University of British Columbia Press Life in 2030: Exploring a Sustainable Future for Canada (Sustainability and the Environment)

Life in 2030 is a ground-breaking, practical, and, aboveall, positive vision of life in twenty-first-century Canada. As we moveinto the next century, the development of sustainable andenvironmentally benign patterns of resource utilization andsocioeconomic development is an essential priority. In this book, JohnRobinson and his co-authors investigate the possibility and impacts ofa sustainable future for Canada. Based on research initiated by the Sustainable Society Project in1988, Life in 2030 is unique in that it uses backcastinginstead of forecasting to trace the path of Canada forty years into thefuture to the year 2030. Instead of predicting the most likely futurebased on current trends, the authors set out a desirable future anddiscuss the changes that would need to occur between 1990 and 2030 toarrive at this future vision. This vision, derived from ethical,political, and ecological principles, is not viewed as definitive, forthe authors hope to inspire others to conceive of, and work towards,their own visions of a sustainable future. Life in 2030 makes a significant contribution tointerdisciplinary studies on the environment and sustainability becauseit develops a scenario that allows for an evaluation of the changesrequired to achieve a sustainable society. This book is requiredreading for anyone interested in a sustainable future environment. Italso provides an original and provocative look at life in Canada in thetwenty-first century.