Author(s): David T. Suzuki

Australian native animals

One of the planet's pre-eminent elders, in his lifetime Suzuki has witnessed an explosion of scientific knowledge and a huge change in our relationship with the planet - a tripling of the world's population, a greatly increased ecological footprint through the global economy, and an enormous growth in technological capacity. These changes have had a dire effect on Earth's ecosystems and consequently on our own well-being. To deal with a crisis of our own making, we must realise that the laws of nature have priority over the forces of economics and that the planet simply cannot sustain unfettered growth. We must also recognise the limits of scientific reductionism and the need to adopt a more holistic point of view. Perhaps most important, we must join together as a single species to respond to the problems we face. Suzuki's conclusion is that change begins with each of us; all it takes is imagination and a faith in the inherent generosity of Mother Earth.