Chasing Water

A Guide for Moving from Scarcity to Sustainability

verfasst von: Brian Richter

Verlag: Island Press/Center for Resource Economics

Enthalten in: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

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Über dieses Buch

Water scarcity is spreading and intensifying in many regions of the world, with dire consequences for local communities, economies, and freshwater ecosystems. Current approaches tend to rely on policies crafted at the state or national level, which on their own have proved insufficient to arrest water scarcity. To be durable and effective, water plans must be informed by the culture, economics, and varied needs of affected community members.

International water expert Brian Richter argues that sustainable water sharing in the twenty-first century can only happen through open, democratic dialogue and local collective action. In Chasing Water, Richter tells a cohesive and complete story of water scarcity: where it is happening, what is causing it, and how it can be addressed. Through his engaging and nontechnical style, he strips away the complexities of water management to its bare essentials, providing information and practical examples that will empower community leaders, activists, and students to develop successful and long-lasting water programs.

Chasing Water will provide local stakeholders with the tools and knowledge they need to take an active role in the watershed-based planning and implementation that are essential for water supplies to remain sustainable in perpetuity.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter

Chapter One. Running Out of Water

Abstract

In March 1934, Benjamin Baker Moeur, then governor of the state of Arizona in the United States, became extremely agitated upon hearing that the neighboring state of California was preparing to build a dam on the Colorado River to deliver more water to growing cities in Southern California. The river, which in its lower reaches forms the border between California and Arizona, had recently shriveled to a fifth of its normal water flow after 5 years of parching drought across the western part of the country.

Brian Richter

Chapter Two. Taking Stock of Our Water Budgets

Abstract

A few years ago, I was asked to join a panel of speakers at a national conference on water scarcity. One of my fellow panelists was a farmer from Florida. After he listened to many presentations by others, the farmer was obviously anxious to get in a word. He confidently proclaimed that there is no such thing as water scarcity. He asserted that concepts like “water depletion” are fallacies: “We only borrow water for a short while, and then it all comes back in time.”

Brian Richter

Chapter Three. Options for Resolving Water Bankruptcy

Abstract

As the year 2012 drew to a close, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation published the results of a comprehensive study of the Colorado River watershed in the western United States. The final report of the Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study summarized more than 150 different ideas for balancing the water budget of the Colorado River. One of those ideas grabbed headlines across the country: a scheme to build a water pipeline 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) in length from the Missouri River to Denver.

Brian Richter

Chapter Four. Who Is Responsible for Water?

Abstract

Abu Khalil, a cotton grower forced to abandon his Syrian farm because of a lack of water in 2013, was interviewed by columnist Thomas Friedman for the New York Times.¹ Friedman described severe water shortages in Syria as a primary culprit in sparking the tumultuous civil revolt that swept across the country beginning in 2011. “We could accept the drought because it was from Allah,” said Abu, “but we could not accept that the government would do nothing.” Syrian economist Samir Aita echoed that sentiment, telling Friedman, “The drought did not cause Syria’s civil war, but the failure of the government to respond … played a huge role in fueling the uprising.”

Brian Richter

Chapter Five. Seven Principles for Sustainability

Abstract

“People used to think that it was a curse from God. Some people thought that they were bewitched. But later we came to realize that it was those dams. The dams are swallowing a lot of water. Now water cannot come here.”

Brian Richter

Chapter Six. Bringing Power to the People

Abstract

In April 2000, a 17-year-old student was shot dead by military police in the central plaza of Cochabamba, Bolivia. He had been protesting, in union with tens of thousands of other city residents, that his water cost too much.

Brian Richter

Chapter Seven. How to Survive a Water Crisis: Murray-Darling Basin, Australia

Abstract

Many of the Aboriginal peoples of Australia believe that all life emerges from pools of freshwater. It is not surprising that in a land of such extreme aridity and variability in rainfall, water would take on spiritual importance. The original Australians have lived with fickle and harsh climatic extremes for tens of thousands of years, learning to adapt and passing on this wisdom through generations.¹ Their understanding of weather fluctuations among seasons and years is reflected in their calendars, their language, their art, and their nomadic migrations. They have long known where to go to find edible plants or fish when the rains did not come.

Brian Richter

Chapter Eight. Chasing Hope

Abstract

I am regularly asked how I can remain optimistic in spite of what I know about the world’s water challenges. There certainly is plenty of depressing news about water shortages being reported in the global news media. The Internet search engine that I have set up on my computer automatically delivers a continual stream of stories about water struggles around the world, each day bringing more bad news of people, economies, and ecosystems that are suffering under water scarcity.

Brian Richter

Backmatter

Titel: Chasing Water
verfasst von: Brian Richter
Verlag: Island Press/Center for Resource Economics
Electronic ISBN: 978-1-61091-537-3
Print ISBN: 978-1-59726-462-4
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5822/978-1-61091-537-3