Profile of an activist: Severn Suzuki

At only nine years old, she founded the Environmental Children’s Organization with her friends. Three years later, at age 12, Severn Suzuki stood at a podium and delivered one of the most memorable speeches at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. This particular United Nations conference marked the beginning of the Kyoto Protocol and Suzuki’s speech has received more than a million views on YouTube today. Years later, in 2002, Severn co-founded The Skyfish Project (which subsequently disbanded in 2004), a discussion-based website established in the hopes of promoting environmental awareness. 

Originally born in Canada, to parents Tara Elizabeth Cullis, an established writer, and David Suzuki, a geneticist and environmental activist, Severn graduated from Yale in 2002. Before graduating, she had already arranged to attend the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa as a member of Kofi Annan’s Special Advisory Panel. In anticipation of this event, The Skyfish Project drafted the Recognition of Responsibility, a letter that said, “Today I recognize that I am part of one of the most powerful countries in the world. My population is only a fraction of the globe’s population, yet we use far more resources. So today, I pledge to take responsibility for me lifestyle.” The main motivation behind this letter was Bush’ decision to abstain from attending the World Summit. In a 2003 interview, Severn said,

We were upset because George Bush wasn’t going to go–he was just starting to show the world that he didn’t care to be part of international negotiations. We wanted to show that he didn’t represent all Americans, and we came up with this idea of the Recognition of Responsibility.

Five years later, as Americans look forward to the coming Bush-less years, Severn’s words remain intact, and even more necessary. Today, she travels the globe as an activist, speaker and author, continuing to promote sustainability and environmental activism.

Check out the YouTube video and you’ll see Severn’s revolutionary ideals in action.