Label Planets, Not People

Matters

David Suzuki,
DBP veleelivall el
Foundation

 

Last week, Canadians elected a new prime minister and
scientists announced the discovery of a possible “Earth-
like” planet in a distant solar system. Observers have
joked that both are cold and distant bodies, but I think

there are reasons to be more hopeful.

Scientists labeled the planet OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb.

It is the smallest extra-solar body ever discovered, at 5.5
times the size of our Earth, and takes ten years to orbit
its sun. It’s also very, very cold—so cold it is unlikely to
harbour any sort of life. Not exactly the kind of place we
could call home.

Knowing that researchers are probing our universe,
trying to understand where we came from, where we are

going, and how it all works is somehow reassuring, It’s

heartening to think that one day in the not too distant
future we may discover that we are not alone in the cos-
mos, that Earth is not unique.

But we also have to remember that even if we do find
other planets capable of supporting life, they are going to
be a long, long way from here. For us to be able to visit
or “emigrate” to another Earth-like body would take a
quantum leap in our technology and in our understanding
of the universe. This type of trip simply isn’t feasible
based on current science. For now, such expeditions still
belong in the realm of science fiction.

In the meantime, while we scan the heavens for other
Earths, we have to remember to bring those curious eyes
back down here, to the only Earth we know actually
exists. As far as we can tell, it is unique. It is the only
spark of life in a very cold and dark universe. And right
now scientists are telling us that we are doing a poor job
of taking care of it.

Which brings me to our new prime minister. When
Stephen Harper was elected, I heard people comment
that it was a disaster for the environment. After all, Mr.
Harper has been labeled a neo-conseryative, a libertarian,
and anti-environmental. It hasn’t helped that he has spo-
ken out against even the most broadly supported of envi-
ronmental initiatives, such as the Kyoto Protocol.

‘

Now, I never minded being called an “environmental-
ist.” In fact, I wore it as a badge of honour because it
represented some of my core values. But the older I get,

the more I realize that most people don’t like being

labeled. They don’t like being typecast or pigeonholed.
Labels are exclusionary by their very nature and they push
people to their ideological corners, like boxers ready to
come out for a fight.

The fact is, for every declared “environmentalist”
there are 1,000 people who care profoundly about the
environment. And there are another 10,000 who recog-
nize almost intuitively that human health and well being is
intimately connected to the world in which we live. As a
leader and as a father, Stephen Harper, I am sure, recog-
nizes this connection too. Polls show that the vast majori-
ty of Canadians certainly do.

The greatest environmental victories of the future will
not be made by environmentalists, but by millions of
concerned people taking small steps towards a common
goal and ensuring that governments help us take those
steps. These people have no labels. They may be Liberals,
Conservatives, New Democrats, Bloc Québécois,
Greens—it doesn’t matter. They simply see that taking
care of our environment means taking care of us. It
makes sense for our health. It makes sense for our econo-
my and it makes sense for our well being.

The question we have to ask ourselves is, “What do
we want our country to look like?’ Not just today and
tomorrow, but 25, 50, and 100 years from now. What do
we want our grandchildren and great grandchildren to
thank us for doing? When we look ahead to our long-
term goals, we can find common ground. And that’s
where we have to begin.