David Suzuki’s recent op-ed and interview got people talking. For many, he validates the rising frustration and anxiety people are feeling about the escalating climate impacts we are all experiencing. In some ways it’s a relief to hear someone with his stature say plainly: this isn’t working, our leaders and the system are set up to tackle such a complex problem.
But for others, the starkness of his message and the finality of his words risks pushing us deeper into hopelessness to the point of inaction or worse, apathy. If David Suzuki, one of the loudest voices in Canadian environmentalism says it’s too late, what’s left for the rest of us to do?
That’s where environmental organizations like Greenpeace, movement leaders, and community builders need to step in not to disagree with Suzuki’s diagnosis, but to offer the rest of the story.
If there’s one thing that’s certain, the man knows how to get the conversation going. To be frank, it’s a conversation that needs to be had—especially now. And you can join in by adding your thoughts in the comment section.
Validation is a first step, we must go further
Suzuki’s piece works because it names the gaslighting. For decades, the fossil fuel industry and, ever increasingly, in partnership with right-wing disinformation networks has manipulated public understanding of how we make change through coordinated denial, blame-shifting, and isolation. We’ve been led to believe change happens through individual choices. The climate crisis is a complex problem, it needs systemic change at a national level and global cooperation
Syed Hussan explains in a recent webinar that, with the recent tariff conversation, people are being asked to buy Canadian, we are being told to act as an individual. This only reinforces our tendency of individualism, when right now we need to act collectively.
So it’s helpful for Suzuki to say the unspoken thing out loud, that our system IS broken. But how do we fix it?
Yes, the system is broken. But what is the alternative?
Suzuki rightfully critiques the myth of endless economic growth. He calls out the fact that Earth’s resources aren’t infinite, we can’t keep cutting down old growth forests, overfishing the oceans, extracting every last drop of fossil fuel forever. But without clear alternatives, this critique can feel like a dead end. The answer to endless economic growth isn’t no growth, but instead an intentional model that centers people, regeneration and equity instead of profits for the private sector.
This isn’t hypothetical. Models of a just economy already exist, this could include social housing, universal public transit, community-owned renewable energy etc. All of these point to a reimagined system that centers values not dollar value.
Massive lifestyle change? Only if there’s a policy behind it.
Suzuki calls for “massive lifestyle changes,” but leaves out something crucial: most people are already at their breaking point: rent is unaffordable, food costs are crushing, there is a genocide happening. Telling people to overhaul their lives without policies or support doesn’t sound liberating, it sounds terrifying.
The truth is, no one can make massive lifestyle changes alone, building a better future needs to be:
- Policy-driven. We need meaningful change at scale that doesn’t just rely on individual choices. Transitioning away from fossil fuels doesn’t mean mass unemployment, it means investing in different, more sustainable industries like public investment in renewable energy, affordable housing, retrofitting buildings for energy efficiency etc.
- Equitably distributed. The policies mentioned above must avoid past injustices and centre equity, not just emissions or efficiency targets. This means subsidies and access for low-income communities, job training for fossil fuel employees, recognition of Indigenous leadership and a wealth tax on the super rich corporations and people to pay for these transitions.
- Community-rooted. The climate crisis is a social issue, we need to work together by shifting away from privatization and toward shared public spaces, services, and resources like public parks, libraries, clinics, transit, and local cultural hubs. Our future relies on trust and cooperation.
These networks are already being built in the form of climate justice organizations, local food movements, Indigenous-led resistance and tenant organizing. These are the seeds of a just transition that foster hope.
Hope, not doom or despair, drives action
Climate scientist, Dr. Katherine Hayhoe, says that overwhelming people with catastrophic predictions and data often leads to emotional shutdown, not action. When regular people are inundated with news headlines of “It’s too late,” or “We’re doomed,” it creates paralysis not urgency.
So what motivates people? When people donate to Greenpeace, they’re expressing belief in our mission. When they march, volunteer, or speak up, they’re choosing hope.
The role of climate organizations isn’t about toxic positivity, but to make clear that everyone’s voice matters, show real-world solutions that are already in place and talk about how working together we can make positive changes in the world around us.
So, what happens now?
Let’s be clear, the pathway to a better future isn’t a straight line. Suzuki’s honesty is needed and so are clear pathways to action. Climate change, war, the rise of the right can all feel overwhelming, frustrating and complex but it’s important to think about how we channel those feelings of anger into action to create a better future that includes everyone.
Join the conversation. We want to hear your thoughts in the comments!
