Striving for Environmental Sustainability in a Complex World: Canadian Experiences - George Francis

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Résumé :
In the face of growing anxiety about the environmental sustainability of the world, George Francis, a leading authority in the field of sustainability studies, examines initiatives undertaken in Canada over the past twenty-five years to protect some of our unique environments.With rich and varied insight, spirited prose, and a deep and personal engagement with the material, the author documents the challenges faced by those who manage complex sustainability projects. Focusing mainly on collaborative studies of sixteen landscape regions designated as Biosphere Reserves by UNESCO and fifteen regions designated as Model Forests by the Canadian Forest Service, the book also summarizes a number of smaller sustainability initiatives in regions across the country.The author concludes on a hopeful note, looking forward to a future of solutions - those considered, proposed, promoted, and in some cases already implemented by groups striving to create sustainable societies in an increasingly complex world....

Biographie:
George Francis is a distinguished professor emeritus in the School of Environment, Resources, and Sustainability at the University of Waterloo, Ontario. He is a seminal figure in the field of sustainability studies in Canada and was intimately involved in many of the projects described in this volume....

Sommaire:
Introduction1 Adopting Complexity to Guide Inquiries: Framework, Methods, and Rationale2 The Landscape Regions: Biosphere Reserves and Model Forests3 Governing Landscape Regions: Learning from Experience and Surprise4 Technologies and Innovations: Recent Origins and the Canadian Situation5 Innovations and Sustainability in the Landscape Regions: Looking Ahead, Looking Back6 Other Approaches toward Desirable Sustainability for Canadian Communities7 Where Next? Possibilities Being Explored8 Where Next for Complexity Thinking Itself?AppendicesNotesReferencesIndex...