Over and over, we hear politicians say they can't spend our tax

David Suzuki, the tireless voice of science and conscience, once declared: “Over and over, we hear politicians say they can’t spend our tax dollars on environmental protection when the economy is so fragile.” His words strike like a bell tolling in the night, for they expose the false division that rulers so often create between the health of the earth and the prosperity of human society. In his lament, there is both sorrow and warning: that to pit the economy against the environment is to misunderstand the foundation upon which both rest.

When Suzuki speaks of politicians, he points to those who see only the brief span of their terms, not the long arc of history. They treat the economy as a fragile idol to be shielded from all sacrifice, yet in doing so they neglect the truth that the environment is not an accessory to life, but its root. What good is wealth if the air is unfit to breathe, if the soil yields no harvest, if the seas rise to swallow the land? The fragility they fear is not in the economy but in the earth itself, which sustains all commerce and labor.

Consider the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, when poor farming practices and a disregard for ecological balance turned fertile plains into deserts of dust. Politicians of that age, too, sought to protect immediate profits, dismissing warnings about soil conservation. The result was devastation that crippled the economy far more than any act of environmental stewardship would have. This history illustrates Suzuki’s truth: neglecting environmental protection in the name of economic stability only ensures greater ruin to both.

The ancients knew this wisdom well. In Greece, Plato warned that overgrazing the hills would strip the land bare, leading to poverty and collapse. In China, dynasties fell when deforestation and erosion destroyed agricultural foundations. Time and again, the lesson was the same: rulers who sacrificed the environment for short-term gain sowed the seeds of their own downfall. Suzuki’s words echo this ancient law, reminding us that human flourishing and environmental stewardship are not enemies but allies.

The emotional power of Suzuki’s cry lies in its unveiling of hypocrisy. To claim poverty as an excuse for inaction is to close one’s eyes to the true costs of neglect. Money saved by avoiding environmental investment is not truly saved—it is debt passed to the future. Every untreated river, every polluted sky, every vanishing forest becomes a burden heavier than taxes: the debt of poisoned children, barren fields, and shattered communities. The “fragility” of the economy is but a mask to conceal the unwillingness to act with courage.

The lesson for us is urgent: do not be deceived by the false choice between prosperity and stewardship. The two are bound together like body and soul. Demand that leaders invest tax dollars not merely in the fleeting illusion of growth, but in the lasting foundation of a healthy earth. Support industries that respect the land, vote for policies that prioritize sustainability, and recognize that every coin spent on the environment is an investment in survival, not a drain on wealth.

So let Suzuki’s words endure as a commandment: never allow the cry of “economic fragility” to silence the call for environmental protection. For the economy is but a structure built upon the soil, the water, and the air. If the foundation crumbles, so too will the wealth it supports. But if we guard the earth with wisdom, both prosperity and life will flourish together, strong enough to endure the centuries.