From: "Tom Trouble" <twbounds-AT-pop.mail.rcn.net>
Subject: Canadian scientist hopes Y2K will shut down planet
Date: Tue, 21 Dec 1999 22:53:41 -0500


Canadian scientist hopes Y2K will shut down planet
By Leah Eichler

TORONTO (Reuters) - A little Y2K chaos would not be such a bad thing, or so
says David Suzuki, a respected Canadian geneticist, broadcaster and
environmentalist.

``I hope there is a major glitch. It might give Mother Earth a rest,'' the
63-year-old host of CBC-TV's ``The Nature of Things,'' broadcast in more
than 50 countries, told Reuters.

``I think it would be wonderful if things collapsed for a few days. Chaos
would happen ... but it would be an amazing opportunity for people to really
start thinking about things -- and a global collapse would really make
people think.''

Even if Y2K goes gently into the night, Suzuki believes the time is ripe for
people to start paying closer attention to the environment. And if interest
in his new book, which has hit Canadian bestseller lists, is an indication,
he may be right.

``At the end of every century people go nuts. The millennium is even a
bigger deal. My message in my book is that this is a moment in time when we
can reflect on where we are and where we're going,'' the Vancouver-based
environmentalist said.

Where we are is a dismal place, according to Suzuki and his book ``From
Naked Ape to Superspecies,'' written with Holly Dressel. ``Water is
polluted, the air is polluted, soil is polluted. We've essentially trashed
the globe and I don't think there's any question that the major challenge
facing us in the coming years is what are we going to do about it,'' he
said.

DOOMSDAY PROPHET?

Although seen by many as a doomsday prophet, Suzuki insists that not only he
and groups such as Greenpeace are sounding the death knell of environmental
Armageddon -- scientists are too.

``From Naked Ape to Superspecies'' refers to a document, ``World Scientists
Warning to Humanity,'' signed in 1992 by more that 1,600 senior scientists
from around the world, including more than half of all living Nobel
Prizewinners.

The document stated that, as of 1992, humans have as little as 10 years to
avoid an ecological catastrophe. Since then, Suzuki says, the destruction
has accelerated.

``It is crystal clear from what scientists are saying that we have
undermined the underpinnings of life on Earth; we have added 30 percent more
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which set in motion enormous changes in
climate,'' he said.

``We've trashed 78 percent of the world's forests and the remaining 22
percent are found in three countries: Brazil, Canada and Russia. And we're
going to decide the fate of the remaining big forests in the next 15
years.''

But are people heeding the warning signs? Suzuki believes so. He quotes a
recent poll that showed one of the issues people are most concerned about
today is the health of their children, based on the quality of air, water
and food.

``In Canada, one out of every five children has asthma. The asthma rate is
skyrocketing, as are lymphoma, breast cancer and prostate cancer in spite of
billions of dollars spent on medical research. Why? Because we poison the
very things that we depend on for survival,'' Suzuki insisted.

Much of his criticism is directed at his own country, which does not warn
citizens of genetically modified foods.

``The Europeans are saying, 'If you want to find out if GMOs are dangerous
just watch Canada. They're doing the experimenting for us. And I think that
you don't put people in an experiment unless they have been told and ask for
our permission. We haven't been told or asked. We're guinea pigs.''

ORGY OF CONSUMPTION

Suzuki also takes issue with the fact that Canada is the only industrialized
country in the world that does not support public transit. ``If every human
being wanted to live like we do in Toronto, we'd need five more planets,''
he said. ``So there is no way our lifestyle can be enjoyed by everybody on
Earth, but everybody wants to be like us.''

But all is not lost. Suzuki believes humans can have an immediate impact on
the environment by limiting consumption.

``We (in industrialized countries) now consume 20 times as much as every
person in China and 100 times as much as a person in Bangladesh. The
Wal-Marts, the Home Depots ... the megastores. It's everything,'' he said.

``We are in an orgy of consumption. We very often point to the developing
world and say they have a population problem ... but we are the ones
overpopulating because we are overconsuming and all the Indians, Brazilians
and Chinese want to be like us. And we keep saying, we gotta have more, so
we can't tell them no, you can't, you shouldn't, have as much as we have.''

Consumer culture affects not only the environment but the quality of life,
Suzuki says.

According to Seattle-based New Road Map Foundation, the average American
spends six to eight hours a week shopping and 40 minutes playing with his or
her children.

``When you're 85 years old and dying, and you're thinking back on the things
that fill you with joy and happiness, that make you proud, what will it be?
It's not going to be a Sony entertainment center,'' Suzuki said.

``It's not going to be a sports utility vehicle or Gucci clothes. It's going
to be your family and friends and the things you did together that made your
life richer.''