from drudge:

Canadian Scientist Hopes Y2K Will Shut Down Planet

By Leah Eichler

TORONTO (Reuters) - A little Y2K chaos would not be such a bad thing, or so says David Suzuki, a respected Canadian geneticist, broadcaster and environmentalist.

``I hope there is a major glitch. It might give Mother Earth a rest,'' the 63-year-old host of CBC-TV's ``The Nature of Things,'' broadcast in more than 50 countries, told Reuters.

``I think it would be wonderful if things collapsed for a few days. Chaos would happen ... but it would be an amazing opportunity for people to really start thinking about things -- and a global collapse would really make people think.''

Even if Y2K goes gently into the night, Suzuki believes the time is ripe for people to start paying closer attention to the environment. And if interest in his new book, which has hit Canadian bestseller lists, is an indication, he may be right.

``At the end of every century people go nuts. The millennium is even a bigger deal. My message in my book is that this is a moment in time when we can reflect on where we are and where we're going,'' the Vancouver-based environmentalist said.

Where we are is a dismal place, according to Suzuki and his book ``From Naked Ape to Superspecies,'' written with Holly Dressel. ``Water is polluted, the air is polluted, soil is polluted. We've essentially trashed the globe and I don't think there's any question that the major challenge facing us in the coming years is what are we going to do about it,'' he said.

DOOMSDAY PROPHET?

Although seen by many as a doomsday prophet, Suzuki insists that not only he and groups such as Greenpeace are sounding the death knell of environmental Armageddon -- scientists are too.

``From Naked Ape to Superspecies'' refers to a document, ''World Scientists Warning to Humanity,'' signed in 1992 by more that 1,600 senior scientists from around the world, including more than half of all living Nobel Prizewinners.

The document stated that, as of 1992, humans have as little as 10 years to avoid an ecological catastrophe. Since then, Suzuki says, the destruction has accelerated.

``It is crystal clear from what scientists are saying that we have undermined the underpinnings of life on Earth; we have added 30 percent more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which set in motion enormous changes in climate,'' he said.

``We've trashed 78 percent of the world's forests and the remaining 22 percent are found in three countries: Brazil, Canada and Russia. And we're going to decide the fate of the remaining big forests in the next 15 years.''

But are people heeding the warning signs? Suzuki believes so. He quotes a recent poll that showed one of the issues people are most concerned about today is the health of their children, based on the quality of air, water and food.

``In Canada, one out of every five children has asthma. The asthma rate is skyrocketing, as are lymphoma, breast cancer and prostate cancer in spite of billions of dollars spent on medical research. Why? Because we poison the very things that we depend on for survival,'' Suzuki insisted.

Much of his criticism is directed at his own country, which does not warn citizens of genetically modified foods.

``The Europeans are saying, 'If you want to find out if GMOs are dangerous just watch Canada. They're doing the experimenting for us. And I think that you don't put people in an experiment unless they have been told and ask for our permission. We haven't been told or asked. We're guinea pigs.''

ORGY OF CONSUMPTION

Suzuki also takes issue with the fact that Canada is the only industrialized country in the world that does not support public transit. ``If every human being wanted to live like we do in Toronto, we'd need five more planets,'' he said. ``So there is no way our lifestyle can be enjoyed by everybody on Earth, but everybody wants to be like us.''

But all is not lost. Suzuki believes humans can have an immediate impact on the environment by limiting consumption.

``We (in industrialized countries) now consume 20 times as much as every person in China and 100 times as much as a person in Bangladesh. The Wal-Marts, the Home Depots ... the megastores. It's everything,'' he said.

``We are in an orgy of consumption. We very often point to the developing world and say they have a population problem ... but we are the ones overpopulating because we are overconsuming and all the Indians, Brazilians and Chinese want to be like us. And we keep saying, we gotta have more, so we can't tell them no, you can't, you shouldn't, have as much as we have.''

Consumer culture affects not only the environment but the quality of life, Suzuki says.

According to Seattle-based New Road Map Foundation, the average American spends six to eight hours a week shopping and 40 minutes playing with his or her children.

``When you're 85 years old and dying, and you're thinking back on the things that fill you with joy and happiness, that make you proud, what will it be? It's not going to be a Sony entertainment center,'' Suzuki said.

``It's not going to be a sports utility vehicle or Gucci clothes. It's going to be your family and friends and the things you did together that made your life richer.''

-- (@ .), December 22, 1999

Answers

very well said....thank you. Maybe some eyes will be open.

If you do e-mail people, I would love to be on your list.

-- Jacqueline Forsythe (truecinder@aol.com), December 22, 1999.

``When you're 85 years old and dying, and you're thinking back on the things that fill you with joy and happiness, that make you proud, what will it be? It's not going to be a Sony entertainment center,'' Suzuki said.

``It's not going to be a sports utility vehicle or Gucci clothes. It's going to be your family and friends and the things you did together that made your life richer.''

And it AIN'T gonna be watching your loved ones starve or freeze slowly to death either!

What a maroon,

Kook

-- Y2Kook (y2kook@usa.net), December 22, 1999.

Feeding anthropoid sludge to bovines, feeding milk of same to anthro- babies is Ok though? Isn't it?

-- Dele Sukvivatin (Ungowa@Mozambique.net), December 22, 1999.

``I think it would be wonderful if things collapsed for a few days. Chaos would happen ... but it would be an amazing opportunity for people to really start thinking about things -- and a global collapse would really make people think.''

********************

I agree Kook....What a maroon.

Chaos...like nucear powerplants spewing, raw sewage in rivers, environmental controls bypassed to try and get things online again, refineries in flames.

Mark my words....this is going to be an environmental nightmare.

However, he did get the overconsumption thingy right.

-- (overconsumer)LM (latemarch@usa.net), December 23, 1999.

I think what the good doctor is saying is that he fears the planet will be killed unless man's advance is twarted and a very severe lesson imparted.

-- a (a@a.a), December 23, 1999.

David Suzuki proves he's right up there with Ted Kayzinski and Al Gore as far as being humanity hating, environmental extremists who see humankind as not belonging on this planet. They see a mass dieoff of the human population as something very good and have no concerns about the human suffering involved in such an event.

Just as long as they and their freinds are left around to enjoy the "unpolluted planet". After all, they have good intentions and therefore they don't hurt the planet be being here and their poop don't stink, either.

WW

-- Wildweasel (vtmldm@epix.net), December 23, 1999.