The Right to a Healthy Environment—Revitalizing Canada's Constitution

Boyd, an environmental lawyer and professor at Simon Fraser University, explores the arguments for and against adding environmental provisions to the Canadian constitution. He reviews the history of such proposals going back to the late '60s, provincial environmental bills of rights, focusing on the practical effects of recognizing these rights. His focus on the Canadian constitution is not just personal, but emanates from a scholarly interest in understanding Canada among the majority of nations that do recognize the environment in their constitutions and highest laws. He identifies these other countries and considers the legal and ecological impact these provisions have made. The final chapters describe the specific tangible impacts constitutional recognition of environmental rights would have in Canada, explores the political and legal avenues for achieving this recognition, and offer a draft "Canadian Charter of Environmental Rights and Responsibilities." U.S. distribution is by U. of Washington Press. Canadian distribution is by U. of Toronto Press. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Dr. David R. Boyd is one of Canada's leadingexperts in environmental law and policy and an adjunct professor in theSchool of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon FraserUniversity. He has advised the governments of Canada, Sweden, andIceland on environmental and constitutional issues and is the co-chairof Vancouver's Greenest City Action Team along with Mayor GregorRobertson. He is a member of the IUCN's Commission onEnvironmental Law, the Global Network for the Study of Human Rights andthe Environment, the Forum for Leadership on Water, and theEnvironmental Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW).David Boyd is the author of several bestselling and award-winningbooks as well as more than a hundred publications related toenvironmental law and policy, including Unnatural Law:Rethinking Canadian Environmental Law and Policy. His currentresearch focuses on the effects of enshrining environmental rights andresponsibilities in national constitutions