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Environmental indicators provide an effective means by which complex environmental data can be transformed into easy-to-use communication and decision-making tools - tools that can help us keep track of the state of the environment and measure progress towards sustainable development. Ideally, environmental indicators can be used in much the same way that economic indicators have been for many years. Canada began developing a national set of environmental indicators over 10 years ago. At the time, the notion of sustainable development, effectively put forth by the World Commission on Environment and Development in its 1987 report, "Our Common Future", brought with it an imperative for more and better environmental information. Subsequently, the 1989 G7 Economic Summit in Paris called for the development of environmental indicators to measure the state of the environment and the relationship between the environment and economic development. To achieve this goal in Canada, an Indicators Task Force led by Environment Canada was created to establish a framework for developing indicators, conduct a broad survey of key opinion leaders and potential users, and define criteria by which indicators would be selected. The interviewees surveyed stated that these indicators would be useful for day-to-day decision-making if they were perceived as catalysts that could "spark behavioural and ethical changes" among Canadians and answer to "intelligent public concern" for the environment. They also commented that indicators buried in government reports are of little use to the public and that results must be communicated clearly and understandably to the users. The indicators needed to relate to things that people value or identify with, be directed to something requiring attention or action, illustrate changes in a reasonable time frame, and be flexible enough to respond to changing scientific data and public opinion.Subsequently, a preliminary set of environmenta indicators, based on existing information and monitoring, was identified. Initially, this set contained 43 indicators in 18 issue areas. In the 10 years that followed, the indicators were further developed, updated, and published regularly as concise, easy-to-read bulletins, each representing a separate issue area. It is clear that this set does not yet present indicators on all environmental issues of importance to Canadians and for all regions of Canada. Indicator gaps are also apparent in many existing issue areas, particularly in relation to human health and ecological effects, where the monitoring and data collecting have historically been limited. Environmental indicator programs are now in place throughout Canada and internationally. These programs have grown in response to the needs of decision-makers at many levels, from the local, regional, and national to the international, as well as the needs of scientists to communicate their findings more effectively. Regional offices of Environment Canada have developed ongoing and growing indicator programs to report on regional ecosystem issues. Other levels of government (municipal, provincial, territorial) and other government departments and organizations have developed environmental indicators related to their mandates (e.g., Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Agri-Environmental Indicators; Canadian Council of Forest Ministers Criteria and Indicators of Sustainable Forest Management in Canada). The challenge is to bring together many of these indicator initiatives to contribute to a national picture of the state of sustainability.To achieve this next step in the evolution of environmental indicators for Canada, we propose the development of a "core set" of indicators - a single, recognizable set using the soundest approaches from all jurisdictions. Through renewed attention to integrating and organizing environmental knowledge, some gaps will be filled, and better ways of communicating information on the state of the environment to Canadians will emerge. It is hoped that the discussions contained in this document will serve as a starting point for the development of this "core set" of indicators. In this report, we present the entire National Environmental Indicator Series, providing a broad picture of the current state of Canada's environment, as well as the linkages between issue areas. Each issue area is structured in terms of the human activities that act as pressures on the environment, the condition of the environment, and societal responses to address the issue. Due to space limitations, only a brief selection of national and international actions that deal with each environmental issue can be provided. The report concludes with a look at what decisions individual Canadians can make to live more sustainably and the challenges and opportunities related to continuing indicator development in Canada.Drivers of environmental stressThe impact of humans on the environment is a function of total population, per capita consumption and waste generation, and the type of technologies used. Globally, growth in human populations is seen as a major driver of environmental deterioration. With the present rate of world population growth, we are adding one billion people every 14 years, and each of these additional persons places demands on natural ecosystems. Compared with many countries, Canada has a small population relative to its large landmass and rich supply of natural resources. Even so, growing population numbers are having significant effects around some urban areas. Urban sprawl, particularly in southern Ontario and Quebec and the Fraser Valley and southern interior of British Columbia, is affecting sensitive ecosystems (e.g. wetlands, grasslands, freshwater bodies), placing stress on water and transportation infrastructures, and encroaching on some of the highest quality agricultural soils.In Canada, individual lifestyles and the degree to which more environmentally benign technologies are embraced are as important indicators of environmental stress as is total population. The slight decline in per capita energy use since 1990, coupled with a significant increase in per capita economic growth, indicates that the Canadian economy is becoming more energy efficient. However, we do not yet have a powerful suite of measures that show the extent to which economic activity is impacting the environment. Over the coming years, as better indicators of the relationship between the economy and the environment are developed, we will be able to track how rapidly our economy is embracing environmental values and whether or not economic growth is depleting our natural capital. 
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