The Program on Water Issues is pleased to host a lecture, discussion, and book launch for one of Canada’s leading experts in environmental law and policy, David R. Boyd.
September 29, 2015 from 12:00pm – 2:00 pm
Library & Boardroom
Munk School Observatory Site
315 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON, M5S 1W7
Registration is required.
To register visit: http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/david-boyd-book-launch-cleaner-greener-healthier-the-optimistic-environmentalist-tickets-18265795486
Featuring two new books by David Boyd:
Cleaner, Greener, Healthier: A Prescription for Stronger Canadian Environmental Laws and Policies (UBC Press, 2015)
Canadians are getting sick from toxins in their air, food, water, and consumer products. In Cleaner, Greener, Healthier, David Boyd sets out to remedy Canada’s environmental health problems. He begins by assessing the environmental burden of disease, identifies its unequal distribution, and estimates the associated economic costs. He then compares Canada’s environmental laws and policies with those in the US, Australia, and the EU, delivering a provocative diagnosis of the causes of Canada’s second-rate standards. Finally, he prescribes legal remedies that will enable Canada to catch up with the world’s environmental leaders while delivering substantial health and economic benefits.
The Optimistic Environmentalist: Progressing Towards a Greener Future (EWC Press, 2015).
A hopeful, inspiring, and honest take on the environment
Yes, the world faces substantial environmental challenges — climate change, pollution, and extinction. But the surprisingly good news is that we have solutions to these problems. In the past fifty years, a remarkable number of environmental problems have been solved, while substantial progress is ongoing on others.
The Optimistic Environmentalist chronicles these remarkable success stories. Endangered species — from bald eagles to gray whales — pulled back from the precipice of extinction. Thousands of new parks, protecting billions of hectares of land and water. The salvation of the ozone layer, vital to life on Earth. The exponential growth of renewable energy powered by wind, water, and sun. The race to be the greenest city in the world. Remarkable strides in cleaning up the air we breathe and the water we drink. The banning of dozens of the world’s most toxic chemicals. A circular economy where waste is a thing of the past. Past successes pave the way for even greater achievements in the future.
Providing a powerful antidote to environmental despair, this book inspires optimism, leading readers to take action and exemplifying how change can happen. A bright green future is not only possible, it’s within our grasp.
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.