Canada and the State of the Planet: The Social, Economic and Environmental Trends That Are Shaping Our Lives

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

Edited by science writer Michael Keating, this book deals with key
social, economic, and environmental issues.

In Part 1, Keating and four leaders associated with the Canadian Global
Change Program of the Canadian Royal Society survey the overall global
scene and discuss changes in climate and biodiversity, and their impact
on Arctic Canada. Part 2 highlights critical trends associated with
humans, the environment, and quality of life. A grim picture emerges of
excessive population growth (the root problem), avarice, waste, poverty,
conflict, short-sightedness, and degradation of nature. Part 3 comprises
a glossary, a chronology of key environmental events, addresses and Web
sites of relevant organizations, references, and an index. Throughout
the book figures and charts usefully summarize pertinent data.

Although rich in information, Canada and the State of the Planet is not
sufficiently hortatory. For instance, Canada’s shortcomings with
respect to decreasing atmospheric emissions are politely pointed out,
but there is no urgent call for action by our increasingly weak-willed
federal government. The lack of passion and involvement stands in stark
contrast to the tone struck in David Suzuki’s The Sacred Balance
(1997). Nonetheless, this book is a valuable tool for those seeking an
up-to-date overview of the crucial issues it addresses.