What kind of a difference are we going to make?
That was the question Jane Goodall asked the audience in her speech to a packed Coors Event Center audience Thursday night.
At least 10,000 species go extinct every year. One-eighth of all bird species, one-fifth of mammal species and one-third of amphibian species are at risk of going extinct in the next 40 years alone, according to experts. The global monthly mean of CO2 in the atmosphere reached a record high this year at over 400 ppm, up from 270 ppm in the late 1700s. These are just a few of the issues discussed by Jane Goodall. Yet, despite all of this, she still has hope, but only if we all work together to fix the problem.
“But, is it true that it’s too late?” Jane asked the audience in regards to our impact on the planet. “I think there is a window of time… But, I don’t think the window of time is very big. And the only way that we can really make a difference is if we all get involved… If we all do our bit.”
Jane Goodall first rose to prominence in the 1970s through her scientific work with Chimpanzees in Tanzania and then again in the 1990s through her work with youth and conservation. Altogether, she is a world renowned scientist, writer, conservationist and activist. She spoke for the 50th George Gamow Memorial Lecture, bringing in the largest ever number of attendees.
She began her motivating story at childhood. After a brief overview, she went on to speak about more recent endeavors. She discussed how she first got involved with the chimpanzees, her experiences and everything she learned while in the Gombe National Forest in Tanzania. Her focus was on improving the lives of those living near the homes of these chimps. She also focused on her transition to conservation and activism with the creation of the Roots and Shoots program in the 1990s. Throughout the course of the speech, she spoke at length about the power of persistence and hard work.
“If you really want something, you must be prepared to work very hard, take advantage of all opportunities, and above all, never give up,” Jane Goodall said.
In the end, she introduced three important symbols: a cow, a chimp and a prairie dog. The cow stands for the over-consumption of meat, which is a major contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worldwide, and thus climate change. The chimp, her longtime companion, represents the power of the human spirit. Finally, the prairie dog stands for the power of biodiversity and conservation both globally and here in Boulder, Colorado.
These symbols help illustrate the main areas of concern for her: climate change, the remarkable loss of species due to poaching and habitat loss, GMOs, the dramatic use of cancer-causing herbicides and the intensive chemicals used in business and agriculture.
Despite everything, Dr. Jane Goodall still has many reasons for hope for the future. She believes in the power of youth, the amazing brain and all of the good that it is capable of, the resilience of nature, the power of social media and above all, the indomitable human spirit.
The main dilemma to these reasons for hope is the apathy of the masses, Jane Goodall remarked. The younger generation believes that the world is compromised, and that nothing they can do will help. However, Dr. Goodall urged, this is not the case.
“We all have to do something about it, and not let the fact that it’s a huge problem stop us from doing anything because we feel we can’t,” Jane Goodall said. “These days, social media gives us a whole new way.”
Contact CUIndependent News Staff Cay Leytham-Powell at caitlyn.leythampowell@colorado.edu
