David Suzuki isn\u2019t grieving Jane Goodall\u2019s death \u2014 he\u2019s grieving that she never got to see the changes she championed.<\/p>\n
Suzuki, longtime host of\u00a0The Nature of Things and one of Canada\u2019s most prominent science communicators, says Goodall\u2019s influence is felt far beyond the realm of chimpanzees.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yes, that was her primary species of study, he told\u00a0Canada\u2019s National Observer, but through her work on chimp behaviour she linked \u201cthe fate of chimps and their habitat to the fate of humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe used her animal of study to paint a much bigger picture, and that’s what I really admired about her,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Goodall, the renowned primatologist and one of the most influential champions of the natural world, died of natural causes at the age of 91 while on a speaking tour in California on Wednesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe thing I grieve, is that she never lived to see the big changes she was pushing for,\u201d Suzuki said.<\/p>\n
Those big changes Suzuki references are reforms to the political, economic and legal systems that prioritize resource extraction over nature. The systems that are driving climate breakdown, severe biodiversity loss and exacerbating environmental inequity \u2014 the three crises the Jane Goodall Institute tackles.\u00a0<\/p>\n
David Suzuki counts Jane Goodall among his top inspirations, but he isn’t grieving her death. He\u2019s grieving she never got to see the big changes to the political, economic and legal systems that destroy nature and must be reformed. <\/p>\n
\u201cShe gave her life to spread the message, but we never really got that in terms of looking at the systems themselves,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I regret she never got to see that big change, because the big change is going to happen whether we plan it or not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Goodall\u2019s legacy is typically credited as pioneering studies into chimpanzee behaviour. She began that research in the late 1950s and spent decades observing chimps in their natural environment. She saw chimpanzees craft tools to fish for termites, chimps holding hands and patting each other on the back. In an interview with ABC in 2020, she said the most surprising discovery she made was\u00a0how like us they are<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n That said,\u00a0her favourite animals<\/a> were dogs.\u00a0<\/p>\n High-profile tributes have poured in since her death was announced. David Attenborough, a friend who also would be counted on the Mount Rushmore of conservationists,\u00a0called her<\/a> a \u201cgreat champion of environmental protection.\u201d Former US President\u00a0Barack Obama said<\/a>, \u201cher groundbreaking work \u2026 opened doors for generations of women in science.\u201d The United Nations, which appointed her a Messenger of Peace in 2002,\u00a0said<\/a> her \u201clegacy will continue to guide and inspire humanity\u2019s collective efforts for peace, sustainability, and harmony with nature.\u201d<\/p>\n But beyond her scientific work, her legacy is an inspiration, her admirers say.\u00a0<\/p>\n Former environment minister Steven Guilbeault, now serving as minister of Canadian Identity and Culture \u2014 which oversees the nature protection file \u2014 said he doesn\u2019t think it\u2019s an exaggeration to say millions are now advancing her mission.\u00a0<\/p>\n