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Law Environmental

Unnatural Law

Rethinking Canadian Environmental Law and Policy

by (author) David R. Boyd

Publisher
UBC Press
Initial publish date
Aug 2003
Category
Environmental, Environmental Policy, Environmental Conservation & Protection, Natural Resources
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9780774810487
    Publish Date
    Aug 2003
    List Price
    $95.00
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9780774810494
    Publish Date
    Aug 2003
    List Price
    $34.95
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9780774840637
    Publish Date
    Nov 2011
    List Price
    $99.00

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Description

While governments assert that Canada is a world leader in sustainability, Unnatural Law provides extensive evidence to refute this claim. A comprehensive assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of Canadian environmental law, the book provides a balanced, critical examination of Canada’s record, focusing on laws and policies intended to protect water, air, land, and biodiversity. Three decades of environmental laws have produced progress in a number of important areas, such as ozone depletion, protected areas, and some kinds of air and water pollution. However, Canada’s overall record remains poor.

 

In this vital and timely study, David Boyd explores the reasons why some laws and policies foster progress while others fail. He ultimately concludes that the root cause of environmental degradation in industrialized nations is excessive consumption of resources. Unnatural Law outlines the innovative changes in laws and policies that Canada must implement in order to respond to the ecological imperative of living within the Earth’s limits. The struggle for a sustainable future is one of the most daunting challenges facing humanity in the 21st century. Everyone – academics, lawyers, students, policy-makers, and concerned citizens – interested in the health of the Canadian and global environments will find Unnatural Law an invaluable source of information and insight. For more information on Unnatural Law visit David Boyd's site, www.unnaturallaw.com.

About the author

Dr. David R. Boyd is one of Canada’s leading experts in environmental law and policy and an adjunct professor in the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University. He has advised the governments of Canada, Sweden, and Iceland on environmental and constitutional issues and is the co-chair of Vancouver’s Greenest City Action Team along with Mayor Gregor Robertson. He is a member of the IUCN’s Commission on Environmental Law, the Global Network for the Study of Human Rights and the Environment, the Forum for Leadership on Water, and the Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW).

David Boyd is the author of several bestselling and award-winning books as well as more than a hundred publications related to environmental law and policy, including Unnatural Law: Rethinking Canadian Environmental Law and Policy and The Right to a Healthy Environment: Revitalizing Canada's Constitution. His current research focuses on the effects of enshrining environmental rights and responsibilities in national constitutions.

David R. Boyd's profile page

Awards

  • Short-listed, Walter Owen Book Prize, Foundation for Legal Research
  • Short-listed, Donald Smiley Book Prize, Canadian Political Science Association
  • Winner, Book of the Year (Environment), Canadian Geographic Magazine