An Environmental History of Canada

Traces how Canada’s colonial and national development contributed to modern environmental problems such as urban sprawl, the collapse of fisheries, and climate change• Includes over 200 photographs, maps, figures, and sidebar discussions on key figures, concepts, and cases• Offers concise definitions of environmental concepts• Ties Canadian history to issues relevant to contemporary society• Introduces students to a new, dynamic approach to the past

Throughout history most people have associated northern North America with wilderness - with snow-capped mountains, endless forest and prairie, myriad lakes, and abundant fish and game. Canada’s contemporary picture gallery, however, contains more disturbing images - melting ice caps, deforestation, polluted waterways, and depleted fisheries. Adopting both a chronological and thematic approach, Laurel MacDowell explores human interactions with the land, and the origins of our current environmental crisis, from first peoples to the Kyoto Protocol. This richly illustrated exploration of the past from an environmental perspective will change the way Canadians and others around the world think about - and look at - Canada.