Leonard, David Downie and Terry Fenge (eds), 2003, Northern Lights against POPs, Combatting Toxic Threats in the Arctic, Montreal and Kingston, Published for the Inuit Circumpolar Conference Canada by McGill-Queen's University Press, 354 pages, illustrations, maps, tables, figures, appendices.

As indicated by research conducted since the 1980s, contaminants have an adverse impact on northern communities reliant upon a traditional diet. Persistent organic pollutants, or POPS, are amongst the most long-lasting and pernicious of these contaminants. Originating primarily in southern areas remote from the north, POPS are highly toxic, carbon-based products or by-products of industrial activities. Referred to collectively as the "Dirty Dozen," POPs include pesticides such as DDT and aldrin, industrial chemicals such as PCBs and by-products of combustion including dioxins and furans. They are transported via air, wind and water currents to the Arctic where they bio-magnify and bio-accummulate in the fatty tissues of marine mammals such as ringed seals, beluga whales and walrus. These marine mammals are then harvested and consumed by humans as country foods. Both the natural and human environments of the circumpolar north have been affected. Some POPs are recognized as carcinogenic agents and endocrine disruptors. Canada is well-represented in this volume due to the pioneering work conducted by Canadians in national and international contaminant programs. Shearer and Han describe the Northern Contaminant Program in Canada while Reiersen, Wilson and Kimstach describe the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme that was developed by Arctic Council member states. The articles on these two programs outline the response of Arctic states to the presence of POPs in the north. The final article in this section by Commoner, Bartlett, Couchot and Eisl links specific North American industrial sources to the deposition of airborne dioxins in Nunavut. Through the use of rigorous scientific evidence, these authors highlight the necessity of identifying particularly egregious industrial culprits and connecting them directly with deposition in the north. Further research needs to be conducted in this area but the conclusions are thought-provoking. The second section of the book is comprised of seven articles on regional development in environmental policy. In "Regional POPs Policy: The UNECE CLRTAP POPs Protocol," Selin examines the development of the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP) in the late 1980s and links it to other seminal POPs initiatives. Downie and Bankes delve into the challenges involved in the implementation of the Stockholm Convention. Monitoring, compliance and assessment are critical to ensuring that the articles of the Convention are adhered to in a timely and effective manner. Further information on the politics involved in the ratification of the Convention would also be helpful. Currently, although 161 nations have signed the Convention, only 35 have ratified or accepted it. The last four articles in this section by Buccini, Watt-Cloutier, Fenge, Huntington and Sparck are amongst the most riveting in the book. As Chair of the various intergovernmental bodies involved in developing the Stockholm Convention, John Buccini's article, "The Road to Stockholm: A View From the Chair," provides insight into the processes and human actors involved in environmental policy-making. The articles by Huntington and Sparck, and Fenge, highlight the role of Indigenous peoples in the environmental contaminant arena. "POPs and Inuit: Influencing the Global Agenda" by Fenge documents the emerging role of the Inuit in contributing to POPs-related programs and conventions. The concluding article by Sheila Watt-Cloutier, Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, continues this theme. Watt-Cloutier personalizes her contribution to the book. Her journey to maintain the traditional Inuit way of life, while also interacting on the world stage as a major player in international conventions, mirrors that of the Inuit people. She states: Geared towards a scholarly audience, Northern Lights against POPs will be of greatest benefit to students and academics studying environmental policy, contaminants and/or northern and indigenous issues. No attempt seems to have been made to make …