Water Resources Efficient, Sustainable and Equitable Use

'Water Resources is one of 12 books addressing global sustainability concerns commissioned by the Forum for Responsibility in Germany (e.g., S. Rahmstorf's Our Threatened Oceans, CH, Mar'10, 47-3824; F. Schmidt-Bleek's The Earth, CH, Mar'10, 47-3826). Mauser (Ludwig Maximilian Univ. of Munich) first discusses what it is about water--and its relationship to life--that makes it unique. Subsequent chapters focus on two areas where water usage has already caused severe environmental disruption (Aral Sea) or where the potential for international water conflicts is high (Nile River and its tributaries). The discussion on sustainable water use emphasizes the 1992 Dublin Statement on water, which emphasizes that it is a basic human right to have access to clean water and sanitation at an affordable price. Considering the depletion of surface and groundwater resources today in light of projected global population growth (9.5 billion by 2050), it is clear that providing water for individuals, agriculture, and industry will be one of humanity's biggest challenges for the future, requiring major improvements in water recycling and efficiency of use. The overall quality of writing is very good, but some of the graphs are mislabeled, and other illustrations are of low quality. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates, two-year technical program students, and general readers. -- T. J. Kroeger Bemidji State University' 201004