Water in Crisis: A Guide to the World's Fresh Water Resources - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0195076281 ISBN 13: 9780195076288

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1993

Synopsis

Among the most compelling environmental issues of today and tomorrow are those concerning the world's fresh water resources. Peter H. Gleick's important new volume, Water in Crisis, addresses the timely and sometimes controversial aspects of world water use. At stake are water quality, quantity, and possible future conflicts over shared international water resources. Nine essays by leading specialists from fields as diverse as hydrology, zoology, and law, among others, cover such issues as the status of developments in international water law; hydroelectric power; the possible effects of climatic change on water resources; and the state of fresh water fisheries. Particular chapters explore access to clean drinking water and sanitation; the use of water for energy and food production; the quality of rivers, lakes, and inland seas; and the condition of natural aquatic ecosystems. A joint project of the Pacific Institute and the Stockholm Environment Institute, this book is a comprehensive guide to the world's fresh water resources. Hydrologists, engineers, policy makers, professionals in the environmental sciences, as well as lay readers will find Water in Crisis a dynamic resource and information-packed reference. More than 200 tables of fresh water data supplement this important volume.

About this title

About the Author:

Peter H. Gleick is the Director of the Global Environment Program of the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security. Dr. Gleick has served on the Climate and Water Panel of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and co-chaired Working Group 2 of the Advisory Group on Greenhouse Gases (AGGG), sponsored by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Dr. Gleick received a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Research and Writing Fellowship in 1988 to explore the implications of global environmental changes for water and international security and currently directs programs at the Pacific Institute looking at a wide range of water resource problems and at the links between global environmental issues and international security.

Review:

"Good reference work--appears to be well documented--possibly suitable as supplementary text."--Robert M. Hordon, Rutgers University

"[A] major reference work...[M]any will find the volume a useful reference in preparing lectures and in outlining research--as indeed, I have."--Charles W. Howe (University of Colorado at Boulder) in Climatic Change

"Comprehensive and interdisciplinary! Should be included in every environmental science research library."--Alicia Whatley, Troy State University

"Good sector-based water essays and international data!"--George Clark, Clark University

"[E]dited by Peter Gleick, who is an expert in the field..., the bulk of the book is made up of 217 tables of data on water resources. These data constitute an information stock of exceptional value, by far the best I have ever encountered...[W]elcome [and] timely."--Nature

"Provides a comprehensive profile of what may be the flashpoint of 21st century geopolitics. A compendium of information on water vulnerability, use, and trends, this book should be high on the reading list of global strategists and natural resource planners....This extremely important book
deserves special recognition...[as] a comprehensive and extensive guide exploring this critical issue."--Global Change Prisma

"The issues surrounding water...may soon overshadow most other environmental concerns. This guide explores these critical issues. Using more than 200 tables of data, the book examines the world's fresh water resources."--Water Resources Bulletin

"Invaluable! The essays provide expert assessments of the world water balance. They convey complex material in a clear, thoughtful, compelling style for water resources specialists and generalists alike. Overall, this book is intelligent, well organized, rich in data, and of lasting value for
all scholars, students, and policy-makers concerned with international water resource problems."--James L. Wescoat, Jr., University of Colorado-Boulder, Environment

"I would recommend this book with enthusiasm for the essays alone...would be a good text for graduate students in water policy, providing them with factual background and well enlightened views on the issues. . . . Gleick's guide offers vitally important information to help us reach this goal
of sound water policy."--Daniel A. Okun (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) in American Scientist

"This volume provides students of fresh water problems on either global or regional scale with two sets of information--background information on critical water issues and extensive, carefully chosen water data."--Abstracts of Public Administration, Development and Environment

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0195076281
• ISBN 13: 9780195076288
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 504
• Editor: Gleick Peter H.