics Climate Change International Deny Debate Despite Consensus Skeptic Small Numbers

Author:David Suzuki

“On December 7, 1941, an event took place that had nothing to do with me or my family and yet which had devastating consequences for all of us - Japan bombed Pearl Harbour in a surprise attack. With that event began one of the shoddiest chapters in the tortuous history of democracy in North America.”

America Values Moral Democracy Events Ethics Consequence My Family Surprise Japan Chapters Pearls December North America Harbour Surprise Attacks December 7 December 7 1941

Book:Metamorphosis: Stages in a Life

Source: Metamorphosis: Stages in a Life

“We no longer see the world as a single entity. We've moved to cities and we think the economy is what gives us our life, that if the economy is strong we can afford garbage collection and sewage disposal and fresh food and water and electricity. We go through life thinking that money is the key to having whatever we want, without regard to what it does to the rest of the world.”

Ifs Thinking World Want Life Giving Doe Strong Water Cities Economy Environment Our Lives Keys Economics Regard Moved Collections Entity Electricity Garbage Fresh Food Sewage

Author:David Suzuki

“More than any other time in history, the 1990s will be a turning point for human civilization.”

Humans Civilization Climate Change Global Warming Turning Points Human Civilization

Book:It's a Matter of Survival

Source: It's a Matter of Survival

“We are upsetting the atmosphere upon which all life depends. In the late 80s when I began to take climate change seriously, we referred to global warming as a "slowmotion catastrophe" one we expected to kick in perhaps generations later. Instead, the signs of change have accelerated alarmingly.”

Life Environment Generations Depends Late Climate Environmental Climate Change Expected Atmosphere Upset Kicks Global Warming Catastrophe 80s

Author:David Suzuki

“Human use of fossil fuels is altering the chemistry of the atmosphere; oceans are polluted and depleted of fish; 80 per cent of Earth's forests are heavily impacted or gone yet their destruction continues. An estimated 50,000 species are driven to extinction each year. We dump millions of tonnes of chemicals, most untested for their biological effects, and many highly toxic, into air, water and soil. We have created an ecological holocaust. Our very health and survival are at stake, yet we act as if we have plenty of time to respond.”

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Famous David Suzuki Quotes