Book description
All known forms of life depend on water. Covering 71 per cent of the
Earth's surface, water seems to be plentiful. But there are 1. 2
billion people who currently live without a safe water supply, the
amount of available drinking water is shrinking and the need for it is
increasing relentlessly. While some regions are receiving too much
rain, others are receiving too little. We are approaching a global
water emergency.
Julian Caldecott examines the vital role this fascinating substance
plays on our planet and explores the historical, scientific, political
and economic reasons behind the looming water crisis. He reveals where
the water we use comes from, and at what social and environmental
cost. This is an intriguing and sometimes unsettling portrait of the
future of water in our changing world and what we can all do to make a difference.
Julian Caldecott is an ecologist who has worked as a senior
consultant to the United Nations Environment Programme, focusing on
environmental disaster management. His work throughout the developing
world has included environmental education, ethnobiology and sustainable
ecosystem management. He is the author of
Deep Water
and the co-author/editor of the
World Atlas of Great Apes and Their Conservation
.
