Water: The Final Resource : How the Politics of Water Will Impact on the World

by Houston, William

• ISBN13: 9781905641666
• ISBN10: 1905641664
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-08-01
• Publisher: Ingram Pub Services

Summary

This book is a warning that we must change our attitude to this vital resource. The in-depth analysis continues with a look at how much precious water is allowed to run to waste - particularly in hot countries where evaporation is the highest. The authors consider how the twenty percent of arable land that is irrigated could save water. Whilst the climatic shifts described earlier will affect our ability to grow food. The reality that we will soon have to face has already begun as the wheat- growing area of the Yellow River Delta is becoming unfit for use through pollution and up-stream abstraction, and the climatic shifts are reducing previously productive areas in the US and Australia. This is a situation that calls for urgent action otherwise it will cause distress to thousands. This book contains updated key studies that have been in progress for many years, and from this the highly regarded authors predict that refugees will be forced to seek shelter in other countries due to the lack of arable land, putting more pressure on depleting water reserves in these foster countries.

Table of Contents

About the Authors	p. ix
Acknowledgements	p. xi
Introduction	p. xiii
The Cycles of Climate and Water	p. 1
Summary	p. 1
Introduction	p. 1
The influence of the sun	p. 2
Long-term oscillations of the oceans	p. 4
Longer term climatic cycle	p. 12
The crustal cycle	p. 13
Water Circulation and Conservation	p. 19
Controlling, preserving and using water	p. 24
Distributing and husbanding water	p. 27
Regenerating water	p. 28
The Coming Food Deficit	p. 37
Summary	p. 37
Introduction	p. 37
Vulnerability of crops	p. 39
Major crops	p. 43
People and Climatic Shifts	p. 49
Summary	p. 49
Introduction	p. 49
Five Hundred-Year Cycle	p. 50
Hundred Year Cycle	p. 56
The Coming Wave of Refugees	p. 65
Summary	p. 65
Introduction	p. 65
Political spite	p. 66
Famine	p. 70
Mass migrations	p. 72
Economic migration	p. 74
Displacement diseases	p. 74
Present attitudes to refugees	p. 78
An approach towards a solution	p. 79
Dealing with the refugee problem	p. 80
Prospects for Conflicts over Water and the Basis for Peace in the Middle East	p. 85
Summary	p. 85
Introduction	p. 85
The needs of water	p. 86
Unemployment	p. 99
Seven scenarios for the region	p. 99
Potential for Conflicts over Water in the East	p. 105
Summary	p. 105
Introduction	p. 105
Drought Rating	p. 106
Water deficient countries	p. 108
Water surplus countries	p. 115
Alternative scenarios	p. 118
Water and Technology	p. 121
Summary	p. 121
Introduction	p. 121
Desalinisation	p. 121
Blue Gold	p. 133
Afterword	p. 141
Water	p. 142
Religious terrorism	p. 143
Credit crunch	p. 144
Individuals	p. 146
Industry and commerce	p. 147
State	p. 147
Stages of required action	p. 149
Index	p. 159
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