Out of Water: From Abundance to Scarcity and How to Solve the World’s Water Problems

Preface

The year 2008 was one of crises: a food crisis, a fuel crisis, and a financial meltdown. While the impacts of these crises are being felt across the globe, they all have ramifications with respect to natural resources and, in particular, water. In many regions of the world, the food crisis was precipitated by drought and increasing water scarcity, which triggered a supply-demand imbalance and resulted in the consequent price hike. The fuel crisis stimulated demand for biofuel, which requires vast areas of land and volumes of water for its production, prompting many countries to grow biofuel crops to meet “green energy” targets without adequate consideration of the impact on water resources and food production. The impact of the financial ...