Making the Most of the Water We Have

A volume about the soft path approach to water management, which will be a key ecological and political issue over the next 30 years. Few people realise how critical our overall freshwater situation is, especially in our rivers with the melting of glaciers which provide summer river flow. 70% of water is currently used for irrigation purposes, and we have yet to take seriously the demand side of the equation, let alone the implications of water footprints and trade in virtual water by means of grain exports and imports. We need to plan for the future back to the present, with ecological sustainability as a fundamental criterion, regarding water as a service. The overall vision of the human future needs to balance human activity with ecological protection, drawing on analytical tools and implementing viable policies. All of this is considered in the course of the volume with important practical conclusions and implications. Although aimed at the specialist market, the overall argument is of huge importance.