Suzuki’s Understandably Pissed Off, But Not Exactly Right
February 10th, 2008 by Patrick
I’ve been a fan of David Suzuki for years now, and not just because we went to the same high school. He’s been responsible for raising public awareness of important environmental issues in Canada and around the globe, and he’s brought intelligence, wit and lucidity to the debate.
That said, I found his widely publicized comment last week, suggesting that we should throw our “so-called leaders” in jail for enviro-crimes, to be a little simplistic.
Unlike, say, the National Post, I’d agree that the laissez-faire attitude of many politicians to the environment warrants harsh criticism, and frankly I’m not averse to the idea of locking up a few just on general principle or pour encourager les autres. However, in his enthusiasm for easy scapegoats, Suzuki misses the point that our “leaders” ignore or misrepresent eco-issues principally because we reward them for doing so.
All else being equal, most of would probably prefer that our grandkids not have to live in an overheated toxic swamp. However, the question is what we’re willing to do as individuals to prevent that eventuality - most of us still won’t walk when we can drive, won’t buy CFL bulbs instead of more wasteful but cheaper incandescents, won’t turn the furnace down or the AC off - in other words, won’t even take minimal action to avert the nastiness that with any luck won’t hit its stride until we’re already dead.
Politicians are opportunists, not idiots, and they know full well that candidates who suggest higher gasoline taxes or meaningful greenhouse gas restrictions on industry have their asses handed to them at election time. Even Alberta premier Ralph Stelmach, who reigns proudly over the eco-catastrophe that is the Alberta oil sands, l0oks like a shoo-in for the upcoming election because he’s keeping jobs and prosperity in the province. And the cost of those jobs? Well, with any luck, the next generation will pay that off after we’ve all passed away peacefully in our hot tubs.
The fact is that most human beings are shortsighted, selfish, and stupid, and we elect leaders who reflect those qualities. We also prefer our environmentalists gelded, busy pushing whales off beaches, not asking impolite questions like why we need 4 bathrooms for a 3 person household or a 3 ton truck to take the kids for ice cream. Al Gore’s popularity comes in part because he lets us feel good about ourselves just by going to see a movie, rather than having to ratchet down our lifestyles by an SUV or two.
Suzuki, to his credit, has always spoken his mind, and has accomplished a great deal by doing so. However, he’s off track when he suggests that our politicians are behaving like earth-destroying mavericks, when they’re doing pretty much what we’re asking them to do.
Photo by Andrew Sheargold
