2014 Milton K. Wong Lecture: The Global Eco-crisis: Diversity, Resilience and Adaptability by Dr. David Suzuki
"Humans emerged in Africa 150,000 years ago when the plains were filled with animals in variety and abundance beyond anything we know today. As we moved into new territory, with simple tools like spears and stone axes, we were able to capture animals and even drive them to local extinction. Over time, we had to move to new territories or stay and learn to live in balance with resources at hand. Soon, the planet’s continents were fully occupied and developed with indigenous cultures that understood the hard-won lessons of sustainability.
But over the past five centuries, a wave of immigrants to new lands came with a radically different sense of the land from the indigenous people. Land to them was opportunity, a commodity to be exploited, developed and sold.
Over the past century, we have had the remarkable confluence of population growth, technological innovation, hyper-consumption and a globalized economy. This is the Anthropocene Epoch. Humans are now the dominant factor shaping the planet, but in the process, we are undermining the very life-support systems of air, water, soil, photosynthesis and biodiversity.
In such uncertain times, we must look to biology to find a strategy for survival. The key is diversity at the genetic, species and ecosystem levels. Canada is an experiment in diversity through its program of multiculturalism. I believe that, as in biological diversity, our diverse backgrounds provide a rich resource of perspectives, experience and ideas that will be important in an increasingly uncertain world."