Water Matters is a book that dispels the myth of economics as the “dismal science.” The book puts a noted microeconomist, author Franklin M. Fisher, in the midst of one of the most intractable clashes of the twentieth century: the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict, and in particular the conflict over water between Israel, the Palestinians, and the Jordanians. Fisher found himself drawn to an academic challenge—how could economics inform the resolution of a dispute over a natural resource desperately needed by people—and drawn into a complex and fascinating maze of political and institutional intrigue. Along the way, Fisher met and worked with a host of people from politics, academia, bureaucracies—many with what seem like larger-than-life personalities. Some of them became his friends. The story in Water Matters is told as part memoir and part explication of the technical, organizational, and institutional challenges an academic economist faced in developing a model aimed at helping guide negotiations to solve an obstinate geopolitical problem. It is also a narrative about how negotiation happens, along with what works and what does not. The technical challenges the author and his colleagues faced are explained in lay terms that will teach many readers, and the memoir is a rich narrative of people, places, travel, and culture—told from the perspective of an American Jew dropped into a unique situation—where he never expected to be and in the company of people he never expected to meet.

Water is one of the most pressing concerns of our time. This book argues for the importance of water as a cultural object, and as a source of complex meanings and practices in everyday life, embedded in the socio-economics of local water provision. Each chapter aims to capture one element of water’s fluid existence in the world, as material object, cultural representation, as movement, as actor, as practice and as ritual. The book explores the interconnectedness of humans and non-humans, of nature and culture, and the complex entanglements of water in all its many forms; how water constitutes multiple differences and is implicated in relations of power, often invisible, but present nevertheless in the workings of daily life in all its rhythms and forms; and water’s capacity to assemble a multiplicity of publics and constitute new socialities and connections. Cities, and their inhabitants, without water will die, and so will their cultures.

Water Matters: Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals presents a compilation of water scenarios and their relationship to multiple facets of life, as water forms a nexus with food security and energy resources, thereby forming one of the fundamental pillars of sustainable development. The thematic topics focus on studies of achieving individual sustainable development goals, primarily on safe and sustainable drinking water availability, the role of water in sanitation, transboundary water, and water in the ecosystem. Each chapter presents a case study to enable a holistic review of the topic and provide insight for further research. Water Matters: Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals integrates the knowledge on global-scale water reviews to local-scale case-studies, ideal for hydrologists, hydrogeologists and water managers in environmental and Earth sciences. - Provides interdisciplinary content that bridges the knowledge from water availability to sustainability through reviews of current technologies for clean water and water security - Includes global and regional reviews and case studies, building a bridge between broad reviews of water related issues by domain experts as well as detailed case studies - Identifies pathways for transforming water knowledge to achieve sustainable development goals to policy and governance of water, food, and energy security and sustainability

A tale of magic, revenge, and bitter death—on the rain-spattered streets of the great city. This is epic fantasy not "in the tradition of Tolkien," but, instead, sensual, ominous, shot through with the sweat of fear and the intoxication of power. One of the most prolific new writers of the decade, Lake won 2004's John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. His novels include Mainspring, Escapement, Pinion, and Green. The world of Green is also the setting for "A Water Matter." At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

A radical new approach to tackling the growing threat of water scarcity Water is essential to life, yet humankind’s relationship with water is complex. For millennia, we have perceived it as abundant and easily accessible. But water shortages are fast becoming a persistent reality for all nations, rich and poor. With demand outstripping supply, a global water crisis is imminent. In this trenchant critique of current water policies and practices, Edward Barbier argues that our water crisis is as much a failure of water management as it is a result of scarcity. Outdated governance structures and institutions, combined with continual underpricing, have perpetuated the overuse and undervaluation of water and disincentivized much-needed technological innovation. As a result “water grabbing” is on the rise, and cooperation to resolve these disputes is increasingly fraught. Barbier draws on evidence from countries across the globe to show the scale of the problem, and outlines the policy and management solutions needed to avert this crisis.

In the quest to reduce costs and improve the efficiency of water and wastewater services, many communities in the United States are exploring the potential advantages of privatization of those services. Unlike other utility services, local governments have generally assumed responsibility for providing water services. Privatization of such services can include the outright sale of system assets, or various forms of public-private partnershipsâ€"from the simple provision of supplies and services, to private design construction and operation of treatment plants and distribution systems. Many factors are contributing to the growing interest in the privatization of water services. Higher operating costs, more stringent federal water quality and waste effluent standards, greater customer demands for quality and reliability, and an aging water delivery and wastewater collection and treatment infrastructure are all challenging municipalities that may be short of funds or technical capabilities. For municipalities with limited capacities to meet these challenges, privatization can be a viable alternative. Privatization of Water Services evaluates the fiscal and policy implications of privatization, scenarios in which privatization works best, and the efficiencies that may be gained by contracting with private water utilities.

Fresh water is essential to both the ever-expanding human population and the ever-threatened natural landscapes that surround us. And yet, society seems to continually ignore the need for a common-sense approach to--and appreciation of--our freshwater resources and our consumption of this remarkable, life-giving substance that now exceeds its future availability. This ground-breaking and approachable work, by two of Canada's most authoritative experts on water issues, redefines our relationship with fresh water and outlines the steps we as a society will have to take if we wish to ensure the sustainability of our water supply for future generations.

Contains over fifty recipes for bread, and argues that commercial bread does not have the level of nutrition or taste of homemade bread.

The U.N. predicts the Earth will have more than 9.6 billion people by 2050. With resources already scarce, how will we feed them all? Journalist Lisa Palmer has traveled the world for years, documenting the cutting-edge innovations of people and organizations on the front lines of fighting the food gap.