Hello, I'm Severn Suzuki speaking for "ECO" -- the Environmental Children’s Organization.

We are a group of 12 and 13-year-olds trying to make a difference: Vanessa Suttie, Morgan

Geisler, Michelle Quigg, and me.

We’ve raised all the money to come here ourselves -- to come 5,000 miles to tell you

adults you must change your ways.

Coming up here today, I have no hidden agenda.

I am fighting for my future.

Losing my future is not like losing an election, or a few points on the stock market.

I am here to speak for all generations to come.

I am here to speak -- speak on behalf of the starving children around the world whose cries

go unheard.

I am here to speak for the countless animals dying across this planet, because they have

nowhere left to go.

I am afraid to go out in the sun now, because of the holes in our ozone.

I am afraid to breathe the air, because I don’t know what chemicals are in it.

I used to go in -- I used to go fishing in Vancouver, my home, with my Dad until, just

a few years ago, we found the fish full of cancers.

And now we hear of animals and plants going extinct every day, vanishing forever.

In my life, I have dreamt of seeing the great herds of wild animals, jungles, and rainforests

full of birds and butterflies, but now I wonder if they will even exist for my children to

see.

Did you have to worry of these things when you were my age?

All this is happening before our eyes and yet we act as if we have all the time we want

and all the solutions.

I’m only a child and I don’t have all the solutions.

I don't -- I want you to realize, neither do you.

You don’t know how to fix the holes in our ozone layer.

You don’t know how to bring the salmon back up in a dead stream.

You don’t know how to bring back an animal now extinct.

And you can’t bring back the forests that once grew where there is now a desert.

If you don’t know how to fix it, please stop breaking it.

Here, you may be delegates of your governments, business people, organizers, reporters, or

politicians.

But, really, you are mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, aunts and uncles -- and

all of you are someone’s child.

I’m only a child, yet I know we are all part of a family -- five billion strong; in

fact, 30 million species strong -- and borders and governments will never change that.

I’m only a child, yet I know we are all in this together and should act as one single

world towards one single goal.

In -- In my anger, I'm not blind; and in my fear, I'm not afraid of telling the world

how I feel.

In my country we make so much waste, we buy and throw away, buy and throw away, buy and

throw away and yet Northern countries will not share with the needy.

Even when we have more than enough we are afraid to share; we are afraid to let go of

some of our wealth.

In Canada, we live the privileged life.

We’ve plenty of food, water, and shelter.

We have watches, bicycles, computers, and television sets.

The list could go on for two days.

Two days ago, here in Brazil, we were shocked when we spent time with some children living

on the streets.

This is what one child told us: "I wish I was rich and if I were, I would give all the

street children food, clothes, medicines, shelter, and love and affection."

If a child on the streets who has nothing is willing to share, why are we who have everything

still so greedy?

I can’t stop thinking that these are children my own age, that it makes a tremendous difference

where you are born; that I could be one of those children living in the favelas of Rio.

I could be a child starving in Somalia, or a victim of war in the Middle East, or a beggar

in India.

I am only a child, yet I know if all the money spent on war was spent on finding environmental

answers ending poverty and in finding treaties, what a wonderful place this Earth would be.

At school, even in kindergarten, you teach us how to behave in the world.

You teach us to not to fight with others, to work things out, to respect others, to

clean up our mess, not to hurt other creatures, to share, not be greedy.

Then, why do you go out and do -- do the things you tell us not to do?

Do not forget why you are attending these conferences -- who you're doing this for.

We are your own children.

You are deciding what kind of a world we are growing up in.

Parents should be able to comfort their children by saying, "Everything's going to be all right;

it’s not the end of the world, and we're -- and we're doing the best we can."

But I don’t think you can say that to us anymore.

Are we even on your list of priorities?

My dad always says, "You are what you do, not what you say."

Well, what you do makes me cry at night.

You grown-ups say you love us.

But I challenge you, please, make your actions reflect your words.

Thank you.

I am here in real, after 20 years, and it is quite an experience coming back here when

the world has once again descended on this beautiful city to come together and discuss

how we are going to turn the tide towards a way of life that will actually carry us

through.

Everyone wants to know what has happened in the last 20 years, how far we've come, have

we made progress?

I'm sure some of you saw the paper that came out in the academic journal Nature last week.

Scientists from around the world came together to produce a report saying that we are potentially

forcing a state shift in our planet's biosphere.

We are putting such pressure on the Earth's atmosphere, the Earth's oceans, the soils,

the biological systems that keep us alive every day, such pressure that we may be forcing

the natural balance to a tipping point, like the one that our planet saw 12,000 years ago

with the end of the last ice age.

But this time, the transition will be human-caused.

We have become a geological force!

And it will be orders of magnitude faster than the thousand-year transition that happened

last time.

This transition, the scientists say, and the new stable ecostate will not be comfortable

for humans.

Twenty years after Rio, we have not even come close to achieving the sustainable transition

that we knew we needed back then.

This is the honest truth.

We all know this sitting here.

Let us be honest.

Twenty years ago, I believed if I just got through to the world leaders, if I spoke the

truth…

They had power.

They had power to lead our society forward to a better way of living.

I began to get invited to more events after Rio 1992, I was invited back to the UN, Rio+5,

Rio+10, PrepComs,

the Kyoto protocol, and I gradually realized that there was more to the story.

I gradually realized that citizens needed to engage.

That the grassroots was where we could really see the solutions, where we could actually

find answers, relocalizing, looking to our own communities.

We had to get in there, couldn't wait for leaders to do it for us, and now, twenty years

have gone by.

I've dedicated my life to this cause like many of you.

I see many familiar faces I'm glad to see after so long.

Twenty years after Rio, the citizen engagement hasn't been enough to filter through, to shift

the tide.

The world's ecosystems continue to decline in a tailspin terrifying to any biologist.

The growth of the economy, the success of our current economy remains the foremost for

politicians and the institutions clinging to power.

And the collusion between our governments and corporations that we have seen rise in

the last twenty years is enough to make anyone of my generation totally cynical.

Concerned citizens and activists and youths engage, we speak up on local issues, on global

issues, we organize, we volunteer, we put our money, we put our energy in good faith

that our voices do matter.

This is what I believed for the last twenty years in my life.

My voice matters, but it is clear that the current global meta-strategy is to turn everything

from nature into profit at a rate and at a scale that dwarfs its opposition.

Twenty years on since Rio, we need nothing short of a massive paradigm shift if we are

to make it, if the human race is to carry forward into the future with dignity.

Today it's 2012.

I'm a better environmentalist at age 32, I've committed my last 20 years to trying to influence

societal transformation to a way of life that will actually support intergenerational justice.

And intergenerational justice is what we are really talking about when we talk about sustainable

development.

Stopping the intergenerational crimes that we are perpetrating towards current and future

human beings who will have to deal with climate change and deal with these legacies.

I've done a lot of things in twenty years, I've grown up a lot, but those six minutes

speaking to the UN, twenty years ago, two decades ago, remains the most powerful I have

ever done, the strongest thing I have ever done in my life to affect people.

Since then, I have received letters from people around the world who can't even express how

moved they were.

Years later, the Internet was invented, YouTube, and the video somehow found its way onto YouTube

and it's gone around the world and has experienced a rebirth.

Why?

I think that this phenomenon shows that the world is hungry for this message.

That we are desperate to hear someone speak the truth, speak this message.

We need someone to cut through all the rationalizations we have built up for the destruction of our

planet.

And no one can do this better than those with everything at stake, which is our youth.

Were any of you moved by that video you saw?

Can you raise your hands, please, if you were moved?

That video gave me goosebumps.

That video is the voice of youth.

That video, and this young woman sitting here, they are telling the truth and everybody in

this room, and everybody tomorrow listening to her will know it.

The second reason that people are still talking about the speech a twelve-year-old made to

delegates 20 years ago it because of the most powerful tool belonging to the human race.

This most powerful that we have is the power of intergenerational love.

As we look back on our progress since the Earth Summit in 1992, it would be easy, it

would be too easy to be discouraged.

But a generation has nearly passed, and today I am a mother of little boys, age 2 and 4

months, and I will do everything in my power to ensure that they have the opportunities

and the just life that I had when I was growing up.

And I believe that everyone here in this room, I believe that the 50,000 people that are

here in Rio for the Earth Summit in 2012, I believe all of us will do everything we

can to ensure that our children have every opportunity in their lives.

This I choose to believe, and because I choose to believe this, I am optimistic to the future.

We are at a turning point.

We are gathered here today.

We've done this amazing project, we're listening to our young people.

And I believe we're going to change for the better.

Thank you very much.

{{}}

大家好，我是 Severn Suzuki 代表“ECO” ——环境儿童组织。

我们是一群试图有所作为的 12 岁和 13 岁的孩子 ：Vanessa Suttie、Morgan

Geisler、Michelle Quigg 和我。

我们已经筹集了所有的钱来自己来这里 ——跑了 5000 英里告诉你

成年人你必须改变你的方式。

今天来到这里，我没有隐藏的议程。

我正在为我的未来而战。

失去我的未来不像失去选举 或股市上的几个点。

我在这里为所有世代的后代 说话。

我在这里发言——代表 全世界饥饿的孩子们发言，他们的

哭声无人理会。

我在这里为地球上无数濒临死亡的动物发言 ，因为它们

无处可去。

我现在不敢出去晒太阳，因为 我们的臭氧有洞。

我害怕呼吸空气，因为我 不知道里面有什么化学物质。

我曾经进去过——我曾经 和爸爸一起在我的家温哥华钓鱼，

直到几年前，我们发现这条鱼充满了 癌症。

现在我们 每天都听说动植物灭绝，永远消失。

在我的一生中，我一直梦想看到 成群结队的野生动物、丛林和

充满鸟类和蝴蝶的热带雨林，但现在我想 知道它们是否还会存在给我的孩子们

看。

在我这个年纪的时候，你有必要担心这些吗？

所有这一切都在我们眼前发生， 但我们表现得好像我们拥有所有我们想要的时间

和所有解决方案。

我只是个孩子，我没有所有 的解决方案。

我不——我想让你意识到， 你也不知道。

你不知道如何修复我们 臭氧层中的漏洞。

你不知道如何把鲑鱼 带回死流中。

你不知道如何让 已经灭绝的动物复活。

而且你不能把 曾经生长在现在沙漠的森林带回来。

如果您不知道如何修复它，请 停止破坏它。

在这里，您可能是政府代表、 商界人士、组织者、记者或

政客。

但是，实际上，你们是父母、 姐妹和兄弟、阿姨和叔叔——

你们都是别人的孩子。

我只是个孩子，但我知道我们都是 一个家庭的一部分——五十亿；

事实上，有 3000 万种强大的物种——边界 和政府永远不会改变这一点。

我只是一个孩子，但我知道我们 都在一起，应该作为一个单一的

世界朝着一个单一的目标行事。

在——在我的愤怒中，我不是瞎子； 在我的 恐惧中，我不害怕告诉世界

我的感受。

在我国，我们制造了如此多的浪费，我们买 就扔，买就扔，买就

扔，但北方国家 不会与有需要的人分享。

即使我们拥有的足够多，我们也 不敢分享； 我们害怕放弃我们的

一些财富。

在加拿大，我们过着特权生活。

我们有充足的食物、水和住所。

我们有手表、自行车、电脑和 电视机。

这份名单可能会持续两天。

两天前，在巴西这里， 当我们与一些流落街头的孩子共度时光时，我们感到震惊

。

这是一个孩子告诉我们的：“我希望 我有钱，如果我有钱，我会给所有

流浪儿童食物、衣服、药品、 住所、爱和感情。”

如果一个一无所有的流浪孩子 愿意分享，为什么拥有一切的我们

还如此贪婪？

我不能停止认为这些是 我同龄的孩子，你出生的地方有很大的不同

； 我可以成为 生活在里约贫民窟的孩子之一。

我可能是在索马里挨饿的孩子，或者 是中东战争的受害者，或者是印度的乞丐

。

我只是个孩子，但我知道如果 花在战争上的所有钱都花在寻找

消除贫困的环境解决方案和寻找条约上， 那么地球将是一个多么美好的地方。

在学校，甚至在幼儿园，你教 我们如何在这个世界上表现。

你教我们不要与他人争吵， 要解决问题，要尊重他人，要

清理我们的烂摊子，不要伤害其他生物， 要分享，不要贪婪。

那么，你为什么要出去做——做 你告诉我们不要做的事情？

不要忘记你参加这些 会议的原因——你这样做是为了谁。

我们是你自己的孩子。

您正在决定我们在什么样的世界中 成长。

父母应该能够安慰他们的孩子 ，说：“一切都会好

起来的；这不是世界末日，我们是 ——而且我们” 正在尽我们所能。”

但我认为你不能再对我们这么说 。

我们甚至在您的优先事项清单上吗？

我爸爸总是说，“你就是你所做的， 而不是你所说的。”

好吧，你的所作所为让我在晚上哭泣。

你们大人说你们爱我们。

但我挑战你，请让你的行动 反映你的话。

谢谢你。

20 年后，我真实 地来到这里，

当世界再次降临这座 美丽的城市，聚集在一起讨论

我们将如何扭转潮流，走向 一种将 实际上带我们

通过。

每个人都想知道 过去 20 年发生了什么，我们走了多远，

我们取得了进展吗？

我相信你们中的一些人看到了 上周发表在学术期刊《自然》上的那篇论文。

来自世界各地的科学家齐聚一堂 ，撰写了一份报告，称我们可能正在

迫使地球生物圈发生状态转变。

我们正在对地球的 大气层、地球的海洋、土壤

、让我们每天都活着的生物系统 施加如此大的压力，这样的压力可能会

迫使自然平衡达到一个临界点， 就像我们的星球看到 12,000 几年前，

随着最后一个冰河时代的结束。

但这一次，这种转变将是人为的。

我们变成了地质力量！

这将 比上次发生的千年过渡快几个数量级

。

科学家们说，这种转变以及 新的稳定生态状态不会

让人类感到舒适。

里约之后的 20 年，我们甚至还没有 接近实现

我们当时知道我们需要的可持续转型。

这是诚实的事实。

我们都知道坐在这里。

让我们说实话。

20 年前，我相信如果 我能与世界领导人打交道，如果我说

实话……

他们就有权力。

他们有能力带领我们的社会 走向更好的生活方式。 1992 年里约

之后，我开始被邀请参加更多活动 ，我被邀请回到联合国、里约+5、

里约+10、筹备委员会

、京都议定书，我逐渐 意识到还有更多的故事。

我逐渐意识到公民 需要参与。

基层是我们真正可以 看到解决方案的地方，我们可以真正

找到答案、重新定位、寻找我们 自己的社区的地方。

我们必须进入那里，迫不及待地等待 领导为我们做这件事，而现在，二十年

过去了。

我和你们中的许多人一样，把我的一生都献给了这个事业 。

我看到许多熟悉的面孔，很高兴 看到这么久。

里约热内卢之后的 20 年，公民的参与 还不足以过滤、

改变潮流。

对任何生物学家来说，世界生态系统的持续衰退 都令人恐惧。

经济增长， 我们当前经济的成功仍然是

政治家 和紧握权力的机构的首要任务。

过去二十年来，我们看到的政府和企业之间的勾结，

足以让 我们这一代人完全愤世嫉俗。

关心的公民、活动家和青年 参与进来，我们就地方问题、全球

问题发声，我们组织起来，我们做志愿者，我们投入 资金，我们真诚地投入精力

，我们的声音很重要。

这是我生命中最后二 十年的信念。

我的声音很重要，但很明显， 当前的全球元战略是以使其反对者相形见绌

的速度和规模将自然界的一切转化为利润 。

自里约会议以来的 20 年， 如果我们

要实现这一目标，如果人类 要有尊严地走向未来，我们只需要一次巨大的范式转变。

今天是 2012 年。

我在 32 岁时是一名更好的环保主义者，我在 过去的 20 年里一直致力于努力影响

社会转型， 以真正支持代际正义的生活方式。

当我们谈论可持续发展时，我们真正谈论的是代际正义

。

制止 我们

对必须应对气候 变化和这些遗产的当前和未来人类犯下的代际罪行。

二十年来我做了很多事情， 我长大了很多，但是

在二十年前，二十年前对联合国讲话的那六分钟 ，仍然是我

做过的最强大的事情，我做过的最强大的事情 在我的生活中曾经做过影响人们的事情。

从那时起，我收到了来自世界各地的人们的来信， 他们甚至无法表达

他们的感动。

多年后，互联网被发明了，YouTube ，视频不知何故在 YouTube 上找到了它

，它在世界各地传播，并经历 了重生。

为什么？

我认为这种现象表明 世界渴望得到这种信息。

我们迫切希望听到有人 说真话，说出这个信息。

我们需要有人来打破 我们为破坏我们的星球而建立的所有合理化

。

没有人能比那些 危在旦夕的人做得更好，那就是我们的青春。

你们有没有被你们看到的那个视频感动？

如果你被感动了，请举手好吗 ？

那个视频让我起了鸡皮疙瘩。

那个视频是青春的声音。

那个视频，这个年轻的女人坐在这里， 他们说的是实话，

这个房间里的每个人，明天 听她的每个人都会知道。

第二个原因，人们还在 谈论二十年前一个十二岁的孩子对代表们的演讲是

因为人类最 强大的工具。

我们拥有的最强大的力量 就是代际爱的力量。

当我们回顾自 1992 年地球峰会以来的进展时，会很容易，很

容易气馁。

但是一代人已经过去了，今天 我是一个两个月和四个月的小男孩的母亲

，我将尽我 所能确保他们有机会

和我成长时的正义生活 .

我相信在座的每个人， 我相信

在里约热内卢参加 2012 年地球峰会的 50,000 人， 我相信我们所有人

都会竭尽全力确保我们的孩子 在他们的生活中拥有每一个机会。

我选择 相信这一点，因为我选择相信这一点，所以我对未来持乐观态度。

我们正处于一个转折点。

我们今天聚集在这里。

我们已经完成了这个了不起的项目，我们正在 倾听我们年轻人的心声。

我相信我们会变得 更好。

非常感谢你。