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PREFACE
At its ninth session in the spring of 2001, the United Nations Commission on
Sustainable Development (CSD) will review progress made by member countries with
respect to sustainable energy development and transportation systems as outlined
in Chapters 7 and 9 of Agenda 21 and the Energy, Transport, and
Atmosphere section of the Programme for Further Implementation of Agenda 21.
The Programme of Work for CSD 9 also includes information for decision
making and participation, as well as atmosphere and international cooperation
for an enabling environment as key cross-sectoral themes for review and action.
As a contribution to the CSD 9 dialogue, Canada has prepared a series of
three monographs relating its experiences and challenges on energy,
transportation, and information for decision making.
Energy is necessary to most forms of economic and social activity. Canada is
an energy-rich nation, with substantial resources of oil, natural gas, coal, and
uranium, as well as renewable energy sources such as hydro, wind, solar, and
tidal power. While energy will continue to fuel economic activity and social
development in Canada and other nations, its production and consumption will
also present environmental challenges. The first monograph in this CSD 9
series, Energy and Sustainable Development: A Canadian Perspective,
examines the issue of energy and sustainable development from both domestic and
international standpoints. It describes Canada’s efforts to improve the
efficiency of energy production and use and to develop and promote alternative
fuels and processes that minimize environmental impacts. The monograph confirms
Canada’s commitment to work with other members of the global community to
foster energy options for sustainable development worldwide.
As a vast trade-dependent and modern country with a challenging climate and
rugged terrain, Canada must be able to rely on a sustainable transportation
system—one that is safe, efficient, and environmentally friendly. The second
monograph in this CSD 9 series, Sustainable Transportation: The Canadian
Context, describes the state of transportation in Canada and highlights
Canadian activities that are moving us toward a more sustainable
transportation system.
Access to pertinent and reliable information—social, economic, and
environmental—is critical to good decision making related to sustainable
development. Information for Decision Making in Sustainable Development,
the third in the CSD 9 series, illustrates the work Canada is doing on
many fronts to improve the quality of, and access to, the information needed by
citizens, businesses, and governments to make better decisions and take action
to support sustainable development. From grassroots community awareness to
sophisticated analysis for high-level policy development, Canada is meeting the
challenge to bridge the data gap and improve the availability of information.
In 2002, the CSD will undertake a ten-year review of the overall progress
achieved by member states in their implementation of Agenda 21.
Information offered in the Sustainable Development in Canada Monograph Series
describes Canada’s contribution to global efforts toward sustainable
development and provides a baseline against which future conditions and
activities can be assessed. For Canada, sustainable development is best
represented as a journey, not a destination. The monographs described above, as
well as the other monographs in the series, are milestones on this journey.
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