Thirsty Planet: Strategies for Sustainable Water Management

By 2025 nearly 2 billion people will live in regions experiencing absolute water scarcity. In the face of the emerging crisis, how should the planet’s water be used and managed? Current international policy sees nature competing with human uses of water. Hunt takes issue with this perspective. She suggests that nature is the source of water and only by making the conservation of nature an absolute priority will we have the water we need in future for human use. It is essential, therefore, to manage water in ways that maintain the water cycle and the ecosystems that support it. Looks at the complexity of the problem. It provides a wide array of ideas, information, case studies and ecological knowledge often from remote corners of the developing world – that could provide an alternative vision for water use and management at this critical time. Essential and compelling reading for students on courses related to water resource management and development, for water managers and decision makers, and for non-specialists with an interest in global water issues.