A Plea For Our Planet Summary

In the speech, “A Plea For Our Planet”, Severn Suzuki addresses several facts regarding the current events, though the main point she preaches is if adults don’t change their ways future generations will lose their futures. Suzuki tackles 3 points in her speech, she tackles environmental, political, and poverty issues. She first criticizes adults in wealthy countries who have an astonishing amount of money. She says, “I could be a starving child in Somalia, or a victim of war in the Middle East, or a beggar in India.” Suzuki’s right, children in developing countries such as: Afghanistan, Albania, and Algeria, are in more risk of starving than wealthy countries like: Canada, the U.S, Germany and Spain. Parents in developing countries work harder for less and don’t have access to the luxuries we have. Victims of war lose some of their dearest valuables, (and here the adults that have the power to start and stop wars are again criticized): family, friends, homes, and lives. For instance, look at Palestine, violent persecution and occupation of Palestine is occurring, yet no wealthy country will bother to stop it. When Suzuki says, “Victims of war”, she means the people that suffer the consequences of the actions of western countries.

When the, “Starving child”, quote was addressed, what she was trying to preach: was that western countries have been provided with limitless resources and when these countries, who have so much, aren’t willing to share, it is disgraceful. She says, “If a child on the street who has nothing to share, is willing to share, then why are we so greedy?”
Last but not least: Political issues. Suzuki devotes this particular section to the people in authority: business men and women, business owners and to people who have decision making powers. Suzuki addresses them with one quote, “If all the money spent on war was spent on treaties, environmental answers and ending poverty, what a wonderful place this Earth would be.” These people she addresses are the top of the top, the elite, the decision makers. These people have a disproportionate amount of wealth and power and that’s why she addresses them in particular. She hopes they implement and adhere to treaties, not start wars, help the poor, and help the planet-not pollute it.

A connection I can make is last year my mom, my older sister, my little brother and I went back home: Pakistan. Every day there would be beggars injured to a significant degree, going through the alley begging for money. Some had no arms, and some had no legs. Though every day they’d pass by our house, we would give them money. Then there were environmental issues, and very serious ones. When you walk through the streets of Toronto you’ll usually find 1 or 2 pieces of garbage lying on the ground. Though whenever we went out in Pakistan we’d have to walk on the streets to avoid stepping in trash. There were heaps and heaps of trash, just lying on the sidewalk. The air was even worse, it was so polluted you’d start to cough when inhaling it. This is the type of issues Suzuki’s trying to help western countries understand. They may be clean now, but whose to say this couldn’t possibly happen to all countries the way we’re going. That’s why Suzuki addresses these people, so they change their ways because if they don’t all children from future generations will lose their futures.