Editing David Suzuki (section)

==Climate change activism==
[[File:David Suzuki, The Green Interview.webm|thumb|Suzuki in conversation with [[Silver Donald Cameron]] about his work.]]
[[File:David Suzuki Kyoto Rally.JPG|thumb|upright|Suzuki spoke at the 2007 [[Global Day of Action]] event in [[Vancouver]], B.C. The sign in the background refers to the [[Greater Vancouver Gateway Program]].]]

In February 2008, he urged [[McGill University]] students to speak out against politicians who fail to act on [[climate change]], stating, "What I would challenge you to do is to put a lot of effort into trying to see whether there's a legal way of throwing our so-called leaders into jail because what they're doing is a criminal act."<ref>
{{cite news
 | first = Sarah
 | last = Babbage
 | title = Jail Politicians Who Ignore Science: Suzuki
 | url = http://www.mcgilldaily.com/view.php?aid=6970
 | publisher = [[The McGill Daily]]
 | location = Canada
 | date = 2008-02-04
 | access-date = 2008-02-10
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080208132916/http://www.mcgilldaily.com/view.php?aid=6970 <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2008-02-08}}</ref><ref>
{{cite news
 | first = Craig
 | last = Offman
 | title = Jail politicians who ignore climate science: Suzuki
 | url = https://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=290513
 | newspaper = National Post
 | location = Canada
 | date = 2008-02-07
 | access-date = 2008-02-07
 }}</ref>

Suzuki is unequivocal that climate change is a very real and pressing problem and that an "overwhelming majority of scientists" now agree that human activity is responsible. The [[David Suzuki Foundation]] website has a clear statement of this:
<blockquote>
The debate is over about whether or not climate change is real. Irrefutable evidence from around the world&nbsp;– including extreme weather events, record temperatures, retreating glaciers, and [[sea level rise|rising sea levels]]&nbsp;– all point to the fact climate change is happening now and at rates much faster than previously thought.

The overwhelming majority of scientists who study climate change agree that human activity is responsible for changing the climate. The United Nations [[Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change]] (IPCC) is one of the largest bodies of international scientists ever assembled to study a scientific issue, involving more than 2,500 scientists from more than 130 countries. The IPCC has concluded that most of the warming observed during the past 50 years is attributable to human activities. Its findings have been publicly endorsed by the [[United States National Academy of Sciences|National Academies of Science]] of all [[G8]] nations, as well as those of [[China]], [[India]] and [[Brazil]].<ref name="Foundation">{{cite web
  | title = Climate change deniers
  | work = Climate Change Science and Policy
  | publisher = [[David Suzuki Foundation]]
  | url = http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/climate-change/science/climate-change-basics/climate-change-deniers/
  | access-date = 2011-08-13
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110803172053/http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/climate-change/science/climate-change-basics/climate-change-deniers/
  | archive-date = 2011-08-03
  | url-status = dead
  }}</ref>
</blockquote>

Suzuki says that despite this growing consensus, many in the public and the media seemed doubtful about the science for many years. The reason for the confusion about climate change, in Suzuki's view, was due to a well organized campaign of disinformation about the science involved. "A very small number of critics" denies that climate change exists and that humans are the cause. These [[climate change denier]]s, Suzuki says, tend not to be climate scientists and do not publish in peer-reviewed scientific journals but rather target the media, the general public, and policy makers. Their goal: "delaying action on climate change." According to Suzuki, deniers have received significant funding from coal and oil companies, including [[ExxonMobil]]. They are linked to "industry-funded lobby groups", such as the [[Information Council on the Environment]] (ICE),<ref>The Heat is Online. [http://www.heatisonline.org/contentserver/objecthandlers/index.cfm?ID=4461&Method=Full&PageCall=&Title=The%20Coal%20Industry%27s%20%22ICE%22%20Campaign%20%281999%29&Cache=False "The Coal Industry's "ICE" Campaign (1999)".] Retrieved on: 2011-08-13.</ref> whose aim is to "reposition global warming as theory (not fact)."<ref name = Foundation />

Suzuki is a "messenger" / ambassador for the environmental organization [[350.org]] advocating for cutting CO<sub>2</sub> emissions and creating climate solutions.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/10/24/international.climate.change.demonstrations/ |title=International day of demonstrations on climate change |website=[[CNN.com]] |access-date=October 26, 2009 |date=October 26, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091027062303/http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/10/24/international.climate.change.demonstrations/ |archive-date=October 27, 2009 |url-status=live |df=mdy }}</ref>

Suzuki has supported [[ecocide]] becoming a crime at the [[International Criminal Court]] stating ''"Ecocide is not only a crime against life, it is suicidal for us because we are the [[apex predator]] that is utterly dependent on nature's services."''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Supporters of Ecocide Law |url=https://www.stopecocide.earth/supporters |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=Stop Ecocide International |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Editor |first1=David Suzuki with contributions from Senior |last2=Hanington |first2=Writer Ian |title=Herman Daly saw economy, ecology and ethics as inseparable |url=https://davidsuzuki.org/story/herman-daly-saw-economy-ecology-and-ethics-as-inseparable/ |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=David Suzuki Foundation |language=en-US}}</ref>

Suzuki has attracted criticism for maintaining a lifestyle with a substantial [[carbon footprint]] while proselytizing against carbon emissions. Suzuki himself laments that in travelling constantly to spread his message of climate responsibility, he has ended up "over his [carbon] limit by hundreds of tonnes." He says that he has stopped vacationing overseas, and aims to "cluster" his speaking engagements together to reduce his carbon footprint. He would prefer, he says, to appear solely by video conference.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=b69c68be-dbd3-4b83-81da-a2c2dc09ce5f|title=Suzuki gets the irony as popularity increases|last=Cernetig|first=Miro|work=Vancouver Sun|access-date=2008-01-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111125231646/http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=b69c68be-dbd3-4b83-81da-a2c2dc09ce5f|archive-date=2011-11-25|url-status=dead|publisher=CanWest Global}}</ref>

Suzuki has criticized the discipline of [[economics]] for not valuing the environment.<ref name="Jerema2018">{{cite web |last1=Jerema |first1=Carson |title=David Suzuki honorary degree sends bad message about education: economist |url=https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/david-suzuki-honorary-degree-sends-bad-message-about-education-economist |access-date=19 April 2023 |website=Edmonton Journal }}</ref>

In 2021, he said that pipelines would be "blown up" if climate action was not taken; he later apologized.<ref name="McSheffrey2021">{{cite news |last1=McSheffrey |first1=Elizabeth |date=25 November 2021 |title=David Suzuki apologizes for 'poorly chosen' words about pipelines being 'blown up' |work=Global News |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/8402824/david-suzuki-apologizes-pipelines-comment/ |access-date=19 April 2023}}</ref>