Why do we claim to value sustainability while acting in an unsustainable fashion? How can we reduce our consumption drastically and move toward a sustainable social system when our society is specifically based on consumption? These two linked questions are at the heart of this important book, the result of a four-year interdisciplinary study of British Columbia’s Lower Fraser Basin.

Taking the slogan “think globally, act locally” to heart, the contributors to Fatal Consumption are theoretical as well as practical. They conceptualize the policy analysis they provide, while also proposing useful tools for those charged with making decisions. Though specific in focus, the analysis in Fatal Consumption can be generalized to most North American urban areas. It offers both an understanding of the present and hope for a sustainable future, counterbalancing a discussion of the opportunities for change with a frank examination of the barriers to such change.

Fatal Consumption will appeal to urban planners, to policy makers, and to scholars and others interested in the relationship between health and a sustainable society.