David Suzuki
David Suzuki is a prominent Canadian environmental activist, science educator, and broadcaster, renowned for his role as the long-time host of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation series *The Nature of Things*. Born on March 24, 1936, in Vancouver, British Columbia, to parents of Japanese descent, Suzuki's early life was marked by the injustices faced by Japanese Canadians during World War II, experiences that fueled his passion for nature and environmental advocacy. He earned his degrees in biology and zoology from Amherst College and the University of Chicago, respectively, and has since authored over fifty books, with *The Sacred Balance* being a notable highlight.
Suzuki's influence extends beyond academia into mainstream media, where he first hosted science programs before launching the acclaimed nature series. He founded the David Suzuki Foundation, which plays a crucial role in environmental advocacy, drawing on scientific research to push for change and garnering support globally. Throughout his career, Suzuki has received numerous honors, including the Companion to the Order of Canada and the Right Livelihood Award. He continues to be an outspoken critic of climate inaction, advocating for sustainability and the protection of nature alongside his children, including his daughter Severn, who is also an environmental activist.
Subject Terms
David Suzuki
Scientist and activist
- Born: March 24, 1936
- Place of Birth: Vancouver, British Columbia
Contribution: David Suzuki is a Canadian environmental activist and science educator, best known as the long-time host of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation series The Nature of Things. He was one of the first environmental crusaders to draw international attention to climate change. He also toured Canada, calling for international cooperation in reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Suzuki has authored more than fifty books, produced numerous television shows, and has received numerous awards and honors recognizing his contributions to science and social advocacy.
Early Life and Education
David Takayoshi Suzuki was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, on March 24, 1936, to parents of Japanese descent. Suzuki’s grandparents emigrated from Hiroshima and Aichi Prefecture. Despite living in Canada for generations, the Suzukis—along with many other Canadian citizens of Japanese descent—were forced into internment camps following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Despite the unfair treatment borne in the internment camps in the British Columbia woods, Suzuki was inspired by the lush environment and fell in love with the natural world. Eventually, his family was released and settled in Ontario.
Suzuki excelled academically throughout high school, though the comfort he felt with his studies did not necessarily apply to his social interactions and he always felt like an outsider; he graduated from the London Central Collegiate Institute in 1954. He later traveled to the United States and earned an undergraduate degree in biology from Amherst College in Massachusetts in 1958 and a doctoral degree in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961.
Environmental Career
Suzuki received many academic honors throughout his career, beginning as early as 1972 when he was awarded the E.W. R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship for outstanding scientific research. His acclaim and influence spread far beyond the scientific community, propelled by his years in broadcasting. Prior to The Nature of Things with David Suzuki—the long-running nature series that he hosted from 1979 to 2023—he hosted Suzuki on Science in 1971 and Science Magazine from 1974 to 1979. He also produced radio documentaries such as From Naked Ape to Superspecies (1999) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) series The Secret of Life (1993).
Of the more than fifty texts he has authored, Suzuki deemed The Sacred Balance (1997) his most significant written achievement. The book examines humans and nature and their profound linkage, a theme intrinsic to Suzuki’s core values.
In 1988, Suzuki led the radio series It’s a Matter of Survival, which suggested ways humanity could decrease its impact on the earth. The program pushed Suzuki’s listeners to action. Two years later, sixteen thousand audience members encouraged Suzuki and his wife, through impassioned letters, to establish the David Suzuki Foundation (DSF). DSF proved crucial to environmental causes and movements, earning the trust and support of countless people across the globe and precipitating change based on reliable scientific research. By 2009, the foundation employed nearly sixty employees and operated with a budget of almost seven million Canadian dollars.
Suzuki's efforts have received plenty of recognition. In 2002, he was awarded the John Drainie Award for broadcasting excellence. In 2004, he was named the fifth greatest Canadian of all time. In 2006 Suzuki received the Companion to the Order of Canada, the highest honor achievable by a Canadian civilian. In 2009 he won the Right Livelihood Award, known as the “Alternative Nobel Prize,” for his work in promoting socially responsible scientific research. Additionally, he championed for Canada’s First Nations, fighting alongside members for their ancestral resources and earning himself honorary positions within their tribes. In the spring of 2012, Suzuki stepped down from the board of directors at the DSF. He continued to speak out against climate change and other environmental threats throughout his life, repeatedly criticizing the government's inaction on the issue of climate change and urging citizens to speak out and take action. In 2021, he starred in a new documentary film with his wife, titled What You Won't Do for Love, in which the couple discussed their marriage and their environmental activism.
Personal Life
Suzuki married Tara Cullis in 1972. The couple had two children, Severn and Sarika. Suzuki also has three other children from a prior marriage, Tamiko, Laura, and Troy. His daughter, Severn, followed in her father’s footsteps and became an environmental activist in her own right.
Bibliography
Bailey, Patricia G., and Donald J.C. Phillipson. “David Suzuki." Canadian Encyclopedia, 11 Apr. 2023, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/david-suzuki. Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.
Barsamian, David. “David Suzuki.” Progressive 77.4 (2013): 35–38. Print.
Boesveld, Sarah. “David Suzuki Resigns to Save Foundation from ‘Bully’ Charitable Status Threats.” National Post, 14 Apr. 2012, nationalpost.com/news/canada/david-suzuki-resigns-to-save-foundation-from-bully-charitable-status-threats. Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.
“David Suzuki.” David Suzuki Foundation, davidsuzuki.org/. Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.
Kosaka, Kris. “Environmentalist David Suzuki has Words of Warning for Ancestral Homeland.” Japan Times, 25Apr. 2009, www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2009/04/25/general/environmentalist-david-suzuki-has-words-of-warning-for-ancestral-homeland/. Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.
MacQueen, Ken, Jason Kirby, and Nancy MacDonald. “The Trials of Saint Sazuki.” Maclean’s 5 Nov. 2007: 66–73. Print.
Rinaldi, Luc. "What David Suzuki Will Do for Love." National Observer, 1 Dec. 2021, www.nationalobserver.com/2021/12/01/news/what-david-suzuki-will-do-love. Accessed 20 Dec. 2021.