Sustainability and the Environment – serie

The recent United Nations Conference on the Environment andDevelopment, popularly known as the Earth Summit, was a milestone eventfor sustainable development. In dealing with ecological anddevelopmental issues concurrently, it brought the internationalenvironmental agenda to the fore. Canada was the first industrializedcountry to announce that it would be a signatory to the BiodiversityConvention, and by furthering future forestry and global warmingconventions, it played an important leadership role.Achieving Sustainable Development explores how well Canadahas met the Earth Summit's targets and attempts to find ways inwhich the public can become involved in such issues. Its authors stressthe importance of integration of information from various fields andseek to stimulate the exchange of knowledge among the academiccommunity, government, non-governmental organizations and industry. Thecontributors look far beyond merely identifying and analyzing selectedissues and problems. To facilitate public discussion and to affectpolicy development, at least one initiative is proposed and detailedfor each problem identified.Achieving Sustainable Development provides an overallintroduction to critical subjects in sustainable development --industrial growth, women, institutional arrangements, industrialpractices, and aboriginal peoples. Most importantly, it argues for theimmediate development of a research and policy agenda for Canada andsuggests mechanisms for its implementation.

Life in 2030 is a ground-breaking, practical, and, aboveall, positive vision of life in twenty-first-century Canada. As we moveinto the next century, the development of sustainable andenvironmentally benign patterns of resource utilization andsocioeconomic development is an essential priority. In this book, JohnRobinson and his co-authors investigate the possibility and impacts ofa sustainable future for Canada.Based on research initiated by the Sustainable Society Project in1988, Life in 2030 is unique in that it uses backcastinginstead of forecasting to trace the path of Canada forty years into thefuture to the year 2030. Instead of predicting the most likely futurebased on current trends, the authors set out a desirable future anddiscuss the changes that would need to occur between 1990 and 2030 toarrive at this future vision. This vision, derived from ethical,political, and ecological principles, is not viewed as definitive, forthe authors hope to inspire others to conceive of, and work towards,their own visions of a sustainable future.Life in 2030 makes a significant contribution tointerdisciplinary studies on the environment and sustainability becauseit develops a scenario that allows for an evaluation of the changesrequired to achieve a sustainable society. This book is requiredreading for anyone interested in a sustainable future environment. Italso provides an original and provocative look at life in Canada in thetwenty-first century.

What is a sustainable community? The pressing need to answer thissimple question is what prompted John Pierce and Ann Dale to gather theessays in this volume. Communities, Development, and Sustainabilityacross Canada is a timely synthesis of work on how Canadiancommunities can achieve sustainable development. It bridges the gapbetween theory and praxis and brings together academics, policy makers,and community activists, all of whom have argued for increased localparticipation in sustainable community development. Communities havebecome the weak link in efforts to refashion relations between theenvironment and the economy. The goal of this book is not simply todescribe problems but also to suggest answers, not simply to offertheory but also to promote action, so that Canadian communities canbetter achieve sustainable development.The twelve essays are organized into four sections: Vision,Connections, Action, and Assessing Progress. The first and lastsections discuss local sustainable development within the context ofincreasing globalization. The second section approaches sustainabledevelopment from the perspective of social evolution and urban systems.The third section, the heart of the book, is comprised of threecommunity case studies, an assessment of the Pacific salmon fishery,and four general discussions of sustainable development. The conclusionreiterates the need to make communities stronger links in sustainabledevelopment.The message of Communities, Development, and Sustainabilityacross Canada is clear: it is time for communities themselves toact if they are to achieve sustainable development. This provocativeand persuasive book will prove to be a valuable guide to taking thefirst steps.

Bioregionalism and Civil Society addresses the urgent needfor sustainability in industrialized societies. The book explores thebioregional movement in the US, Canada, and Mexico, examining itsvision, values, strategies, and tools for building sustainablesocieties. Bioregionalism is a philosophy with values and practicesthat attempt to meld issues of social and economic justice andsustainability with cultural, ecological, and spiritual concerns.Further, bioregional efforts at democratic social and cultural changetake place primarily in the sphere of civil society.Practically, Carr argues for bioregionalism as a place-specific,community movement that can stand in diverse opposition to thehomogenizing trends of corporate globalization. Theoretically, theauthor seeks lessons for civil society-based social theory andstrategy. Conventional civil society theory from Europe proposes a dualstrategy of developing strong horizontal communicative action amongcivic associations and networks as the basis for strategic verticalcampaigns to democratize both state and market sectors. However, thistheory offers no ecological or cultural critique of consumerism. Bycontrast, Carr integrates both social and natural ecologies in a civilsociety theory that incorporates lessons about consumption and culturaltransformation from bioregional practice.Carr's argument that bioregional values and community-buildingtools support a diverse, democratic, socially just civil society thatrespects and cares for the natural world makes a significantcontribution to the field of green political science, social changetheory, and environmental thought.

The issues associated with sustainable production are among the mostimportant facing the world in the early 21st century. While most of thescholarship in this area has been produced in the United States andEurope, not much has been written from a Canadian perspective.Sustainable Production establishes a Canadian presence in thesustainable production debate by analyzing the opportunities andconstraints facing both the public and private sectors as Canadastrives to move public policy and industrial practice forward.Sustainable production focuses on the systems by which industrialeconomies produce goods and services and the ways in which investmentand production decisions are influenced by public policy. One goal ofsustainable production is to dematerialize production – minimizing energy and material extraction and throughput per unit ofeconomic output. In its broader sense, sustainable production shouldsimultaneously improve environmental quality and social well-being.Sustainable production envisions an industrial system that wouldmaximize resource efficiency, minimize environmental impacts, andreplenish natural capital, while providing safe and satisfyingemployment opportunities.Sustainable Production will be of interest to scholars andstudents in business, public policy, and engineering, to policy makers,and to practitioners in firms and industry associations.

The issues associated with sustainable production are among the mostimportant facing the world in the early 21st century. While most of thescholarship in this area has been produced in the United States andEurope, not much has been written from a Canadian perspective.Sustainable Production establishes a Canadian presence in thesustainable production debate by analyzing the opportunities andconstraints facing both the public and private sectors as Canadastrives to move public policy and industrial practice forward.Sustainable production focuses on the systems by which industrialeconomies produce goods and services and the ways in which investmentand production decisions are influenced by public policy. One goal ofsustainable production is to dematerialize production – minimizing energy and material extraction and throughput per unit ofeconomic output. In its broader sense, sustainable production shouldsimultaneously improve environmental quality and social well-being.Sustainable production envisions an industrial system that wouldmaximize resource efficiency, minimize environmental impacts, andreplenish natural capital, while providing safe and satisfyingemployment opportunities.Sustainable Production will be of interest to scholars andstudents in business, public policy, and engineering, to policy makers,and to practitioners in firms and industry associations.

In farming systems across Canada, effective risk management isnecessary to deal with drought, flooding, and extreme weather, and toadapt to altered climate and weather conditions. Unfortunately, climatechange risks and opportunities are not always well understood amongresearchers and policy makers in the Canadian agri-food sector. Thisbook addresses that gap by providing a wide-ranging synopsis ofwhat climate change means for Canadian agriculture, exploring differentapproaches to the topic, and presenting examples of current research.It covers all agricultural regions and a wide variety of commodityproduction and farming systems. This comprehensive survey synthesizestwenty years of research on climate change and Canadianagriculture.

Civil society organizations are among the most vociferous critics of the modern food system. Yet even after decades of campaigns, governments have failed to address health and sustainability issues in a systematic way.New approaches are in order, and this volume showcases the research of experts from various disciplines who argue that solutions lie not just in lobbying elected officials but rather in initiatives at the subparliamentary level. Case studies on a range of topics, from breastfeeding and sustainable pest management promotion to programs such as Canada's Action Plan on Food Security, tell a story of misguided campaigns and missed opportunities.Real change, this inspiring volume suggests, is possible. It will come when advocacy groups develop innovative strategies of influencing decision makers more resistant to public pressure: business lobbies well connected to government agencies, middle managers, and ministries unused to collaborating across departmental mandates.

Civil society organizations are among the most vociferous critics of the modern food system. Yet even after decades of campaigns, governments have failed to address health and sustainability issues in a systematic way.New approaches are in order, and this volume showcases the research of experts from various disciplines who argue that solutions lie not just in lobbying elected officials but rather in initiatives at the subparliamentary level. Case studies on a range of topics, from breastfeeding and sustainable pest management promotion to programs such as Canada's Action Plan on Food Security, tell a story of misguided campaigns and missed opportunities.Real change, this inspiring volume suggests, is possible. It will come when advocacy groups develop innovative strategies of influencing decision makers more resistant to public pressure: business lobbies well connected to government agencies, middle managers, and ministries unused to collaborating across departmental mandates.

In the face of growing anxiety about the environmental sustainability of the world, George Francis, a leading authority in the field of sustainability studies, examines initiatives undertaken in Canada over the past twenty-five years to protect some of our unique environments.With rich and varied insight, spirited prose, and a deep and personal engagement with the material, the author documents the challenges faced by those who manage complex sustainability projects. Focusing mainly on collaborative studies of sixteen landscape regions designated as "Biosphere Reserves" by UNESCO and fifteen regions designated as "Model Forests" by the Canadian Forest Service, the book also summarizes a number of smaller sustainability initiatives in regions across the country.The author concludes on a hopeful note, looking forward to a future of solutions – those considered, proposed, promoted, and in some cases already implemented by groups striving to create sustainable societies in an increasingly complex world.

Canada is known for being an energy-producing nation – with much attention being paid to the Alberta tar sands and their large carbon footprint. This book looks at a very different part of the Canadian energy sector: the hundreds of renewable energy co-ops that have sprung up across the nation. These co-ops are democratically structured, community-based organizations that use sun, wind, rivers, tides, and plant and animal waste as sources of local power generation.Empowering Electricity offers an illuminating analysis of these co-ops within the context of larger debates over climate change, renewable electricity policy, sustainable community development, and provincial power-sector ownership. It looks at the conditions that led to this new wave of co-operative development, examines their form and location, and shines a light on the promises and challenges accompanying their development.

As climate change, resource overexploitation, and pollution leave ever more visible marks, ocean ecosystems, economies, and people are all affected. With coasts on the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic, Canada faces a formidable challenge in building resilient, sustainable oceans and supporting the communities that rely on them. Sea Change reports on the OceanCanada Partnership, a multidisciplinary project to take stock of what we know about Canada's oceans, construct possible scenarios for coastal regions, and create a national dialogue and vision. Three themes emerge from this impressive synthesis of social, cultural, economic, and environmental research: ocean change, access to ocean resources, and ocean governance. Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars and practitioners focus on finding solutions to rapid environmental and social transformation, outlining the implications for legislation and offering policy recommendations. Increasingly, civil society will have to advocate for oceans, and Sea Change will empower the voices of those who take up that task.

The Gulf of St. Lawrence is one of Canada's largest and most complex marine systems, bordering on five provinces with 250,000 people living in proximity to the coast. Managing the aquatic environment of this vast territory must consider not only biophysical processes but also human use, policy jurisdiction, and politics. Environmental Governance in the Gulf of St. Lawrence focuses on the coastal margin and deepwater Gulf in a series of policy studies, covering topics such as marine infrastructure, fisheries, offshore petroleum, coastal zones, marine transport, aquaculture, large ocean management, protected areas, and Indigenous governance. The authors examine each semi-autonomous field of environmental action within a geopolitical context, and then compare them as parts of a policy whole, with the goal of understanding the management of this vital region.This yields a picture of polycentric politics, where environmental policy subnetworks interact. Building on this, Environmental Governance poses questions about possible reform agendas.