Book Description

Canadians recognize the importance of a clean and healthy environment. We understand that the capacity of the environment to supply materials and absorb wastes is finite. But to be effective at reducing our collective impact on the environment we need systematic, accessible and relevant information. Without such information, we are unable to understand and respond to environmental change. Human activity and the environment 2000 meets this need with a collection of environmental statistics, brought together from many sources. The report provides a statistical picture of Canada's environment with special emphasis on human activity and its relationship to natural systems' air, water, soil, plants and animals. The fact that much of Canada's economy is supported by the wealth of its natural resources raises questions about the sustainability of our resource use. Can we maintain air, water and soil quality? Can we continue to extract renewable and non-renewable resources at current rates? Are we implementing conservation and recycling measures? This edition of Human activity and the environment provides extensive data on population, economic activities, the environment and the links among these key elements. Analysis and interpretation support the statistics and help readers make sense of these complex interactions -- STC BiblioCat.