Jane Goodall looks to youth to save planet: Wendy Mesley interview

Jane Goodall, best known for her groundbreaking research about chimpanzees, is also a powerful environmentalist. 

Starting in 1960, Goodall spent years at the Gombe Stream Reserve in Tanzania, gaining an inside view of the unknown world of chimpanzees. Now, at age 82, she spends most of her time travelling the world giving lectures and advocating for animal rights and the environment.. 

While Goodall tells CBC's Wendy Mesley that environmentalists have failed in some respects, she is hopeful for the future. 

"I have to hurry up, because I don't know how many more years I can go on doing this," she says. 

But young people give her hope. "They get it, they're inspired and they're passionate, they tackle huge problems, they really work, and they're determined."

The interview covers a range of topics, including Earth Day.

Goodall wants humans to stop trashing the planet and to come together to protect the environment before it is too late. 

"The main message is that every single one of us makes a difference every single day," she says. "And we have a choice, what sort of difference do we want to make?"

Watch Wendy Mesley's full interview with Jane Goodall in the video player at the top of this page or here.

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