WEBVTT - David And Severn 0:00:00.040 --> 0:00:02.120 Do you think it's time to sing Baby Bluka together? 0:00:10.119 --> 0:00:12.640 I do have one gripe I want to tell Rafie. 0:00:13.280 --> 0:00:18.240 I just spent a week with my grandchildren in Victoria. 0:00:18.400 --> 0:00:23.680 They're two twins three and a half, and I showed 0:00:23.720 --> 0:00:29.880 them a video of Raffie singing Baby Bluga and my God. 0:00:30.000 --> 0:00:32.560 They played that so many times it became what do 0:00:32.640 --> 0:00:35.239 they call it? An earworm? And that's you know. I 0:00:35.320 --> 0:00:41.159 love this song, but too much is too much? So 0:00:41.240 --> 0:00:47.599 the complaint is the song is too good and unforgettable. Okay. 0:00:49.680 --> 0:00:53.480 This is David Suzuki and his daughter Severn Cullis Suzuki. 0:00:53.880 --> 0:00:59.040 There a father daughter power duo. CBC viewers voted David 0:00:59.200 --> 0:01:03.640 as one of greatest Canadians of all time, Wayne Gretzky, 0:01:03.920 --> 0:01:10.080 Alexander Graham Bell and David Suzuki impressive company. He's been 0:01:10.120 --> 0:01:13.720 a scientist and broadcaster for over fifty years and an 0:01:13.720 --> 0:01:22.920 outspoken advocate for climate action since the nineteen nineties, and 0:01:23.040 --> 0:01:26.240 Severn is an environmentalist in her own rank. When she 0:01:26.319 --> 0:01:29.080 was twelve, she spoke at a conference of global leaders, 0:01:29.160 --> 0:01:32.200 calling out adults for destroying the planet and challenging them 0:01:32.280 --> 0:01:35.400 to do better. Thirty years later, A video of the 0:01:35.440 --> 0:01:38.520 speech has more than thirty two million views on YouTube. 0:01:39.000 --> 0:01:45.720 She's like the original Greta Tuneberg. David and Severn are 0:01:45.840 --> 0:01:50.360 Canadian activist royalty. They also happened to be Raphi's former neighbors. 0:01:51.400 --> 0:01:54.320 Back in the eighties, Raffie was already beginning to think 0:01:54.360 --> 0:01:57.840 about his legacy. Could he give his audience something more 0:01:58.160 --> 0:02:03.680 than just sweet, gentle songs. Then a radio program on 0:02:03.680 --> 0:02:06.960 the CBC would shake Raffi to his core. It was 0:02:07.000 --> 0:02:10.280 called It's a Matter of Survival and it was hosted 0:02:10.639 --> 0:02:15.800 by David Suzuki. I'm David Suzuki. We have just over 0:02:15.880 --> 0:02:19.320 ten years until the end of the century. Those ten 0:02:19.440 --> 0:02:23.040 years will determine if and how we will exist on 0:02:23.080 --> 0:02:27.240 this planet. You will make that decision. It's a matter 0:02:27.320 --> 0:02:38.920 of survival. Both David and Severn would inspire the next 0:02:38.919 --> 0:02:43.040 phase of Ralphie's career. They taught him what respectful love 0:02:43.120 --> 0:02:46.440 between a parent and a child truly looked like, where 0:02:46.520 --> 0:02:50.040 respect means telling them the truth about our world. The 0:02:50.120 --> 0:02:53.560 thing is, the truth is messy. It can be overwhelming 0:02:53.600 --> 0:02:56.720 for adults. So how do we talk to our children 0:02:56.720 --> 0:02:59.480 about the world without scaring the crap out of them, 0:02:59.520 --> 0:03:02.440 and how do we keep hope alive for ourselves and 0:03:02.560 --> 0:03:06.160 our kids when the urge to give up is so strong. 0:03:10.960 --> 0:03:14.240 I'm Chris Garcia and this is Finding Raffie, a ten 0:03:14.320 --> 0:03:17.480 part series from My Heart Radio and Fatherly in partnership 0:03:17.520 --> 0:03:21.919 with Rococo Punch about the life, philosophy, and the work 0:03:22.520 --> 0:03:31.520 of Raffie, the man behind the music. We did our 0:03:31.600 --> 0:03:38.080 first program for television on global warming. I realized that 0:03:38.400 --> 0:03:42.360 global warming we called it then, was a real threat. 0:03:42.960 --> 0:03:46.640 I called it in my script a slow motion catastrophe. 0:03:47.320 --> 0:03:49.920 I knew that we had to get going on it immediately, 0:03:50.320 --> 0:03:53.880 so I interviewed a hundred and forty experts and scientists 0:03:53.920 --> 0:03:57.480 around the world and put together five part radio series 0:03:58.000 --> 0:04:01.960 on CBC called it a matter of s bival. To economists, 0:04:02.400 --> 0:04:06.800 growth is the main reason governments, industries, and societies exist. 0:04:07.520 --> 0:04:10.480 If our economy fails to grow, we call it a 0:04:10.520 --> 0:04:15.839 recession or a setback. A society that says enough, we've 0:04:15.880 --> 0:04:18.960 got enough, We've got more than enough, let's just stay 0:04:19.000 --> 0:04:25.000 at this level is simply inconceivable. Yet global warming says 0:04:25.040 --> 0:04:36.040 if we continue to grow, we may die. When Ralphie 0:04:36.080 --> 0:04:40.880 heard this, he got chills. He says it affected every 0:04:40.920 --> 0:04:43.880 cell of his being, and he became frightened for the 0:04:43.960 --> 0:04:46.839 future of his niece, his nephew, his young fans, and 0:04:46.880 --> 0:04:49.880 the world they would inherit. He felt compelled to act. 0:04:51.000 --> 0:04:53.120 Turns out he wasn't the only one moved by it 0:04:54.160 --> 0:04:56.599 in Canada. I have to say that the radio is 0:04:56.640 --> 0:05:02.360 still a very powerful medium of communication. That was especially 0:05:02.400 --> 0:05:07.880 so back in the eighties, and it got over sixteen 0:05:08.160 --> 0:05:18.239 thousand letters, and the outpouring of the letters said, look, 0:05:18.279 --> 0:05:21.000 I heard your show. You scared the hell out of me. 0:05:21.560 --> 0:05:24.240 I agree with what you're saying, but what can I do? 0:05:31.000 --> 0:05:33.599 It's a matter of survival. Marked a shift in David's 0:05:33.640 --> 0:05:38.200 career from scientists to climate activist. David didn't have all 0:05:38.200 --> 0:05:40.960 the answers his listeners were asking for, but he wanted 0:05:41.000 --> 0:05:43.680 to find some. He also wanted to learn more about 0:05:43.720 --> 0:05:46.919 the root of the problem, so in he and his 0:05:46.960 --> 0:05:51.800 wife Tara Cullis, who Severns mother, started the David Suzuki Foundation, 0:05:52.560 --> 0:05:54.840 and its first couple of years, David and Tara were 0:05:54.880 --> 0:06:00.840 basically funding the whole operation themselves. Then Raphie stepped into help. 0:06:01.760 --> 0:06:05.480 He was two blocks away from us, and he called 0:06:05.520 --> 0:06:09.159 actually and said David tar could I could I see 0:06:09.160 --> 0:06:14.479 you for a minute or two? And we were so involved. Gee, 0:06:14.560 --> 0:06:17.680 Raffie love to see it, but we're just going flat 0:06:17.680 --> 0:06:19.640 out right now. Could we put it off for well? 0:06:20.200 --> 0:06:22.599 He called again, could I come and see you again? 0:06:22.640 --> 0:06:25.600 We were too busy, and finally he said, look, I'll 0:06:25.640 --> 0:06:29.120 drop by your house and just drop off in an envelope. 0:06:29.520 --> 0:06:32.440 And it was an envelope with a check for fifty 0:06:32.960 --> 0:06:37.840 dollars and that was really for a struggling organization. It 0:06:37.920 --> 0:06:40.800 was a huge aid to get us started at that 0:06:40.880 --> 0:06:45.360 early age. So Raffie was there and uh, I can 0:06:45.400 --> 0:06:48.440 never thank Raffie enough for that help. So do you 0:06:48.440 --> 0:06:50.839 pick up the phone quickly or answer the door quicker 0:06:50.839 --> 0:06:56.440 when he calls now? Because he said just substantial Yes, No, 0:06:56.600 --> 0:06:58.839 he's turned out to be a friend. That's amazing and 0:06:58.880 --> 0:07:01.080 several Do you remember the quesion that it's a matter 0:07:01.080 --> 0:07:04.680 of survival had on you as as a kid. Well, 0:07:04.720 --> 0:07:08.400 I was a young child at the time, and I 0:07:08.560 --> 0:07:12.680 was really impacted by the activism that my parents were 0:07:12.720 --> 0:07:16.360 involved with with indigenous peoples at the time. So our 0:07:16.400 --> 0:07:20.640 family actually were able to travel down to southern Para 0:07:20.680 --> 0:07:23.520 in Brazil and to a kaya Pol village and spent 0:07:23.640 --> 0:07:26.360 some time there, and for myself, I was about eight 0:07:26.480 --> 0:07:29.040 or nine years old, it was just this life changing 0:07:29.120 --> 0:07:32.920 experience to be in a place where the people lived 0:07:33.480 --> 0:07:36.800 in the rainforest and still lived with the rhythms of 0:07:36.840 --> 0:07:41.480 the natural world. It just absolutely blew my mind. And 0:07:41.840 --> 0:07:44.560 when we left the village of oak Ri, which was 0:07:44.600 --> 0:07:48.600 this Kayapol village, I could see out of our tiny 0:07:48.640 --> 0:07:53.600 little plane that the forest was on fire, and that 0:07:53.680 --> 0:07:57.080 had such a huge impact on me. It was about 0:07:58.400 --> 0:08:00.760 so it was all kind of you happening at the 0:08:00.800 --> 0:08:03.680 same time. And uh, I was a child, but I've 0:08:03.720 --> 0:08:07.120 been very lucky to always have been raised with a 0:08:07.160 --> 0:08:09.080 feeling that I have a voice and I have to 0:08:09.200 --> 0:08:14.840 use it. So let me let me take it from here. 0:08:14.960 --> 0:08:20.440 Seve just giving you parents the point of view. She 0:08:20.560 --> 0:08:24.160 was an activist from very early on, but after the 0:08:24.240 --> 0:08:28.160 Amazon experience she started this group of of young girls 0:08:28.240 --> 0:08:32.440 called echo the Environmental Children's Organization. So she came into 0:08:32.440 --> 0:08:38.080 me in in uh nineteen said Dad, Dad, I hear 0:08:38.160 --> 0:08:41.959 there's going to be this big meeting in Brazil. Are 0:08:42.000 --> 0:08:45.040 you going? I said no, no, she's She said, well, 0:08:45.080 --> 0:08:48.280 I think Echoed should go down there, I said, save, 0:08:48.400 --> 0:08:50.199 it's going to be a huge meeting. It's going to 0:08:50.280 --> 0:08:53.880 be a circus. I think you used the term gone show. 0:08:54.320 --> 0:08:57.160 It'll be a gone show. So I was I was 0:08:57.960 --> 0:09:01.400 very very discouraging of her. You know, I admit that 0:09:01.480 --> 0:09:04.559 was a stupid thing on my part, but I was thinking, gosh, 0:09:04.559 --> 0:09:07.400 what are these children gonna do down in this place? 0:09:13.960 --> 0:09:18.280 After the break seven David and the big meeting in 0:09:18.280 --> 0:09:28.480 Brazil Summit was held in Rio de jan Arrow. It 0:09:28.600 --> 0:09:31.320 was created by the u N so countries could work 0:09:31.360 --> 0:09:35.319 together on issues like reducing pollution and finding alternatives to 0:09:35.440 --> 0:09:40.280 fossil fuels. Young Severn and her friends were determined to go. 0:09:41.080 --> 0:09:44.640 And we heard about this meeting and thought, wow, you 0:09:44.640 --> 0:09:47.440 know there's going to be all of these old men 0:09:47.920 --> 0:09:53.480 sitting around talking about our future. Somebody should be there 0:09:53.520 --> 0:09:58.720 to represent what's truly at stake. So they started fundraising. Well, 0:09:59.559 --> 0:10:01.440 you know, I got a hand it to your said, 0:10:01.559 --> 0:10:04.559 she went out and hustled. I think it was four 0:10:05.360 --> 0:10:11.240 dollars And Raffie was a big supporter of us. Raffie 0:10:11.320 --> 0:10:14.439 was a major donor to that. Yeah, that's incredible because 0:10:14.520 --> 0:10:17.520 he speaks about the summit in Rio. It was a 0:10:17.600 --> 0:10:19.640 huge deal for him, and he says it was a 0:10:19.679 --> 0:10:22.559 turning point in his career. Do you remember him being 0:10:22.600 --> 0:10:28.160 there and feeling a support at the conference? He was, absolutely. 0:10:29.200 --> 0:10:32.440 He was with us every day. I mean he was 0:10:32.480 --> 0:10:36.800 part of the gang. We were the crew. I have 0:10:36.960 --> 0:10:40.840 some awesome photos of him with us all and he 0:10:40.960 --> 0:10:44.720 was he was one of us. Being associated with him, 0:10:44.880 --> 0:10:48.800 I always think helped him as well. I mean he 0:10:48.840 --> 0:10:52.960 saw things in a really profound way through that experience 0:10:53.200 --> 0:10:58.640 with the young kids. Even though David thought the conference 0:10:58.720 --> 0:11:01.760 was just a quote unquote gong show. Key and Tara 0:11:01.880 --> 0:11:04.680 went to and any time they attended a meeting or 0:11:04.679 --> 0:11:08.079 a speech in Rio, they brought along Severn and her friends, 0:11:08.640 --> 0:11:15.080 always encouraging them to share their thoughts and beliefs. The 0:11:15.120 --> 0:11:19.520 head of UNICEF heard Severn speak, he was impressed. The 0:11:19.600 --> 0:11:22.920 next thing they knew, Severn had an invitation to speak 0:11:22.960 --> 0:11:27.440 to the entire conference. This was it, the moment Severn 0:11:27.520 --> 0:11:30.720 and her friends had waited for. But would these high 0:11:30.720 --> 0:11:34.840 powered global leaders really listen to or care about the 0:11:34.880 --> 0:11:38.960 words of a twelve year old girl. So then, of 0:11:39.000 --> 0:11:41.760 course it was this frantic Oh we gotta uh, you know, 0:11:41.840 --> 0:11:43.760 you've got this chance. What are you gonna say? And 0:11:43.800 --> 0:11:46.560 I remember saying to Seth, Now, Seth, this is what 0:11:46.640 --> 0:11:48.800 you've got to say. And you turned to me and said, Dad, 0:11:49.559 --> 0:11:51.840 I know what I want to say. I knew exactly 0:11:51.880 --> 0:11:56.600 what I was doing and why I was there at school, 0:11:57.440 --> 0:12:00.360 even in kindergarten. You teach us how to be had 0:12:00.480 --> 0:12:05.200 in the world. You teach us to not to fight 0:12:05.280 --> 0:12:10.440 with others, to work things out, to respect others, to 0:12:10.559 --> 0:12:15.040 clean up our mess, not to hurt other creatures, to share, 0:12:15.440 --> 0:12:18.800 not be greedy. Then why do you go out and 0:12:18.840 --> 0:12:22.760 do the things you tell us not to do? What 0:12:22.880 --> 0:12:26.320 an incredibly powerful statement. Seven you were twelve years old. 0:12:26.520 --> 0:12:29.760 What is it like to hear that? Now? I can 0:12:29.880 --> 0:12:34.720 remember exactly what that was like delivering that speech. And 0:12:34.800 --> 0:12:38.640 even though I've I've heard it many times since in 0:12:38.679 --> 0:12:41.880 the last twenty nine years, it's been a really long time. 0:12:42.760 --> 0:12:46.200 I I'm still very connected to the emotion that I 0:12:46.240 --> 0:12:51.480 had during that time. And yeah, it's just it all 0:12:51.559 --> 0:12:55.480 floods back. You've grown up, say you love us, but 0:12:55.600 --> 0:13:00.360 I challenge you, please make your actions reflect your words. 0:13:00.880 --> 0:13:09.960 Thank you. Seven got a standing ovation. And I remember 0:13:10.040 --> 0:13:12.840 at the end of the talk, of course, I was 0:13:12.920 --> 0:13:15.480 scared stiff, you know, like when Sev got up to 0:13:15.520 --> 0:13:18.320 give it and I was blown away by the way 0:13:18.360 --> 0:13:21.839 she did it. But when she sat down again, the 0:13:21.960 --> 0:13:24.480 first person to run up and shake her hands was 0:13:24.559 --> 0:13:27.480 Al Gore, and Al said, that is the best speech 0:13:28.160 --> 0:13:30.560 at anyone's given it this meeting. Didn't he say that 0:13:30.600 --> 0:13:33.640 to you? So he did? And uh and then he 0:13:33.720 --> 0:13:36.520 shook my hand and sat down, and then you whispered, Hey, 0:13:36.520 --> 0:13:38.640 do you know who that is? And I was like, 0:13:39.000 --> 0:13:42.320 uh no, he's like he's Al Gore, he's a senator. 0:13:42.559 --> 0:13:50.760 He's really good. I can't imagine sitting there and watching 0:13:51.280 --> 0:13:53.880 my child, my young child, get up there and getting 0:13:54.000 --> 0:13:57.560 a standing ovation like that. That must have been you. 0:13:57.960 --> 0:14:00.360 I can't imagine the pride you had in that moment. David. 0:14:00.720 --> 0:14:05.320 Oh yeah, my chest about exploded. That was that was 0:14:05.400 --> 0:14:17.080 pretty exciting. And So, David, what drew you to environmentalism? Like, 0:14:17.200 --> 0:14:20.160 more specifically, I'm curious to know what compelled you to 0:14:20.200 --> 0:14:23.680 make a shift from scientists to a vocal advocate for 0:14:23.840 --> 0:14:27.040 the health of the planet. Well, you know, I I 0:14:27.120 --> 0:14:31.720 never saw myself as an environmentalist. That it's all my life. 0:14:31.840 --> 0:14:36.120 My great joy has been out camping and fishing. I'm 0:14:36.160 --> 0:14:39.960 an avid fisherman. You know, I'm a third generation Canadian. 0:14:41.120 --> 0:14:47.040 In when Japan attack Pearl Harbor, the Japanese Canadians were 0:14:47.040 --> 0:14:53.280 considered enemy aliens and all of our possessions were confiscated 0:14:53.280 --> 0:14:56.280 and we were shipped to camps for three years after 0:14:56.320 --> 0:15:00.400 the war. And where we were shipped was even the 0:15:00.400 --> 0:15:04.960 heart of the Rocky Mountains. That's really where my bonding, 0:15:05.040 --> 0:15:08.280 I guess, with the natural world. It's just who I 0:15:08.400 --> 0:15:14.600 am was based on those experiences in nature. In David's 0:15:14.680 --> 0:15:18.800 fifty plus year career as a broadcaster, he's interviewed hundreds 0:15:18.840 --> 0:15:21.640 of people around the globe, including leading experts on the 0:15:21.640 --> 0:15:25.560 climate crisis, and in those fifty years, he says, one 0:15:25.560 --> 0:15:28.560 of the most important lessons he's learned is what's at 0:15:28.560 --> 0:15:34.320 the core of ecological destruction, the disconnection between humans and nature. 0:15:35.360 --> 0:15:38.240 He remembers interviewing a leader of the indigenous height Of 0:15:38.320 --> 0:15:42.080 tribe about clear cut logging and I said, look, when 0:15:42.120 --> 0:15:44.160 the trees are all cut down, you'll still be here. 0:15:44.560 --> 0:15:50.000 Why are you opposing the logging? And his answer was, well, 0:15:50.440 --> 0:15:52.560 of course, when the trees are gone, we'll still be here. 0:15:53.480 --> 0:15:56.520 But then, well, I guess we'll be like everybody else. 0:15:57.720 --> 0:16:00.120 Now that may seem like what what the heck as 0:16:00.160 --> 0:16:03.760 he's saying, but as I reflected on that, it was 0:16:03.840 --> 0:16:08.600 such a profound inside into a different way of seeing 0:16:08.960 --> 0:16:11.720 our relationship with the world. What he was saying in 0:16:11.800 --> 0:16:14.760 that simple statement, when the trees are gone, will just 0:16:14.800 --> 0:16:17.960 be like everybody else, was that the Hida don't see 0:16:17.960 --> 0:16:22.120 themselves as ending at their skin or their fingertips. That 0:16:22.240 --> 0:16:27.920 to be hida means to be connected with the land. 0:16:27.960 --> 0:16:31.400 That the air, the water, the soil, that the trees, 0:16:31.480 --> 0:16:34.000 the birds and the fish. All of that is what 0:16:34.200 --> 0:16:38.080 makes the Hida who they are. And when you destroy 0:16:38.120 --> 0:16:43.040 a part of that, you basically you you diminish the Hida. 0:16:43.240 --> 0:16:46.600 They've lost a critical part of who they are. And 0:16:46.680 --> 0:16:52.520 for me, that was the beginning of my education of 0:16:52.680 --> 0:16:56.800 genuine environmentalism was to see the world through indigenous eyes, 0:16:57.200 --> 0:17:03.320 which is what is desperately uh Severn. From what I understand, 0:17:03.360 --> 0:17:06.320 you also have a deep connection to the indigenous communities 0:17:06.320 --> 0:17:09.600 of Canada. Um, can you tell me about that and 0:17:09.640 --> 0:17:12.840 how it's changed the way you see the world For me, 0:17:13.200 --> 0:17:17.639 I Um, I moved to hidea guay. I'm married to 0:17:17.720 --> 0:17:21.960 hide a person and have had you know, have have 0:17:22.119 --> 0:17:27.080 my heide of family, have two wonderful little boys. And 0:17:27.200 --> 0:17:30.160 it's been an absolute privilege for me to be an 0:17:30.160 --> 0:17:33.119 immigrant to high to Guay, to live on hide of land, 0:17:33.560 --> 0:17:36.720 in a hide of family, in a hidea way. And 0:17:36.880 --> 0:17:39.960 following the lead of my husband who was working very 0:17:40.000 --> 0:17:44.359 hard to learn his language and to um, you know, 0:17:44.400 --> 0:17:48.920 to really fully realize his his heritage and his identity 0:17:48.960 --> 0:17:52.040 as a as a hide of person, I started learning 0:17:52.119 --> 0:17:59.439 Hida as well and discover this incredible magic and the 0:17:59.480 --> 0:18:04.000 magic as a perspective a worldview. Whenever you speak a 0:18:04.040 --> 0:18:08.080 different language, and perhaps Chris, you know you might, um 0:18:08.440 --> 0:18:12.720 you speak your heritage language. Um you know that you suddenly, 0:18:12.920 --> 0:18:15.840 you know, have a bit of transformation. You become a 0:18:15.840 --> 0:18:19.680 bit of a different person, and um you can see 0:18:19.720 --> 0:18:22.440 the world you love, see the world in a different way. 0:18:22.680 --> 0:18:28.560 And there's a beautiful indigenous academic, scholar, teacher, writer, Robin 0:18:28.680 --> 0:18:33.760 while Kimmerer who talks about the import of language and 0:18:33.800 --> 0:18:36.480 how it really shapes how we treat nature and how 0:18:36.520 --> 0:18:41.520 we treat each other. If we didn't refer to nature, um, 0:18:41.560 --> 0:18:46.240 you know, animals, plants, natural things as it this kind 0:18:46.240 --> 0:18:51.840 of lifeless, kind of um, you know, sanitized, objectified things, 0:18:52.280 --> 0:18:54.840 we would have a very different relationship with the world 0:18:54.840 --> 0:19:00.000 around us. So through language we really frame the value 0:19:00.080 --> 0:19:04.160 is of our society. And right now, as we're heading 0:19:04.200 --> 0:19:09.000 into further into this bottleneck for human survival, we need 0:19:09.040 --> 0:19:13.600 to call upon all the creativity that's accessible to humanity, 0:19:13.640 --> 0:19:16.119 all the diverse ways of being in this world in 0:19:16.280 --> 0:19:19.600 order to navigate and make it through. And indigenous peoples 0:19:19.600 --> 0:19:22.000 and world views and languages are going to be key 0:19:22.040 --> 0:19:32.520 to that. A bottleneck of human survival that sounds terrifying. 0:19:33.400 --> 0:19:36.640 How can I get over my existential dread and tell 0:19:36.680 --> 0:19:42.879 my daughter about the fight for her future? More in 0:19:42.880 --> 0:19:50.640 a minute. I really want to talk to you both 0:19:50.680 --> 0:19:54.800 about climate activism today because to me, I see a 0:19:54.840 --> 0:19:57.879 direct connection between Severn talking at the Earth's Summit and 0:19:58.000 --> 0:20:01.840 Rio and Greta tunberg A resting the un seven years 0:20:01.880 --> 0:20:05.359 later in what is it like for you both to 0:20:05.400 --> 0:20:10.320 see kids leading the fight for climate action today? It's 0:20:10.480 --> 0:20:14.920 very moving to me to see today's generation of young 0:20:15.000 --> 0:20:20.040 people speak up, take to the streets, take the environmental 0:20:20.040 --> 0:20:25.119 movement to the next level. It's also quite sad um 0:20:25.440 --> 0:20:28.000 for me that you know, these kids have to deal 0:20:28.040 --> 0:20:30.679 with it at the same time. You know, it was 0:20:30.720 --> 0:20:34.560 always so, We always have depended on our young people 0:20:34.600 --> 0:20:37.240 to be the warriors of society. And if you look 0:20:37.240 --> 0:20:42.000 at revolutions around the world, they're always led by younger people, 0:20:42.440 --> 0:20:45.960 the people who have the clear eyes for what's truly 0:20:46.000 --> 0:20:49.480 at stake, and that the imagination and the hope and 0:20:49.520 --> 0:20:53.640 the beauty in believing that things can be different. So 0:20:53.680 --> 0:20:57.440 I think that this is a continuation of movements throughout 0:20:57.640 --> 0:21:01.000 our human history. And I'm so proud of Greta. I'm 0:21:01.040 --> 0:21:05.320 so proud of the thousands of other Greta's out there 0:21:05.400 --> 0:21:10.040 who have been working for change. The first time that 0:21:10.119 --> 0:21:14.040 I met Greta, the first thing I said to her was, 0:21:14.160 --> 0:21:18.080 I am so sorry that you are having to do this, 0:21:19.040 --> 0:21:21.400 you know, at her age. I feel that young people 0:21:21.440 --> 0:21:24.800 should be out of exploring the world. You know, they're 0:21:25.480 --> 0:21:28.600 edging out of the nest and they're making you relationships, 0:21:28.640 --> 0:21:31.359 finding out things that they really like to do, the 0:21:31.560 --> 0:21:34.920 things that matter, and that's what young people should be doing. 0:21:35.320 --> 0:21:38.520 Mom and Dad should be the equal warriors on their behalf. 0:21:39.480 --> 0:21:43.080 But of course what Greta has done and what Sev 0:21:43.200 --> 0:21:46.920 did when she was young. She didn't see the world 0:21:46.960 --> 0:21:50.280 in all of its complexity, and so that the simple 0:21:50.440 --> 0:21:56.879 truths came out of their their their mouths. And the 0:21:57.040 --> 0:22:00.760 power of the words of young people is it. It's 0:22:01.119 --> 0:22:05.600 unalloyed by all of these other priorities that come and 0:22:05.680 --> 0:22:10.440 impinge on It's simply a straightforward fact. And Greta's message 0:22:10.560 --> 0:22:15.119 was so powerful that we learned science. And I listened 0:22:15.119 --> 0:22:18.200 to scientists and they say, if we go on this way, 0:22:18.280 --> 0:22:21.879 I have no future. Well, oh my god, what what 0:22:22.080 --> 0:22:27.040 a powerful message. And as Sev says, thousands and thousands 0:22:27.040 --> 0:22:30.800 of Greta's have sprung up all over the world. And gosh, 0:22:30.880 --> 0:22:33.920 if we adults can't rally to that, if we don't 0:22:34.000 --> 0:22:38.200 love our children and hear that message, then what kind 0:22:38.240 --> 0:22:46.840 of a species are we? Okay? So I am a 0:22:46.920 --> 0:22:49.760 dad now myself, and I know that at some point 0:22:49.920 --> 0:22:51.399 I'm going to have to talk about all of this 0:22:51.520 --> 0:22:55.960 with my daughter Sonny, Like, how, David, how do I 0:22:56.000 --> 0:22:58.600 talk to her about this? How did you talk about 0:22:58.600 --> 0:23:02.800 climate change with your kids? I remember when her younger 0:23:02.880 --> 0:23:06.600 sister was up and coming and seven had gone on 0:23:07.280 --> 0:23:10.880 to high school, and and Serrica had more or less 0:23:11.240 --> 0:23:15.480 taken over echo and I said, hey, Serie, this is 0:23:15.480 --> 0:23:18.199 a great project. You and your gang should do this. 0:23:18.320 --> 0:23:20.840 And she said why should I? I hear what you 0:23:20.920 --> 0:23:25.280 and mom are saying. It's too late, and I was 0:23:25.480 --> 0:23:28.760 just blown away. I mean, here's this child listening to 0:23:28.920 --> 0:23:33.280 us seven. It prompted her to be motivated to go 0:23:33.320 --> 0:23:37.320 out and do something. Serrica heard all this and is thinking, well, 0:23:37.359 --> 0:23:41.639 it's too late. Um. The big problem we face now, 0:23:41.680 --> 0:23:46.639 and I'm hearing from many many parents of teenagers, is 0:23:46.720 --> 0:23:51.800 that they're they're very severe uh psychological problems, are having 0:23:51.840 --> 0:23:57.000 to send their kids for for help. And this is 0:23:57.119 --> 0:24:02.119 the hard part is if we face the absolute truth 0:24:02.160 --> 0:24:06.080 of what the scientists are saying, it's a pretty grim 0:24:06.119 --> 0:24:09.399 It's a grim world. And I think we have to 0:24:09.440 --> 0:24:12.399 focus on what we're doing at the local level. It 0:24:12.440 --> 0:24:15.400 will be the sum total of what we are all trying. 0:24:16.359 --> 0:24:18.199 What about you, Severn, how do you talk to your 0:24:18.240 --> 0:24:22.040 kids about climate change? Two things when talking to my 0:24:22.200 --> 0:24:30.320 kids about our ecological crisis. One is as a superhero 0:24:30.720 --> 0:24:35.320 narrative or a narrative of um, you know, this dramatic 0:24:36.119 --> 0:24:39.600 story that is unfolding, which is, you know, feels very 0:24:39.680 --> 0:24:44.680 much like it's a battle between light and dark. It's 0:24:44.960 --> 0:24:48.239 a battle for life, it's a battle for all that 0:24:48.320 --> 0:24:52.320 we hold dear. And in that, you know, there is 0:24:52.400 --> 0:24:55.240 a real need for all of us to use our voices. 0:24:55.440 --> 0:24:59.159 We all have a voice, you know, my mom saying, hey, 0:24:59.200 --> 0:25:01.280 why don't you, you know, talk to your friends and 0:25:01.320 --> 0:25:03.280 see what they could do. You know, maybe together you 0:25:03.280 --> 0:25:05.800 can do something. You know, and you know, we started 0:25:06.040 --> 0:25:09.840 with the beach clean up. You know that seemed very 0:25:09.960 --> 0:25:12.680 um small at the time with what we were learning about. 0:25:12.680 --> 0:25:14.760 But then when you clean up an entire beach with 0:25:14.800 --> 0:25:17.879 your friends, the feeling that you have is that you 0:25:17.920 --> 0:25:21.800 can take on the world. It is so vital that 0:25:21.840 --> 0:25:27.520 we do not model despair because we don't know the future. 0:25:27.840 --> 0:25:30.600 We don't know the Greta's that are going to appear 0:25:30.640 --> 0:25:34.000 to us in the future and who might transform the 0:25:34.080 --> 0:25:38.040 playing field for the environmental movement. We have to keep 0:25:38.119 --> 0:25:42.040 that open. And I think right now everybody wants to know, 0:25:42.680 --> 0:25:45.479 how do you still stay optimistic or what keeps you 0:25:45.520 --> 0:25:48.400 from despair? Or are you hopeful? Or is it too late? 0:25:48.720 --> 0:25:51.600 Of course it's not too late, and now we have 0:25:51.680 --> 0:25:54.639 to roll up our sleeves and get into the fight, 0:25:55.040 --> 0:25:58.800 and especially as parents, as grandparents, we have to join 0:25:58.920 --> 0:26:02.600 with our kids and help help them feel empowered because 0:26:03.080 --> 0:26:05.120 that is what is going to carry us through. If 0:26:05.119 --> 0:26:08.639 we give up now, well then we're absolutely giving up 0:26:08.640 --> 0:26:11.040 on our kids. So we have to model that and 0:26:11.080 --> 0:26:14.159 we have to we have to show them small things 0:26:14.240 --> 0:26:17.600 to big things that we can all do. So I've 0:26:17.600 --> 0:26:20.280 got one more question for each of you, and I'll 0:26:20.320 --> 0:26:23.720 start with you Severn. What have you learned from your dad? 0:26:24.400 --> 0:26:30.119 What have I learned from this guy? I've learned so much, 0:26:30.560 --> 0:26:34.720 so much from this man who my whole life long 0:26:34.760 --> 0:26:39.320 has always been a warrior for positive change in this world, 0:26:39.560 --> 0:26:42.880 and I continue to learn from him. I'm now in 0:26:43.160 --> 0:26:46.760 the position of executive director of the David Suzuki Foundation, 0:26:46.960 --> 0:26:50.840 so clearly I believe in his vision and mission. And 0:26:50.920 --> 0:26:53.920 it's also you know, it's not just the David Suzuki Foundation, 0:26:53.960 --> 0:26:58.920 it's also the Tara Cullis Foundation, David's partner in everything, 0:26:59.400 --> 0:27:03.280 um mom, and the two of them started this this 0:27:03.520 --> 0:27:07.639 incredible organization. You know, back in when I was a kid, 0:27:07.720 --> 0:27:09.840 when I was also you know, hey, I started my 0:27:09.880 --> 0:27:14.160 own tiny organization, me and my buddies. Um. So I've 0:27:14.200 --> 0:27:19.560 watched how they've always tried. They just never give up. 0:27:19.600 --> 0:27:22.800 And even today, you know, I mean, Dad's always coming 0:27:22.880 --> 0:27:26.160 up with new ideas for you know, hey we can 0:27:26.240 --> 0:27:28.720 try this, well what about this? And now, as an 0:27:28.720 --> 0:27:32.000 executive director of this organization that is adjacent to him 0:27:32.040 --> 0:27:34.040 and his work, he's not on the board, he's not 0:27:34.400 --> 0:27:37.879 legally associated, but he is still our our symbol or 0:27:38.440 --> 0:27:44.320 our inspiration. He is constantly trying and to me, that 0:27:44.440 --> 0:27:49.040