David Suzuki has spent years telling Canadians that we all need to pay carbon taxes and reduce our carbon footprint.

Yet, David Suzuki himself loves to travel and has a massive carbon footprint.

But before we discuss his global adventures, consider what the David Suzuki Foundation’s website notes about air travel:

“Air travel leaves behind a huge carbon footprint.” The site goes on to note that people should “try vacationing closer to home” or “stay in touch with people by videoconferencing…” to help “stop climate change.”

Now consider that in 2014 Suzuki did a farewell tour across Canada. It was supposed to be his “last national tour” according to the CBC. That tour included “20 stops from St. John's to Vancouver.”

As Suzuki was 78 at the time, it’s probably safe to assume he didn’t walk across the country. This begs the question – why didn’t he take his own Foundation’s advice and videoconference instead?

Since that “last national tour” in 2014, we calculated that Suzuki has made at least eight more trips to cities in Ontario, four trips to Montreal, he has visited Winnipeg a couple times, Atlantic Canada twice and Calgary at least once.

Many of these trips appear to have been public speaking appearances. One agency notes he charges $30,000 to $50,000 per appearance so it’s easy to see why he might be so driven.

But that’s just Canada … Suzuki has also been to Japan, Hong Kong and Australia too.

Interestingly enough, while the Toronto Sun noted Suzuki owned four properties back in 2013, The Guardian indicated in 2017 that Suzuki owns a home in Australia as well.

What could be worse for the environment – at least according to Suzuki’s standards – than owning a nice little getaway on the other side of the world?

On top of those trips, we also found that Suzuki has done a few overseas documentaries for the CBC recently as well. He travelled to Egypt for a documentary on the Pyramids and one in Italy titled Obsession with Manners, Fashion, and Beauty: Pompeii’s People Revealed. In New York, Suzuki shot a documentary on Jumbo the elephant.

Back in 2016, the National Post ran a story that asked Suzuki about his travel. Suzuki claimed he purchases carbon offsets for all his travel, but conceded, “This is just to compensate for what I’ve put out – it doesn’t mean I’ve reduced my footprint.”

But isn’t that the point? Suzuki and his Foundation want everyone else to reduce their emissions so that Canada’s overall emissions go down – not merely to stabilize.

Suzuki’s travel history only contributes to questions being raised about why the University of Alberta is set to award this carbon tax warrior an honourary degree in science? By Suzuki’s own standards, he too is a threat to the environment.

In a recent interview, Suzuki indicated his favourite line is something his dad taught him – “You are what you do, not what you say.”

Yes, Mr. Suzuki, you’re a capitalist who enjoys wealth, travel and activities that emit lots of carbon dioxide. You’re not the environmentalist you claim to be.

Colin Craig is the Alberta Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation
This column was published by Sun newspapers on May 1, 2018