David Suzuki recognised for raising climate change awareness

Earlier this week, David Suzuki was recognised for his efforts in raising awareness about climate change by receiving an 'Alternative Nobel' from the Right Livelihood Foundation. Our research indicates that this is very well deserved. As we wrote in a press release of October 9, 2008 -

'Canadians have an environmental superstar – David Suzuki. 41% of all Canadians have found David Suzuki effective in shaping their thoughts about climate change; just 8% found him wrong-thinking/annoying. There is not an equivalent non-political environmental leader in either the UK or the USA (and David Suzuki is not much known in either of these countries).

Over half of Canadians (53%) are aware that the David Suzuki Foundation is active in discussing climate change, and 37% of Canadians indicated that this Foundation has been effective in shaping their thoughts on climate change, with 5% thinking that it is wrong-thinking/annoying on this issue.’'

To think that well over a third of Canadians have been positively influenced by you on this subject is an extraordinary achievement. And he has clearly done this sensitively since, compared to other climate change influencers, relatively few think he is 'wrong-thinking'.

David Suzuki also took the opportunity to say that he was embarrassed by how poorly Canada was doing to address climate change, and that it must act.

I saw David Suzuki speak at a Generations Pact dinner in April last year, where he encouraged the young people in the room to tackle the environmental challenges that they will surely face. He was also kind enough to send me a hand-written note about what we are doing at Haddock Research (although I am not so young!). He memorably talked about his time with his father in the last month's of his father's life, and it encouraged him to understand what was really important in life. Al Gore also talks about his relationship with his father in 'An Inconvenient Truth' and maybe this is a powerful thought for many environmentalists?