About the Book
Climate change, population increase, and the demands made by the growing number of people adopting urban lifestyles and western diets threaten the world’s supply of freshwater, edging us closer to a global water crisis, with dire implications for agriculture, the economy, the environment, and human health. Completely revised and updated, The Atlas of Water is a compelling visual guide to the state of this life-sustaining resource. Using vivid graphics, maps, and charts, it explores the complex human interaction with water around the world. This vibrant atlas addresses all the pressing issues concerning water, from water shortages and excessive demand, to dams, pollution, and privatization, all considered in terms of the growing threat of an increasingly unpredictable climate. It also outlines critical tools for managing water, providing safe access to water, and preserving the future of the world’s water supply.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Glossary
Useful Conversions
Part 1 A Finite Resource
1 Global Water
2 Water’s Unequal Distribution
3 Water Shortage
4 Rising Demand
5 Dwindling Supply
6 Competition and Conflict
7 Environmental Security
Part 2 Water and Climate Change
8 Ice and Snow Melt
9 Storms and Floods
10 Droughts
11 River Basin Stresses
Part 3 Water for Living
12 Water for Drinking
13 Water for Food
14 Water for Sanitation
15 Water in the City
16 Water at Home
17 Water and Disease
Part 4 Water for Economic Production
18 Water Footprint
19 Water for Irrigation
20 Water for Fisheries
21 Water for Industry
22 Water for Energy
23 Transport and Leisure
24 Water for Sale
Part 5 Damaged Water
25 Dammed Rivers
26 Dispossession by Water
27 Water Pollutants
28 Water Pollution
29 Damaged Waterwrways
30 Threatened Ecologies
Part 6 Water for the Future
31 Technological Fixes
32 The Rising Price of Water
33 Treaties and Obligations
34 Striving for Co-operation
35 Managing the Future
Part 7 Data Tables and Sources
Needs and Resources
Water Uses
Sources
Index
