Jane Goodall says we need hope to fight climate change, and her hope is young people

Jane Goodall was 10 years old when she climbed her favorite tree for the first time to read about Tarzan and the apes. At the age of 26, Goodall ventured into the vast jungles of Tanzania to initiate research on chimpanzees, eventually gaining worldwide recognition. By the age of 27, she had become a household name. Goodall's discoveries in Gombe Stream National Park transformed our understanding of our closest living relatives and, in turn, altered our species' relationship with the natural world.
The spark she had as a young girl ignited a professional life as a conservationist. Goodall, now 89, says that it is today's youth who keep her hope alive amid all the environmental, political, and social challenges the world faces. Goodall told The Current's Matt Galloway, "We're really in a very dark time. A lot of people are feeling helpless and hopeless, so they're not doing anything." Goodall initiated the Roots and Shoots program in 1991, which has rapidly grown and expanded to more than 70 countries. Over 12,000 young people in Canada alone actively participate in environmental projects within their communities.
Goodall emphasizes the critical importance of working with young people to mitigate climate change and biodiversity loss. She spends nearly 300 days a year traveling to speak about the importance of environmental conservation and to inspire people. She was in Toronto on October 12th to address an audience at Meridian Hall. Galloway saw her at her hotel that morning. In their conversation, Goodall discusses what she knows, and the actions she's taken, as the most concerning aspects of the biodiversity loss we currently witness. She believes that we need to protect and respect the natural world because, not only are we a part of it, but we also depend on it.
Moreover, we are stealing the future from the young people, just as we did from them when I began in the late '80s. And they were either very angry or very depressed – some of them were really depressed – but most of them were just apathetic. It seemed they didn't care, so when I asked them why they felt that way, they would say, "Well, you've compromised our future. There's nothing we can do."
But there is this window of time...and we can do something about it. And you can help. In Roots and Shoots, kids choose three projects: one to help people, one to help animals, and one to help the environment because they're all interrelated. Then they roll up their sleeves, talk about what they can do, and take action. Young people want hope, and that's why people come to my talks all around the world. The talks sell out in two days, sometimes two hours. They even have to move them to larger venues because I talk about hope.

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