David Takayoshi Suzuki CC OBC FRSC (born March 24, 1936) is a Canadian teacher, science communicator, and environmental advocate. He earned a PhD in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961 and worked as a professor in the genetics department at the University of British Columbia from 1963 until his retirement in 2001. Since the mid-1970s, Suzuki has created television and radio programs, documentaries, and books about nature and the environment. He is best known as the host and narrator of the popular CBC Television science program The Nature of Things, which is seen in over 40 countries. He is also known for speaking out about the need for governments to take action to protect the environment.

Suzuki has worked for many years to address global climate change. In 1990, he helped start the David Suzuki Foundation. The Foundation focuses on ocean health and sustainable fishing, climate change and clean energy, sustainability, and Suzuki's Nature Challenge. It also works to find ways to protect oceans from large oil spills, such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Suzuki also served as a director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association from 1982 to 1987.

In 2009, Suzuki received the Right Livelihood Award. His 2011 book The Legacy won the Nautilus Book Award. He is a member of the Order of Canada. In 2004, he was among the top five finalists in a CBC television show that asked viewers to choose the greatest Canadian of all time.

Early life

Suzuki has a twin sister named Marcia and two other siblings, Geraldine (now called Aiko) and Dawn. He was born in 1936 to Setsu Nakamura and Kaoru Carr Suzuki in Vancouver, British Columbia, where both of his parents were also born. His maternal grandparents came from Hiroshima Prefecture, and his paternal grandparents came from Aichi Prefecture, Japan. They moved to Canada at the start of the 20th century.

As a third-generation Japanese Canadian, also called "Canadian Sansei," Suzuki's family was forced to live in internment camps in British Columbia during World War II. In June 1942, the government sold the Suzuki family's dry cleaning business and sent Suzuki, his mother, and two sisters to a camp in Slocan, British Columbia. His father had been sent to a labor camp in Solsqua, British Columbia, two months earlier. His sister Dawn was born while the family was in the internment camp.

After the war ended in 1945, Suzuki's family, like many other Japanese Canadian families, was required to move east of the Rocky Mountains. They lived in several places in Ontario, including Etobicoke, Leamington, and finally London. In interviews, Suzuki has always said his father taught him about nature and helped him develop an interest in it.

Suzuki went to Mill Street Elementary School and completed Grade 9 at Leamington District Secondary School before moving to London, Ontario, where he attended London Central Secondary School.

Academic career

Suzuki earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in biology in 1958 from Amherst College in Massachusetts, where he first became interested in genetics. He later received his Doctor of Philosophy degree in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961. From 1961 to 1962, he worked at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. From 1962 to 1963, he was an assistant professor at the University of Alberta. He taught in the genetics department at the University of British Columbia from 1963 until his retirement in 2001. Since retiring, he has held the title of professor emeritus at a university research institute.

Early in his research career, he studied genetics using fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster), a commonly used organism for scientific research. To name new genes he discovered using his initials, he studied dominant temperature-sensitive (DTS) traits. He joked during a lecture at Johns Hopkins University that the alternative subject was "(damn) tough skin."

Broadcasting career

David Suzuki started his television career on January 10, 1971, with a weekly children's program called Suzuki on Science. In 1974, he created a radio show named Quirks & Quarks, which he hosted on CBC AM radio (an earlier version of CBC Radio One) from 1975 to 1979. During the 1970s, he also hosted a weekly program called Science Magazine, which was designed for adults.

From 1979 to 2023, Suzuki hosted a CBC television series called The Nature of Things, which has been broadcast in nearly 50 countries. On this show, Suzuki works to increase interest in the natural world, highlights dangers to human health and wildlife habitats, and shares ideas for creating a more sustainable society. He has strongly supported the use of renewable energy sources and the concept of the soft energy path.

Suzuki hosted a highly praised 1993 PBS series titled The Secret of Life. His 1985 series A Planet for the Taking had more than 1.8 million viewers per episode and earned him a United Nations Environment Programme Medal. In this series, he said, "We understand the importance of wilderness and space in our culture, but we also believe that these areas are endless and do not need to be protected." He called for a major change in how people view their connection to nature and the wild.

Suzuki’s book The Sacred Balance, first published in 1997, was later turned into a five-hour mini-series on Canadian public television and aired in 2002. Currently, he is involved in an advertising campaign with the message "You have the power," encouraging energy conservation through actions like using compact fluorescent lightbulbs.

For the Discovery Channel, Suzuki produced a documentary called Yellowstone to Yukon: The Wildlands Project in 1997. The film focused on Dave Foreman’s Wildlands Project, which aims to create corridors and buffer zones around large wilderness areas to protect biodiversity. Foreman started this project after leaving Earth First! (a group he co-founded) in 1990. Conservation biologists Michael Soulé and Reed Noss also helped develop the project.

In October 2022, Suzuki announced that he would retire from The Nature of Things in spring 2023.

Climate change activism

In February 2008, Suzuki encouraged students at McGill University to speak out against politicians who do not take action on climate change. He said, "What I would challenge you to do is to put a lot of effort into trying to see whether there's a legal way of throwing our so-called leaders into jail because what they're doing is a criminal act."

Suzuki clearly states that climate change is a real and urgent problem. He explains that most scientists now agree that human activities are the main cause. The David Suzuki Foundation website includes a statement that supports this view.

Suzuki notes that even though many scientists agree on climate change, some people and media outlets have been unsure about the science for many years. He believes this confusion was caused by a planned effort to spread false information about climate science. A small group of critics denies that climate change exists or that humans are responsible. These critics, according to Suzuki, are not climate scientists and do not publish their ideas in scientific journals. Instead, they focus on the media, the public, and leaders. Their goal is to slow down action on climate change. Suzuki says these critics have received money from companies that produce coal and oil, such as ExxonMobil. They are also connected to groups funded by industries, like the Information Council on the Environment (ICE), which aims to make global warming seem like a theory rather than a fact.

Suzuki serves as a spokesperson for the environmental group 350.org, which works to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and develop solutions to climate change.

Suzuki has supported making ecocide a crime at the International Criminal Court. He said, "Ecocide is not only a crime against life, it is suicidal for us because we are the apex predator that is utterly dependent on nature's services."

Suzuki has faced criticism for having a lifestyle that produces a large amount of carbon emissions while advocating for reducing emissions. He admits that traveling frequently to share his message has caused him to exceed his carbon limit by hundreds of tonnes. He has stopped taking overseas vacations and plans to group his speaking events together to reduce his carbon footprint. He prefers to speak only through video conferences when possible.

Suzuki has criticized the field of economics, saying it does not consider the environment. He once said, "conventional economics is a form of brain damage." In 2021, he claimed that pipelines would be "blown up" if climate action was not taken, but he later apologized for this statement.

During a media interview in July 2025, Suzuki said it was "too late" to solve the climate crisis. He explained that humanity had crossed the seventh boundary earlier in 2025, leaving no options to avoid disaster. He added that people should prepare for more severe and destructive natural disasters.

Social commentary

David Suzuki has faced criticism for his views on genetically modified organisms (GMOs), which some describe as not based on scientific evidence. He has written that "products of biotechnology are being pushed into our food, onto our fields, and into our medicines without public discussion and with the support of governments." He also stated that "any politician or scientist who says these products are safe is either not very smart or lying." In a 2012 report by his foundation, it was written that "the safety of GMO foods is not proven and research suggests these foods may be linked to health concerns."

In 2013, Suzuki spoke at the University of Alberta about water policy. He claimed that a second nuclear emergency at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant might require the evacuation of the North American west coast. Later, he admitted this statement was made quickly without careful thought. However, he still suggested that another earthquake could cause a new disaster at Fukushima, citing a Japanese government report that said such an event could require the evacuation of over 10 million people.

In 2013, Suzuki criticized Canada's immigration policy in a French magazine, calling it "disgusting." He claimed Canada takes leaders from other countries to support its population growth and said Canada has "limited space" for more people.

In 2013, Suzuki repeated a claim from Canadian media that the Harper government was building prisons despite falling crime rates. He suggested these prisons might be used to jail environmental activists. A government official denied this, stating no prisons were being built. However, in 2011, the Harper government announced a plan to build new prisons over five years, spending $2 billion to add over 2,700 prison beds across Canada, with $517 million already spent on construction by 2011.

Over time, Suzuki has supported candidates from the Green Party and New Democratic Party in elections. In 2015, Suzuki said Justin Trudeau called him to ask for support for the Liberal Party's climate change platform. When questioned, Trudeau said, "I don't have to listen to this sanctimonious crap," and Suzuki responded by calling him a "twerp."

Personal life

Suzuki was married to Setsuko Joane Sunahara from 1958 to 1965. The couple had three children. In 1973, Suzuki married Tara Elizabeth Cullis. They had two daughters, one of whom is Severn Cullis-Suzuki. As of 2022, Suzuki has ten grandchildren, including a snowboarder and filmmaker named Tamo Campos. His cousin's grandchildren include Nick Suzuki, who is the captain of the Montreal Canadiens, and Ryan Suzuki, who plays for the Carolina Hurricanes. Suzuki is an atheist.

Awards and honours

• David Suzuki was named to the Order of Canada in 1976 as an Officer and later promoted to Companion in 2006. He also received the Order of British Columbia in 1995. In 1986, he was awarded UNESCO’s Kalinga Prize for spreading science knowledge. He has received many other Canadian and international honors.

• He was given the Canadian version of the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal in 1977.

• He received the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal in 1992.

• He was awarded the Canadian version of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002.

• He was given the Canadian version of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.

• In 2004, Suzuki was nominated as one of the top ten "Greatest Canadians" by CBC viewers. He finished fifth in the final vote, becoming the greatest living Canadian at that time. Suzuki voted for Tommy Douglas, who won the competition.

• In 2006, he received the Bradford Washburn Award at the Museum of Science in Boston, Massachusetts.

• In 2007, he was honored with the International Human Rights Award by Global Exchange.

• In 2009, he was awarded the honorary Right Livelihood Award.

• A 2010 documentary film titled Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie was made about him by Sturla Gunnarsson.

• On June 23, 2015, the Vancouver City Council awarded him the Freedom of the City, giving him the title Freeman of the City of Vancouver.

• David Suzuki has received honorary degrees from many universities.

Publications

David Suzuki has written 52 books, including nineteen for children. Some of his books are David Suzuki: The Autobiography, Tree: A Life Story, The Sacred Balance, Genethics, Wisdom of the Elders, Inventing the Future, and the best-selling book series Looking At Senses, which are children's science books. Here is a list of some of Suzuki's published works:

• Sciencescape – The Nature of Canada (1986) – co-authored with Hans Blohm and Marjorie Harris
• Pebbles to Computers: The Thread (1986) – co-authored with Hans Blohm and Stafford Beer
• Metamorphosis: Stages in a Life (1987) ISBN 0-773-72139-8
• Genethics: The Clash between the New Genetics and Human Values (1990)
• It's a Matter of Survival (1991) ISBN 0-674-46970-4
• Time to Change (1994)
• The Japan We Never Knew: A Journey of Discovery (1997) – co-authored with Keibo Oiwa
• The Sacred Balance (1997)
• From Naked Ape to Superspecies: A Personal Perspective on Humanity and the Global Ecocrisis (1999) – co-authored with Holly Dressel. ISBN 0-773-73194-6 From Naked Ape to Superspecies: Humanity and the Global Eco-Crisis (2nd edition 2004) – co-authored with Holly Dressel. ISBN 1-553-65031-X
• Good News for a Change: Hope for a Troubled Planet (2001) – co-authored with Holly Dressel. ISBN 0-773-73307-8
• More Good News (2003) More Good News: Real Solutions to the Global Eco-Crisis (Revised ed. 2010) – co-authored with Holly Dressel. ISBN 1-553-65475-7
• David Suzuki: The Autobiography (2006)
• David Suzuki's Green Guide (2008) – co-authored with David Boyd
• The Big Picture: Reflections on Science, Humanity, and a Quickly Changing Planet (2009) – co-authored with David Taylor
• The Legacy: An Elder's Vision for a Sustainable Future (2010) – with a foreword by Margaret Atwood
• Letters to My Grandchildren (2015) ISBN 978-1771640886
• Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie (2010), a 93-minute documentary DVD (210616DV)