Fresh Air, Clean Water: Our Right to a Healthy Environment

by Megan Clendenan, Julie McLaughlin (Illustrator)

Overview

Key Selling Points

• Fresh Air, Clean Water profiles kids taking action on environmental rights around the world and gives young readers an understanding of their right to a healthy environment, how environmental rights are tied to human rights and the tools needed to take action.  
• This is a timely topic, given news coverage of climate protests and youth activists such as Greta Thunberg and Autumn Peltier. Many countries have now protected the right to a healthy environment in their constitutions, and there is discussion at the United Nations about creating a global right to a healthy environment.
• Introduces critical environmental and social justice questions and connects them to recent history for context. 
• Details environmental rights cases from around the world, many featuring children and youth; for example, from Columbia, the Philippines, the United States and Canada.  
• With her background in environmental activism and social justice, the author is an authoritative guide on this topic.
• Features full-color illustrations and photos throughout. 
• Free Activity Sheet is available for download at orcabook.com.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781459826816
Publisher:	Orca Book Publishers
Publication date:	03/15/2022
Series:	Orca Think , #4
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	112
Lexile:	1100L (what's this?)
File size:	30 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Megan Clendenan has worked for women's rights, mental health and youth empowerment nonprofits as well as for an environmental law group, which is when she realized for the first time that the court system could be a way to help protect human health from pollution and toxic chemicals. She is the co-author of Design Like Nature, part of the Orca Footprints series, and the author of Offbeat, a novel for young readers. Megan lives in North Vancouver, British Columbia, with her family.

Julie McLaughlin is an award-winning illustrator whose work includes commissions for editorial, advertising and publishing clients from around the world. Her previous books have been nominated for several awards, and she won the 2015 Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction for Why We Live Where We Live. She is the illustrator of What Animals Want in the Orca Think series and Pride Puppy! Julie grew up on the Prairies and now resides on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 One Earth to Share

It's a Fact: Nature Makes Us Happier and Healthier 5

Air + Water + Soil = Life! 6

Planting the First Seeds 8

Cannonballs to the Sky 9

How Many Earths Do We Need? 11

When the Air Is Thick 12

We're All Thirsty 15

Hidden and Not-So-Hidden Poison 17

Planet-Sized Change 19

Climate Change Has No Borders 22

What Are Your Rights? 24

Chapter 2 Words have Power

Environmental Rights Are Human Rights 27

A River Catches Fire 28

Animals Live Here Too 32

Noxious Neighborhoods 33

Environmental Laws 36

Highest Law of the Land 37

Rights to the Rescue 39

Left Out When Rights Aren't Protected 42

We're Not Done Fighting 42

Chapter 3 All Rise!

So What's the Problem Now? 45

Keeping Things Fair 46

Court Fights for Rights 48

Getting Eight Billion People to Cooperate Isn't Easy 60

Nature Has Its Own Rights 62

Juliana v. United States 63

Chapter 4 Citizens Create Change

Fridays For Future 67

Stand Up and Speak Out 68

Spread the Word 71

Songs Have Strength, Paintings Have Power 72

Science Can Make Waves 75

Make Your Voice Heard 76

Even Judges Need to Learn 79

Pass on Gas, Skip to Solar 80

Rights Spark Real Change 82

Countries Can Cooperate 83

You Too Can Plant the Seeds of Change 87

Glossary 90

Resources 96

Acknowledgments 99

Index 100

Editorial Reviews

Packed full of detail about historical political and governmental positions regarding our world; and yes, we all have a stake in this topic.

School Library Connection

A worthy purchase where readers enjoy a personal approach to science instruction.

Booklist

Several strong messages...not one of doom and gloom, but one of hope and optimism for the future if people have respect for nature and for each other. Highly Recommended.

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

03/01/2022

Gr 5–7—With a tone that is eager to share serious information without terrifying readers, this book provides the necessary background and inspiration to spur upper elementary-age children to environmental action. Bite-size chunks of text, a multitude of photographs, and occasional full-color illustrations lay out the imperatives of clean air, fresh water, and healthy soil for all life on Earth. An overview of how the development of farming and then industry have led to climate change sets the stage for discussion of how intertwined human rights and climate justice have become. The author explains how courts, laws, and provisions in national constitutions have been used to deter further threats to nature, and, by extension, to humankind. Inspiring case studies of citizen action, frequently led by young people, demonstrate a variety of approaches to environmental activism. VERDICT Richly supported with stories and "You Be the Judge" sidebars that illustrate the challenging choices in fighting for environmental rights, this thought-provoking book offers a solid foundation for further exploration of the topic.—Jan Aldrich Solow

School Library Journal

2021-12-16
Clendenan lucidly and compellingly makes the case for environmental health as a human right.

This comprehensive primer is organized into four chapters. First, the problems are outlined: overuse of water and other natural resources, air pollution, poisoned water, and climate change. Various global examples, involving failures of infrastructure, government, and due process, are cited to demonstrate how crimes against nature are also human rights violations. The second chapter traces humankind’s evolving awareness of the need for environmental laws and regulations by reviewing pivotal developments of the last 70 years. Nearly 200 countries now have various kinds of legal protections, but laws need to be enforced; so, the third chapter describes important environmental rights court cases and international accords. The powerful closing chapter profiles real-life young changemakers employing legal and collective action to demand clean air, water, and soil. Straightforward exposition is presented in digestible chunks with clear subheadings. Fact boxes and colored sidebars round off the information presented in the text. Spreads are enhanced with an effective meld of full-color illustrations and well-captioned photographs.

A forceful and informative handbook on environmental justice, accessible enough to strike a chord with young readers. (index, glossary, resource list) (Nonfiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews