Whose Water is It?: The Unquenchable Thirst of a Water-hungry World

It's Often Said that We are Mostly Water and that we live on a watery planet. But though the globe is 7/8 water, only a small part is fresh, and less than one percent is available for all of humankind's uses: drinking and cleaning; irrigating crops; powering and cooling industry, along with countless other demands. Without water, civilization is impossible -- and we're running out of it. Some of our greatest rivers have all but dried up, and we are using what we have left much faster than it can be replenished, a problem that will only grow worse as the global population grows and the rate of climate change and airborne pollution quickens. There are dire consequences of current trends, from desertification to epidemic disease to increasingly bitter battles over who "owns" water and how to apportion our dwindling supply. But there are ways to avert disaster. Focused on the crucial years of the immediate future, this book is a blueprint that calls for change -- in our personal lives, our attitudes, and our industries -- that promises long-term solutions. Whose Water Is It? is both fascinating and frightening as it portrays a thirsty world that must transform itself to survive Book jacket.