Ensuring a Sustainable Future

Jody Heymann is Dean and Distinguished Professor of Epidemiology at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Heymann was the Founding Director of the Institute for Health and Social Policy at McGill University and the Project on Global Working Families at Harvard University. She is a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and held a Canada Research Chair in Global Health and Social Policy. Heymann established and leads the WORLD Policy Analysis Centre, the first global initiative to examine social policy in all 193 UN nations. This initiative provides an in-depth look at how social and environmental policies affect the ability of individuals, families and communities to meet their health and welfare needs across the political, economic and social spectrum worldwide. Magda Barrera works at McGill University's Institute for Health and Social Policy conducting comparative research on how to effectively improve social conditions in an economically sustainable manner. She has co-led a fellowship program designed to examine policies and programs around the world on topics such as urban sustainability and environmental equity.

This edited volume outlines the most innovative programs to address environmental challenges and improve the welfare of poor and marginalized populations.

Introduction