0:00:08.858,0:00:11.857 Hello, I'm Severn Suzuki speaking for E.C.O. 0:00:11.858,0:00:14.000 - the Environmental Children's Organization. 0:00:14.693,0:00:16.699 We are a group of twelve and thirteen-year-olds 0:00:16.700,0:00:19.000 trying to make a difference: 0:00:19.001,0:00:23.800 Vanessa Suttie, Morgan Geisler, Michelle Quigg and me. 0:00:23.801,0:00:27.336 We raised all the money to come here ourselves 0:00:27.337,0:00:32.641 to come five thousand miles to tell you adults you must change your ways. 0:00:32.900,0:00:37.000 Coming up here today, I have no hidden agenda. 0:00:37.001,0:00:39.555 I am fighting for my future. 0:00:40.257,0:00:43.738 Losing my future is not like losing an election 0:00:43.739,0:00:46.500 or a few points on the stock market. 0:00:47.525,0:00:51.418 I am here to speak for all generations to come. 0:00:52.100,0:00:55.292 I am here to speak on behalf of the starving children 0:00:55.293,0:00:58.252 around the world whose cries go unheard. 0:00:58.253,0:01:01.750 I am here to speak for the countless animals 0:01:01.751,0:01:05.904 dying across this planet because they have nowhere left to go. 0:01:05.905,0:01:10.435 I am afraid to go out in the sun now 0:01:10.436,0:01:12.901 because of the holes in the ozone. 0:01:12.902,0:01:15.406 I am afraid to breathe the air 0:01:15.407,0:01:18.380 because I don't know what chemicals are in it. 0:01:18.381,0:01:23.309 I used to go fishing in Vancouver, my home, with my dad 0:01:23.310,0:01:27.700 until just a few years ago we found the fish full of cancers. 0:01:29.000,0:01:31.944 And now we hear about animals and plants 0:01:31.945,0:01:35.857 going extinct every day - vanishing forever. 0:01:37.000,0:01:41.218 In my life, I have dreamt of seeing the great herds of wild animals, 0:01:41.219,0:01:45.597 jungles and rainforests full of birds and butterflies, 0:01:45.598,0:01:50.809 but now I wonder if they will even exist for my children to see. 0:01:51.561,0:01:55.600 Did you have to worry about these little things when you were my age? 0:01:55.601,0:01:59.854 All this is happening before our eyes and yet we act 0:01:59.855,0:02:04.646 as if we have all the time we want and all the solutions. 0:02:05.300,0:02:09.574 I'm only a child and I don't have all the solutions, 0:02:09.575,0:02:12.920 but I want you to realize, neither do you! 0:02:12.921,0:02:17.161 You don't know how to fix the holes in our ozone layer. 0:02:17.162,0:02:20.846 You don't know how to bring salmon back up a dead stream. 0:02:20.847,0:02:24.779 You don't know how to bring back an animal now extinct. 0:02:24.780,0:02:27.300 And you can't bring back the forests 0:02:27.301,0:02:30.537 that once grew where there is now desert. 0:02:30.538,0:02:35.740 If you don't know how to fix it, please stop breaking it! 0:02:37.000,0:02:40.273 Here, you may be delegates of your governments, 0:02:40.274,0:02:45.273 business people, organizers, reporters or politicians 0:02:45.274,0:02:50.749 - but really you are mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, 0:02:50.750,0:02:56.281 aunts and uncles - and all of you are someone's child. 0:02:57.000,0:03:01.753 I'm only a child yet I know we are all part of a family, 0:03:01.754,0:03:06.791 five billion strong, in fact, 30 million species strong 0:03:06.792,0:03:10.207 and borders and governments will never change that. 0:03:12.136,0:03:15.882 I'm only a child yet I know we are all in this together 0:03:15.883,0:03:20.673 and should act as one single world towards one single goal. 0:03:20.674,0:03:24.696 In my anger, I am not blind, and in my fear, 0:03:24.697,0:03:27.452 I am not afraid to tell the world how I feel. 0:03:27.453,0:03:31.172 In my country, we make so much waste, 0:03:31.173,0:03:34.000 we buy and throw away, buy and throw away, 0:03:34.001,0:03:37.287 and yet northern countries will not share with the needy. 0:03:37.288,0:03:39.564 Even when we have more than enough, 0:03:39.565,0:03:45.554 we are afraid to share, we are afraid to let go some of our wealth. 0:03:45.555,0:03:48.654 In Canada, we live the privileged life, 0:03:48.655,0:03:51.872 with plenty of food, water and shelter - 0:03:51.873,0:03:56.000 we have watches, bicycles, computers and television sets. 0:03:56.001,0:03:57.793 The list could go on for two days. 0:03:58.500,0:04:01.409 Two days ago here in Brazil, we were shocked 0:04:01.410,0:04:04.651 when we spent some time with some children living on the streets. 0:04:04.652,0:04:07.538 This is what one child told us: 0:04:07.539,0:04:11.055 "I wish I was rich 0:04:11.056,0:04:14.700 and if I were, I would give all the street children 0:04:14.701,0:04:20.551 food, clothes, medicines, shelter and love and affection." 0:04:20.552,0:04:26.207 If a child on the street who has nothing, is willing to share, 0:04:26.208,0:04:30.746 why are we who have everything still so greedy? 0:04:32.000,0:04:36.661 I can't stop thinking that these are children my own age, 0:04:36.662,0:04:40.176 that it makes a tremendous difference where you are born, 0:04:40.177,0:04:45.145 that I could be one of those children living in the Favellas of Rio; 0:04:45.146,0:04:48.661 I could be a child starving in Somalia; 0:04:48.662,0:04:54.351 a victim of war in the Middle East or a beggar in India. 0:04:55.554,0:04:57.852 I'm only a child yet I know 0:04:57.853,0:05:00.126 if all the money spent on war 0:05:00.127,0:05:03.692 was spent on finding environmetal answers, 0:05:03.693,0:05:06.601 ending poverty and finding treaties, 0:05:06.409,0:05:09.406 what a wonderful place this earth would be! 0:05:10.725,0:05:13.999 At school, even in kindergarten, 0:05:14.000,0:05:16.353 you teach us how to behave in the world. 0:05:16.354,0:05:19.965 You teach us: not to fight with others, 0:05:19.966,0:05:23.732 to work things out, to respect others, 0:05:23.733,0:05:27.563 to clean up our mess, not to hurt other creatures, 0:05:27.564,0:05:29.986 to share - not be greedy. 0:05:29.987,0:05:34.228 Then why do you go out and do the things you tell us not to do? 0:05:35.340,0:05:39.886 Do not forget why you're attending these conferences, 0:05:39.887,0:05:42.082 who you're doing this for 0:05:42.083,0:05:44.070 - we are your own children. 0:05:44.071,0:05:47.972 You are deciding what kind of world we will grow up in. 0:05:47.973,0:05:52.002 Parents should be able to comfort their children by saying, 0:05:52.003,0:05:54.079 "Everything's going to be all right; 0:05:54.080,0:05:58.034 it's not the end of the world. And we're doing the best we can." 0:05:58.035,0:06:01.385 But I don't think you can say that to us anymore. 0:06:01.386,0:06:05.123 Are we even on your list of priorities? 0:06:05.124,0:06:07.579 My dad always says, 0:06:07.580,0:06:11.281 "You are what you do, not what you say." 0:06:11.282,0:06:15.542 Well, what you do makes me cry at night. 0:06:15.543,0:06:18.456 You grown ups say you love us. 0:06:18.457,0:06:20.609 But I challenge you, 0:06:20.610,0:06:24.300 please make your actions reflect your words. 0:06:24.301,0:06:25.301 Thank you.