Summary

While many are concerned about the world's shrinking oil supply, experts and scientists predict that the acquisition of water will soon supersede that of oil as a main source of international tension. Citizens of numerous countries already endure the hardships that come from the daily search for water. Yet water availability is only part of the struggle. The world's increasing population and industrialization are raising the level of pollutants and toxins, tainting water sources that could be used for consumption or agriculture.

Freshwater Supply investigates the increasing water crisis and outlines the inevitable political, environmental, and cultural ramifications of the issue. It offers case studies from the United States and four areas of current international concern: Bolivia; Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan; Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Territories; and India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Each case study also provides an assessment of counterstrategies to mitigate possible disaster, including global discussion and cooperation, desalinization of ocean water, recycling, and filtration.

Specifications

Maps. Index. Bibliography. Glossary. Chronology. Tables and charts.

About the Author(s)

Frank Caso is a professional writer and editor, with an M.A.L.S. from Wesleyan University. He is the author of Censorship in Facts On File's Global Issues series, and his articles have appeared in History Magazine, Moscow Times, and Contemporary Musicians. He also served for two years as editor of Hog River Journal, an award-winning quarterly regional history magazine.

Foreword author Aaron T. Wolf holds a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He is associate professor in the Department of Geosciences at Oregon State University, where he specializes in transboundary water conflict prevention and resolution and environmental policy analysis.