By David Suzuki with Faisal MoolaSometimes a new science emerges that not only offers hope for our continued survival as a species but that also makes obvious how little we have really learned in our relatively brief time on Earth.In the past, it took centuries or even millennia to fully exploit a technological breakthrough, but modern technology, fuelled by cheap energy, exploded in the 20th century. Machinery driven by fossil fuels has amplified our muscle power to a point where we are altering the physical, chemical, and biological features of the planet on an unprecedented scale. Some scientists have even proposed calling this the Anthropocene epoch, a time when human beings have become a geological force.We're starting to realize, though, ... continue reading.

By David Suzuki with Dr. Faisal Moola.The Gulf of Mexico disaster is just the latest in a long history of "accidents". As Canada considers drilling for oil in the Arctic now that ice seems to be less of an impediment, we should remember that in October 1970, a blow-out at a natural gas well on King Christian Island in the Arctic Ocean created a massive flame as up to 5.6 million cubic metres of gas a day spewed for more than three months. It was the second blow-out in the Arctic since drilling began the year before. Around the same time, the drilling consortium, Panarctic Oil Ltd., was slapped with a huge fine for dumping junk steel, waste oil, and ... continue reading.

By David Suzuki. Many people were rightly outraged at recent reports that coins thrown into a whale pool may have contributed to the death of a baby beluga at the Vancouver Aquarium. Regardless of the cause of one-year-old Nala's death - or of what one thinks of whales in captivity - it was heartening to see that so many people cared. But it would be nice to see that much attention paid to the stuff we humans throw into the belugas' natural Arctic habitat. We're killing more than just one baby beluga with our irresponsible actions. Of the seven beluga populations in Canada, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) has listed three as endangered, one ... continue reading.

by David Suzuki with Dr. Faisal Moola. Imagine walking down the street just as the crew of an airplane flying overhead decides to dump sewage from the plane's toilets. Not a pleasant thought. Fortunately, airlines aren't allowed to do this. But cruise ships do it all the time - and not just with sewage, but with food waste, oily bilge water, and solid waste as well. As an article on the nonprofit news website DC Bureau notes, cruise ship companies that rely on "pristine oceans, beautiful coral reefs and marine life" and "that advertise excursions to untouched ocean scenery are threatening these very same natural resources with their standard practice of flushing harmful toxins, mostly as sewage and food ... continue reading.

By David Suzuki with Faisal Moola. I was struggling through my routine at the gym in April when the owner came up to me. “Give me something to share on Twitter for Earth Day,” he demanded. I’ve been working out for more than 30 years and I’m still waiting for it to be fun, or at least easy, so my brain was not operating at full bore. I panted, “How about this: Get out and exercise. It’s good for your body and it’s good for the environment.” He seemed happy enough and wandered away, but his question got me thinking. I’m a biologist. I know that we evolved out of the natural world and lived without machines for a long ... continue reading.

By David Suzuki with Faisal Moola It could never happen here. That was Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s assurance in the wake of the massive oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, which he referred to as “an environmental catastrophe unlike anything we've seen in quite a long time”. The company behind the spill off the U.S. Gulf coast, British Petroleum, has three licences to drill for oil in the Beaufort Sea in Canada’s Arctic. BP and other companies have asked our federal government to relax environmental regulations around Arctic drilling. And B.C. is still pushing to get the federal government to lift a moratorium on drilling off the West Coast. There’s also a plan in the works by Enbridge ... continue reading.

By David Suzuki with Faisal Moola. Canada’s towns and cities are at a crossroads. Down one path is urban sprawl. We all know where this well-worn route leads: endless pavement, long commutes and traffic jams, and high social and infrastructure costs. Continued sprawl threatens the health of our families, our communities, and the ecosystems that sustain us. In the other direction is an extraordinary new path: ending sprawl using the principles of “smart growth” and creating compact, higher-density communities with public transit, bike paths, and walking trails, surrounded by precious farmland and green spaces like wetlands and woodlands. Many Canadian municipalities have already started looking at ways to make their communities smarter and more compact. In B.C., Squamish and ... continue reading.

By David Suzuki with Faisal Moola New Brunswick's Petitcodiac River once teemed with Atlantic salmon, smelt, and sturgeon. Flowing 129 kilometres from the village of Petitcodiac through Moncton and into Shepody Bay on the Bay of Fundy, the river was an important transportation route for the Mi'gmaq people, as well as Acadian and Pennsylvania "Dutch" settlers. It's also famous for its "tidal bore". Twice a day, the tide rushes from the Bay of Fundy up the river, at speeds ranging from a few to 13 kilometres an hour and heights that once reached two metres. But it's been a long time since fish, people, and the tides have been able to travel freely along the whole length of the ... continue reading.

By David Suzuki with Faisal Moola. Every day, we slather ourselves with liquids, lotions, and potions – from shampoo and soap to deodorant and makeup. After all, most of us want to look and feel clean and to smell nice. It's not uncommon for a single person to use 10 or more personal-care products daily. We don’t usually think of our cosmetics as a source of pollution. But U.S. researchers found that one eighth of the 82,000 ingredients used in personal-care products are industrial chemicals, including carcinogens, pesticides, reproductive toxins, plasticizers, and degreasers. Take a look at the ingredient list on your bottle of shampoo or hand lotion. Most of us would have a hard time identifying which chemicals ... continue reading.

By David Suzuki with Faisal Moola. If the northern spotted owl is healthy, it's a good sign that the old-growth forests where it lives are healthy. Unfortunately, the spotted owl is not doing well in British Columbia, the only place it lives in Canada. Only six of the beautiful brown-eyed birds remain here. Spotted owls live up to 17 years in the wild, but they breed slowly, mating for life and producing just one or two chicks every two years. Silent hunters with excellent vision and hearing, the owls swoop through the open canopy of old-growth forests at dusk to catch wood rats, voles, mice, and squirrels. At one time, at least 500 pairs lived in B.C.'s forests, but ... continue reading.