Columns

Science Matters

Live long and prosper with exercise

On March 24, I’ll complete my 90th ride around the sun. I’m often asked to what I owe my longevity. I usually joke, “I chose my parents carefully.” As a geneticist, I know the genetic lottery plays a part. I once interviewed a Toronto docto

David Suzuki And Ian Hanington · 2026-03-27

Science Matters

The power of awe: How nature can transform our perspective

A large swarm of anchovies recently swam into Semiahmoo Bay near White Rock, British Columbia, staying for about a week. The abundance of tiny fish attracted an explosion of biodiversity. Thousands of gulls, grebes, surf scoters and the occ

David Suzuki And Ian Hanington · 2026-01-16

Science Matters

U.S. actions near Venezuela portend an oily catastrophe

Canada’s government has been silent about the United States killing people on boats off the Venezuela coast. Whether or not the boats were being used to transport drugs (and there’s no evidence they were), these appalling acts have been lab

David Suzuki And Ian Hanington · 2025-12-19

Science Matters

Electrotech, not fossil fuels, will power the future

During a recent parliamentary committee meeting, Bloc Quebecois MP Patrick Bonin grilled Alberta Premier Danielle Smith about climate change. Her answers were evasive — although she conceded that the planet is warming. Bonin asked if she th

David Suzuki And Ian Hanington · 2025-12-05

Science Matters

Costly geoengineering schemes could stall real solutions

Because the fossil fuel industry and its supporters have done everything they can to stall needed solutions to the climate crisis, some people say we must now engineer our way out of the mess we created. Many are promoting schemes that bloc

David Suzuki And Ian Hanington · 2025-10-13

Science Matters

Art lights up our brains and ignites action

When we think of solutions to the climate and biodiversity crises, we often imagine technologies, government policies or new infrastructure. But sometimes the most powerful tools are far older and more human: stories, songs, images and perf

David Suzuki And Ian Hanington · 2025-09-28

Science Matters

Petro-politicians are stuck in the polluting past

What is it with politicians who are dead set against any kind of progress? It’s clear that digging up, processing, transporting and wastefully burning gas, oil and coal is polluting land, water and air, heating the planet to critical levels

David Suzuki And Ian Hanington · 2025-09-12

Science Matters

This economic story doesn’t end well. Let’s change it!

The natural world is foundational to every aspect of our lives. We all need food, air and water. But nature is not our sole underpinning; stories are also foundational. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to make sense of the world or create

David Suzuki And Ian Hanington · 2025-08-16

Science Matters

Like it or not, we can’t live without insects

Many people find insects annoying, even frightening. As a former fruit fly geneticist who spent many boyhood years exploring insect and other life in the swamps near my home in Leamington, Ontario, I’ve always been fascinated by them. They’

David Suzuki And Ian Hanington · 2025-07-05

Science Matters

Save the Climate, Tax the Rich

Do you ever wonder where opposition to sensible climate policies is coming from? We know the coal, oil and gas industries have been waging a disinformation campaign for decades, hiding research from their own scientists and others that accu

David Suzuki And Ian Hanington · 2025-05-22

Science Matters

U.S. pipeline giant’s Greenpeace lawsuit is attack on freedoms

Greenpeace was founded in my hometown of Vancouver in 1971. It has since become an international force, campaigning and advocating for environmental sanity on issues ranging from plastic pollution to the climate crisis. I’m a proud supporte

David Suzuki And Ian Hanington · 2025-05-02

Science Matters

Vote to keep Canada strong and free!

It’s election time in Canada. All elections are important, but the April 28 election comes at a critical time. We’re facing an increasingly costly, accelerating climate crisis, daily plant and animal extinctions, a worsening affordability c

David Suzuki And Ian Hanington · 2025-04-13

Science Matters

Canada is not an economic basket case

In 1987, Canada was caught up in a debate over a free trade agreement with the United States. Economist John Crispo, an outspoken FTA supporter, warned that failing to ratify it would make Canada an “economic basket case.” In 1988, Prime Mi

David Suzuki And Ian Hanington · 2025-03-29

Science Matters

CBC could be a beacon in turbulent times

If we measured the amount of space and time devoted to issues in news outlets, we would conclude audiences are most interested in politics, business, sports and entertainment. This is astonishing when we consider the impact of science when

David Suzuki And Ian Hanington · 2025-03-24

Science Matters

CBC could be a beacon in turbulent times

My heart is with the family and community who are experiencing loss. March 20th will be the first day of spring for this year. Does this year seem like it’s flying by too fast or like each day is inching forward? When my kids were very youn

David Suzuki And Ian Hanington · 2025-03-24

Science Matters

Alberta coal fiasco unearths billionaire power grab

Former Premier Jason Kenney opened the province to coal mining in 2020 but backed down under public pressure in 2022, reinstating an eastern slopes moratorium that had been in place since 1976. Four coal companies are now suing the government for $13.8 billion.

David Suzuki And Ian Hanington · 2025-03-09

Science Matters

Fires scorching California, floods inundating Spain, heat killing and knocking monkeys from trees in Mexico, droughts scouring southern Africa, hurricanes ripping through the U.S. — it’s impossible to ignore. Scientists confirm 2024 was the

David Suzuki And Ian Hanington · 2025-02-23

Science Matters

Car culture driving us to disaster

The climate crisis is too big to be remedied by individual actions alone. It requires government policies and regulations and international cooperation in everything from research to global agreements. One critical area where individual act

David Suzuki And Ian Hanington · 2025-02-01