In this section:
The new edition of this crucial and timely atlas investigates the uses and abuses of our most valuable and increasingly strained resource.
Unprecedented population growth coupled with a changing climate is squeezing the planet’s fresh water supply as never before. By 2025 nearly 2 billion people may be facing severe shortage. And even where water is plentiful, the poor are unlikely to have access to a safe supply.
Completely updated since the first edition, the atlas maps the competing claims on limited water resources – made by farmers, industrialists and householders – as well as the vexed question of how it can be managed equitably.
Topics include: water shortages ● excessive demands ● climate impacts ● water footprints ● competition and co-operation ● dam construction ● pollution ● fragile ecosystems ● access to water and sanitation ● water pricing and privatization ● integrated water management
has written on international issues for UNICEF, WaterAid and the Global Water Partnership. Her most recent book is The Last Taboo: Opening the Door on the Global Sanitation Crisis.
was co-author, with Robin Clarke, of the first edition of the atlas. She has spent many years researching and editing political, social and environmental atlases, including a series of miniAtlases for the World Bank.
Water certainly is a precious resource and there is a great lack of understanding in the general public about what are the significant issues relating to its availability and use. I really like this second edition of the Atlas of Water. I hope - if only in a small way - that I can encourage people to read and learn from this book. It is accessible to a wide range of readers from school children upwards and presents information and analysis in a clear and attractive “atlas” format. The contents of the book are all one could hope for. The authors have accessed and listed at the back a large number of UN, FAO and academic sources as well as some less formal sources such as those from news media. The colourful graphics, text box case studies and punchy introductory text on each double page spread make for an easy read and a great introduction to the a vitally important subject. At a mere £12.99, I highly recommend the book which is clearly of great value for researchers, practitioners such as myself, water policy makers and their advisers.
A fascinating look at the state of water in our world and can be considered a must-read for anyone grappling with this complex topic.
