Seven questions for David Suzuki - Winnipeg Free Press

Q: On that note... you once said that what some leaders are doing to the environment is a "criminal act." Who are the eco-villains?

A: The (oil billionaire) Koch brothers, who've spent hundreds of millions of dollars in a campaign to discredit scientists and support the idea that climate change isn't real. Those are really bad guys. It's all tied into this right-wing, neoconservative faith in the free market and capitalism. We've elevated the economy, this human-created thing, as if it's more (real than nature)... That's suicidal.

Q: Barack Obama's been talking about moving towards a green technology economy. So there is a way to marry the two.

A: Barack Obama's been a breath of fresh air after eight horrific years of George W. Bush. Bush has been very, very destructive in terms of the ecological policies of that country. And we (in Canada) have a government that for four years has been following the same line, muzzling government scientists from talking about climate change. That's what Bush started, and that's the road we seem to be going down.

Q: Winnipeggers often joke that we're looking forward to global warming. You know our winters. Want to dash our hopes that we'll be relaxing on tropical beaches in 20 years?

A: This seems to be the policy of the government as well. "It's gonna warm up, the Arctic's gonna melt, there's diamonds there, there's oil... look at the economic opportunity!" That doesn't look at the ecological consequences of sudden change. We're not suddenly going to be able to start farming in the far North because suddenly we have a longer growing season.  [If the Earth is heating up so rapidly, why not?]

Q: So what you're saying is, no tropical beaches for us.

A: I think that's very foolish in terms of, "Oh boy, warmer winters, the summers will be great!" and all of that. Winnipeggers sure as hell know the consequences of mosquitoes. What kind of other insects will flourish under that new regime?