Biofuelling the Future 35.2

“Racist” is probably the worst insult you can hurl at someone in this land of multiculturalism. But denial and fear of facing the term are considerable impediments to social and environmental justice in the Great White North. With a bold title that confronts the r-word unabashedly, Andil Gosine and Cheryl Teelucksingh, professors of sociology in Toronto, at York University and Ryerson University respectively, clearly and methodically deliver a primer on environmental justice theory and practice in North America. ...

Our collective identity as Canadians and our conception of the environment is largely one of endless forests, untamed rivers and free-ranging wildlife. This vision, however, no longer reflects the reality of most of our lives. Four out of five Canadians live in major cities or their suburbs, far from the landscapes depicted on postcards.

As we negotiate yet another pothole, Mrs. Atego laughs. First at how badly I’m driving along the pitted road outside Nairobi, and second at the fact that I want to visit her farm at all. “Why do you want to see my jatropha?” she asks. “You’re going to see the worst.” When we finally arrive, I gaze over a field dotted with stunted seedlings. They only grew a few inches in their first year, she explains. It is a far cry from the promise of a harvestable crop after nine months. Like other Kenyan farmers, Mrs. Atego has experienced both optimism and disappointment over this biofuel crop. ...

From cross-border rules mandating the clean up of the Upper Columbia River to the passing of environmental vanguard Jim Fulton, this condense timeline gives a comprehensive look at environmental events in 2008.