Synopses & Reviews
The World's Wateris the leading source of information on the state of the world's freshwater resources, offering comprehensive and accessible analysis of the most important topics in water resource policy worldwide. It reviews major trends and events and provides the most up-to-date data available on water resources and their use.
As did the earlier volumes, the 2002-2003 edition includes insightful analysis of a wide range of water issues followed by overview chapters on key topics of current interest. It offers tables of water data, and examines the causes and impacts of water overuse and degradation as well as institutions involved in governing water resources. Most importantly, it establishes strategies and standards by which we can begin to set water policy on a more rational, equitable, and sustainable course.
The World's Wateris the only book that offers current data and analysis on freshwater resources worldwide and the political, economic, scientific, and technological issues associated with them. It is an authoritative reference for nonspecialists and specialists alike, including policy makers, water resources specialists, and planners, as well as students and scholars in environmental policy, geography, hydrology, ecology, and related fields.
About the Author
Peter Gleick is president of the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security in Oakland, California. He received his Ph.D. from the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California, Berkeley and is the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation Research and Writing Grant in Peace and International Cooperation. In addition to his research activities, Dr. Gleick serves on the Global Environmental Change Committee of the American Geophysical Union, the Board of Directors of the International Water Resources Association, the Public Advisory Forum of the American Water Works Association, and the editorial boards of several scientific journals. He has published extensively on climatic change, water resources, and environmental policy. He is widely recognized as one of the world's leading experts on freshwater resources, and is a member of the Water Science and Technology Board of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and an Academician of the International Water Academy in Oslo, Norway. He was recently named by the BBC as a "visionary on the environment" in its "Essential Guide to the 21st Century".