Thank you for giving me an opportunity to share a few words at this important gathering.
It’s true that we’re going through very dark times politically, socially and environmentally. There are two major wars. There are 15 conflicts across Africa. There is unrest, demonstrations, increasing violence in many countries around the world. The gap between the haves and the have nots is increasing, as is racial and gender discrimination. And there are many governments that persecute their citizens and violate human rights.
And we’re faced with the two main threats of climate change and loss of biodiversity. Weather patterns are changing. There are worse storms, floods, droughts, heatwaves and wildfires. And of course, it’s the poorer nations and the indigenous people who are suffering the most. There are an increasing number of climate refugees, as well as those fleeing war, violence and discrimination.
We’re polluting air, water and land, creating mountains of waste and placing unreasonable and unsustainable demands on our planet’s natural resources. Mining for oil and gas is devastating huge areas of habitat, and mining for minerals, particularly illegal mining, is equally or more destructive.
A reckless burning of fossil fuels, along with deforestation and the destruction of other carbon storing ecosystems, is releasing the stored CO2 into the atmosphere to swell the greenhouse gases that blanket the globe and trap the heat of the sun. Ice and glaciers are melting. Ocean levels are rising. Melting permafrost is releasing huge amounts of methane, a virulent greenhouse gas.
Industrial farming releases a great deal of CO2 and its use of monocultures, along with chemical pesticides and herbicides and artificial fertilizer, is having a devastating effect on biodiversity and killing the very soil on which we depend. Factory farming of animals is not only unspeakably cruel to the imprisoned individuals, each of whom is an individual who can experience misery, frustration, terror and pain, but it takes a lot of increasingly scarce fresh water to turn vegetable to animal protein, and lots of land is cleared to grow animal food. Moreover, the animals during digestion emit quantities of methane, particularly cattle.
As you all know, the loss of biodiversity is all around us in our farmlands, cities and gardens. Everywhere, plant and animal life is at risk. Indeed, the overall picture is grim. And unfortunately, while more and more people are working to protect the environment, corruption and the power of corporations and governments with vested interests in maintaining the status quo derail many of the projects that would have helped to restore health to the land.
It’s hardly surprising that so many people are losing hope. Some are just becoming apathetic and so doing nothing. What’s the point? Others become angry, sometimes violent, and others become depressed. And this can lead to clinical depression. Suicide rates are going up around the world.
As many of you know, I spent years studying chimpanzees. They are closest living relatives and like us in so many ways. But the biggest difference, I believe, is the explosive development of our intellect. Chimpanzees and other animals are way more intelligent than once thought. But only we humans can investigate the mysteries of the solar system.
So how come this most intellectual species is destroying planet Earth? It’s our only home. It seems that there must be some disconnect between our clever brains and our human hearts, where poetically, we see love and compassion.
We’ve lost the wisdom of so many of the indigenous people who made the decision only after asking, how will this affect future generations of our people? Unfortunately, the policy of most of the major corporations and governments is to strive for short term profit or for personal gain at the expense of protecting the environment. The same can be said for the majority of people in the industrialized world.
Goodness, it’s time to wake up, to understand how the idea that there can be unlimited economic growth on a planet with finite natural resources and growing populations of people and livestock is fatally flawed. It’s leading to ever increasing destruction of the natural world. Indeed, we’re in the midst of the Sixth Great Extinction. And it’s so important for everyone to understand that we humans are part of the natural world and that we depend on it for food, water, air, everything.
But we depend on healthy ecosystems. Every ecosystem is made up of a complex mix of interdependent animal and plant species, each one with a role to play. And as more and more species disappear from that ecosystem, it will eventually collapse. And make no mistake, ecosystems are collapsing all over the world. And this is bad for us. It’s scary, but true that even our human species is not exempt from extinction.
It is so important to understand that we need to spend time in nature. It’s been proven that this is highly beneficial for our mental and physical health. It’s especially important for young children and for those suffering from anxiety or depression. Indeed, in Japan and Canada, doctors can actually write out prescriptions for time in nature. And this is for patients with mental health issues and physical health issues. This is why urban greening is so important to bring nature into our cities.
I believe that we’ve got a window of time when if we get together, we can at least slow down climate change and loss of species. Hope lies in the fact that we’re working on renewable energy; turning towards small scale factory farming, regenerative agriculture and permaculture; moving towards a plant-based diet; planting trees; fighting to save old growth forests and to save species from the brink of extinction.
We’re providing environmental education in most schools. We’re working with local communities to help them find ways of making a livelihood without destroying their environment and creating wildlife corridors. We’re working to alleviate poverty everywhere. People are beginning to think about their own environmental footprints and understanding that they make an impact on the planet every single day, and so trying to make wise choices in how they live. There are people fighting to solve every problem that we have inflicted on our planet.
But most important is to create a mindset that gives top priority not to GDP, but to the health of the natural world and the well-being and happiness of people. It seems impossible to create such a world in the fractured world in which we live today, because it’s not possible unless we can curve unsustainable lifestyles, alleviate poverty, racism, discrimination, ignorance, political divisiveness and war. Yes, we have to eliminate war. But it surely is something worth working to achieve in country by country. And surely, it’s the only way forward in the long run.
Many of our young people are eager for change. So, let’s bring our brilliant minds to work. Let us collaborate and form partnerships. And let us ensure that our heads work in partnership with our hearts, for only then can we attain our true human potential.
Above all, let us not lose hope. Nature, given time and perhaps some helping hands, will return to places we’ve destroyed. Animals on the brink of extinction can be and have been given another chance. Our intellect is increasingly turning towards creating a better and more sustainable world for all, and the determination and energy of young people, when they understand the problems and are empowered to take action, certainly inspires and gives me hope.
I want to end simply by saying what an honor it is to receive this award. Thank you so very much.