Human Survivability in the 21st Century: Proceedings of a Symposium Held in November 1998 Under the Auspices of the Royal Society of Canada

Patrick Colgan is the former executive director of the Canadian Museum
of Nature.

National academies appropriately undertake “the diffusion of expert
knowledge” regarding big issues, but big issues require big and
detailed examinations. Unfortunately, the half-dozen essays in this book
provide only a few and scattered thoughts.

David Rapport correctly focuses on the centrality of ecosystem health
and environmental management, drawing on much research (not all of which
is made clear), but is too wound up in disciplinary achievements to
relate to the theme of survivability. In contrast to Rapport’s
qualified “grounds for optimism,” Thomas Homer-Dixon is
appropriately and seriously alarmed at the demands that environmental
scarcity makes on human ingenuity, highlighting the possibility of Earth
as a wasteland.

Rosemary Ommer examines the social and political dynamics underlying
East Coast fisheries, but despite what she terms “the great strengths
of our work,” her direct contribution to the theme is elusive. With
particular attention to Canada and Quebec, Gilles Paquet adroitly traces
the political pathway from social trust and cohesion to governance and
economic growth, providing an enlightening analysis of the dynamics of
the past few decades.

The last two chapters have admirably large but bloodless perspectives.
John Leslie laudably gives a sombre litany of threats to survival and
general features of extinction, including philosophical aspects. J.
Richard Gott summarizes his controversial line of reasoning stemming
from the Copernican principle that our location in the universe is not
special, and argues for extraterrestrial colonies. The concluding
comments by William Fyfe are stimulating but regrettably brief.

The inherent weaknesses of edited volumes, such as unevenness and
selectivity, are very evident. The useful threads that are included
require weaving into a synthesis with recommendations. Some of the
figures presented are unnecessary, while others from secondary sources
are opaque. Especially in view of the importance of the theme, this book
is a disappointment. Canada deserves better from its Royal Society.