Suzuki on Gore

I just finished reading David Suzuki: The Autobiography (Vancouver: Greystone Books, 2006). While there's plenty in here for the environmentally conscious to consider, I found his discussion of Al Gore particularly interesting. Gore, of course, is renowned for his understanding of the various ecological problems confronting the world. While Gore has been criticized for his failure to address these issues during the 2000 presidential election, Suzuki cuts him some slack. As he explains:

In 1988, while preparing for the radio series It's a Matter of Survival, I had interviewed Gore when he was visiting Canada, and he sent shivers up my spine as he answered my questions; I had never heard a politician state the environmental situation so clearly, and he articulated the solutions that were needed to overcome the problems. At the end of the interview, I turned off the tape recorder and begged him to immigrate to Canada so that I could work to get him elected prime minister.

Then I asked more seriously, "How can journalists like me help politicians like you?" His answer surprised me and put me on the path I have followed to this day. He said, "Don't look to politicians like me. If you want change, you have to convince the public there is a problem, show them there are alternatives, and get them to care enough to demand that something be done. Then, every politician will trip over himself trying to get on the bandwagon." Watching Gore perform as a presidential candidate in 2000, I felt the prescience of his advice to me. He didn't talk about the environment during his campaign because the American people weren't ready for it. (page 318)

I'm not going to argue with Gore on this statement...after all, he knows far more about politicking than I ever will. That said, there's something infinitely sad about it.

UPEI Summer Course -- History of the Environmentalist Movement

This summer I'll be teaching History 483: The History of the Environmentalist Movement at the University of Prince Edward Island. Click on the poster for details...

Music and the Movement

Recently there was a discussion at H-Canada about Canadian "protest" songs from the 1960s. As I reflected upon this topic I began to think about songs concerning the plight of the environment by Canadians. Immediately I thought of Raffi's "Evergreen Everblue" album and Bruce Cockburn's "If A Tree Falls", from 1989 and 1990 respectively. My familiarity with these reflects my upbringing, as I was particularly alert to the happenings on Video Hits and MuchMusic during this time. However, the fact that I can't think of relevant tunes from the 1960s and 1970s gets me wondering whether Canada's environmentally aware musicians were more prone to express their concerns in such a form during this particular period. This doesn't seem to be the case in the United States, where artists such as Pete Seeger set the environmental movement to music from its earliest days. Could the Canadian situation be much different, or am I just woefully ignorant of the relevant tunes? I wonder....