Address
to the Plenary Session,
Earth Summit, Rio Centro, Brazil 1992
Hello,
I'm Severn Suzuki speaking for E.C.O., the Environmental Children's
Organisatin. We are a group of twelve and thirteen year olds from
Canada trying to make a difference: Vanessa Suttie, Morgan Geisler
and me. We raised all the money ourselves to come six thousand miles
to tell you adults you must change your ways. Coming here today,
I have no hidden agandas, I am fighting for my future.
Losing my future is not like losing an election or a few points
on the stock market. I am here to speak for all generations to come.
I am here to speak for countless animals dying across this planet
because they have nowhere left to go. We cannot afford to be not
heard.
I am afraid to go out in the sun because of the holes in the ozone.
I am afraid to breathe the air because I don't know what chemicals
are in it.
I used to go fishing in Vancouver with my Dad until just a few years
ago we found the fish full of cancers. And now we hear about animals
and plants going extinct everyday - vanishing forever.
In my life, I have dreamt of seeing the great herds of wild animals,
jungles and rainforests full of birds and butterflies, but now I
wonder if they will ever exist for my children to see.
Did you have to worry about these little things when you were my
age?
All this is happenig before our eyes and yet we act as if we have
all the time we want and all the solutions.
I'm only a child and I don't have all the solutions, but I want
you to realise, neither do you!
Here,
you may be delegates of your government, business people, organisers,
reporters or politicians - but really you are mothers and fathers,
brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles - and all of you are somebody's
child.
I'm
only a child, yet I know we are all part of a family, five billion
strong; in fact, 30 million species strong and we all share the
same air, water and soil - borders and governements will never change
that.
I'm
only a child, yet I know we are all in this together and should
act as one single world towards saving our planet. In my anger,
I am not blind, and in my fear, I am not afraid to tell the world
how I feel.
In
my country, we make so much waste; we buy and throw away, buy and
throw away, and yet northern countries will not share with the needy.
Even when we have more than enough, we are afraid to lose seem of
our wealth, afraid to share.
In
Canada, we live the priveleged life, with plenty of food, water
and shelter - we have watches, bicycles, computers and television
sets.
Two
days ago here in Brazil, we were shocked when we spent some time
with children living on the streets.
And
this is what one child told us: "I wish I was rich and if I
were, I would give all the street children food, clothes, medicine,
shelter, love and affection."
If
a child on the street who has nothing is willing to share, why are
we who have everything still so greedy?
I can't stop thinking that these children are my age; that it makes
a tremendous difference where you are born; that I could be one
of those children living in the favellas of Rio; I could be a child
starving in Somalia, a victim of war in the Middle East or a beggar
in India.
I'm
only a child, yet I know if all the money spent on war was spent
on ending poverty and finding environemental answers, what a wonderful
place the earth would be!
At school, even in kindergarten, you teach us how to behave in the
world. You teach us:
- not
to fight with others;
- to
work things out;
- to
respect others;
- to
clean up our mess;
- not
to hurt other creatures;
- to
share - not be greedy.
Then
why do you go out and do the things you tell us not to do?
Do not forget- why you're attending these conferences, who you're
doing this for - we are your own children.
You
are deciding what kind of world we will grow up in. parents should
be able to comfort their children by saying "Everything's going
to be all right.We're doing the best we can. It's nott he end of
the world."
But
I don't think you can say that to us anymore. Are we even on your
list of priorities? My father always says "You are what you
do, not what you say."
Well,
what you do makes me cry at night. you grown-ups say you love us.
I challenge you, please make your actions reflect your words.
Thank
you for listening.
Related Links>>>
Check out the Victorian based 'Schools for a Sustainable Future'
http://www.sfsf.com.au/
Schools for a Sustainable Future (SFSF) is a strategy designed to
unite various sectors of local communities under a common "umbrella"
to achieve this goal. Our vision is to bring together schools, local
business and the community, to promoate and implement programs that
preserve our resources and environment for our children's future.
SFSF Aims to: * Support and promote schools working towards sustainability.
* Support and promote business working towards sustainability. *
Encourage sustainability to community, business, councils and schools.
* Develop practical sustainability projects for schools that achieve
educational (curriculum) and environmental goals. * Run projects
in schools, providing 'hands-on' support for teachers. Over the
past 4 years, with the invaluable support of local Councils and
busineeses, SFSF has worked with over 70 schools. Through the enthusiasm
and hard work of their teachers and students each school has become
a unique environmental leader. The task for the community now is
to recognise their efforts and expand our environmental vision.
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