One of my children has just begun to question the whole “Santa” business. “So what’s the deal dad?” she says. “Does this guy really just come inside our house and leave presents behind? That makes no sense. I think you and mom buy the presents and then tell us they’re from Santa.” Obviously, her skepticism is now starting to trump her earlier childhood wonderment and acceptance. And while the loss of that sort of pure belief is kind of sad, it ultimately portends good things. For one, it means she’s now willing to view a situation objectively and apply her intellect in an attempt to discern its actual truth. That’s progress, which would be nice to see in some of the more rabid eco-wingnuts out there.

For more than a decade the developed world has been lambasted with “incontrovertible proof” that our planet was dying a miserable death thanks to the thoughtless behaviours of humans which lead to global warming. Naturally, this differed from the global cooling phenomenon, which was the boogeyman of choice during the seventies, but no matter. When the wheels finally started to come off this newer version of the whole alarmist endeavour the eco-brain trust immediately wised itself up and switched their villain’s name to “climate change.” That little feint was a brilliant masterstroke. How can you ever lose when you get to bet on both sides? Pure, evil genius.

Anyway, the whole outfit makes perfect sense to me. Without the threat of imminent (and likely irrevocable) harm there is no significant green business. If we were to believe that mankind as a whole was actually doing better environmentally than previous generations, and that the planet was otherwise okay, where then would the impetus for any large-scale change come from? Why get worked up and spend billions on climate research, schemes and product development. You need a reason and “green” is now a business – a big business. And they will say or do absolutely anything to keep going. Case in point: David Takayosh Suzuki.

Dr. Suzuki’s foundation needs cash to do its important work and it would seem that donations are not exactly what they used to be. It’s possible that minor setbacks like the discrediting of the oft-used “hockey stick graph”, the East Anglia emails that led to the original Climategate, various IPCC defections, Climategate 2.0 and so on, has had an effect on revenues, but you never know. Personally, I thought it was kind of inevitable. When droning dorks like Albert Gore (Gork?) start hectoring folks with lines like “the science is settled” you know something’s fishy. Wonder what Einstein and the Theory of Relativity have to say about science ever being completely settled? Anyway, such things are a dangerous distraction when there is moola to be made. Dr.Suzuki needed a crisis – now!

Enter Jolly old St. Nick. He’s fat, he’s fun and it’s his season to shine. Who better to ransom off for some much needed climate bucks? I kid you not, Dr. David Suzuki is starring in an ad – and a website – that features Santa and a couple of reindeer looking terrified as the waters of the North Pole rise around them. Even Santa’s famous sleigh is kept afloat on pontoons while Rudolph is sporting water wings to keep from drowning.

“The North Pole, once a wintery wonderland, is no longer safe for Santa’s workshop,” the site proclaims, “Climate change is melting the snow and ice, and the rising water is getting too close for comfort. Santa must relocate — fast — to make sure that all the nice boys and girls still have a Happy Holiday.” The website is called – wait for it – wherewillSantalive.ca. He should be ashamed.

That Suzuki would sink to such depths is almost beyond sad. Here is a man that in many ways defined nature for more than two generations of Canadians. This is the kind of legacy he wants to leave behind? Why is a self-proclaimed man of science practicing the sort of hysterical extremism best reserved for unthinking fundamentalists? Honestly, these days he is no different than some bearded loon proclaiming the end of the world on a sandwich board. Actually, scratch that. He’s worse – at least the sandwich board guy isn’t haranguing you for money.

Every Christmas, major organizations around the world go out of their way to support the beautiful notion of Santa, from NORAD “tracking” his sleigh Christmas Eve to the Post Office “handling” his mail through December. It would seem only Suzuki and his mindless crew lack the shame to leverage something as tasteless as this.

Still, there is a positive to be found in such circumstances. Good things are often hijacked by people for the wrong reasons. And both Santa Clause and the environment have seen their fair share of exploitation. The important thing to remember is that for all of those willing and interested, the truth about most things really exists. And like my daughter, it’s up to us as individuals to eventually grow up and find it.

Photo: Contributed