Green Enigma

David is a very common first name, and Boyd is a reasonably common last name, but what is the chance of reviewing two different books about the environment by two different David R. Boyd’s, both of whom are environmental lawyers living on the West Coast? Or at least that was the conclusion that I inevitably drew when I read The Optimistic Environmentalist: Progressing Towards a Greener Future followed by Cleaner, Greener, Healthier: A Prescription for Stronger Canadian Environmental Laws and Policies.

The first book, as the title suggests, is a paean to the amazing progress we have made on the environment globally and the possibility of solving our major environmental problems, even the most difficult ones such as climate change, in our lifetimes. While The Optimistic Environmentalist’s David Boyd is quick to recognize that these fixes are in no way inevitable, he also makes it clear that positive outcomes are tantalizingly within our grasp...