Cleaner, Greener, Healthier: A Prescription for Stronger Canadian Environmental Laws and Policies(Law and Society)

Despite Canada's enduring image as a natural paradise, every year thousands of Canadians become ill or die prematurely as a result of exposure to environmental hazards. Canadians understand that their health is inextricably linked to the health of the environment and are deeply concerned about the impacts of toxic substances on themselves and their children. In Cleaner, Greener, Healthier, David R. Boyd sets out to remedy Canada's environmental health problems. He begins by assessing the environmental burden of disease, identifies its unequal distribution along racial and socio-economic lines, and estimates the associated economic costs. He then compares Canadian environmental laws and policies with those in the United States, Australia, and the European Union, delivering a provocative diagnosis of the root causes of Canada's second-rate standards. Finally, drawing on strategies that protect citizens in other countries, Boyd prescribes legal remedies that will enable Canada to catch up with the world's environmental leaders while delivering substantial health and economic benefits.

Table of Contents:
Part 1: Examination – The Surprising Magnitude of Environmental Health Problems in Canada 1 A Neglected but Vital Issue 2 Environmental Influences on Human Health 3 The Environmental Burden of Disease 4 Environmental Injustices 5 The Economic Costs of the Environmental Burden of Disease Part 2: Diagnosis – Inadequate Environmental Health Laws and Policies 6 Environmental Health Law and Policy: The Big Picture 7 A Comparative Analysis of Environmental Health Laws and Policies 8 Canada's Failure to Make Polluters Pay 9 Why Does Canada Lag Behind? Part 3: Prescription – Catching Up with Environmental Health Leaders 10 A Preventive and Precautionary Approach 11 Systemic Changes in Pursuit of Sustainability 12 The Time for Action Is Now Notes Index

About the Author :
David R. Boyd is a leading Canadian expert in environmental law and policy and an adjunct professor in the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University. An award-winning author, Boyd has written several books, including The Optimistic Environmentalist: Progressing Towards a Greener Future; The Environmental Rights Revolution: A Global Study of Constitutions, Human Rights, and the Environment; The Right to a Healthy Environment: Revitalizing Canada's Constitution; Dodging the Toxic Bullet; David Suzuki's Green Guide (with David Suzuki); and Unnatural Law: Rethinking Canadian Environmental Law and Policy. He lives on Pender Island, on the west coast of Canada, with his partner Margot Venton and their daughter Meredith. For more information visit www.davidrichardboyd.com.

Review :
Boyd does not disappoint in delivering another sweeping, well-researched interdisciplinary overview of the difficult challenge of linking environmental regulation to health in Canada. He makes a compelling case for law reform and, along the way, documents emerging and less well-known areas of environmental harm, such as intergenerational health impacts and the mental health benefits of nature. - Deborah Curran, University of Victoria (BC Studies)