Chasing Water

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xv

   PDF

2. Running Out of Water

   • Brian Richter

   Pages 1-17

3. Taking Stock of Our Water Budgets

   • Brian Richter

   Pages 19-35

4. Options for Resolving Water Bankruptcy

   • Brian Richter

   Pages 37-54

5. Who Is Responsible for Water?

   • Brian Richter

   Pages 55-73

6. Seven Principles for Sustainability

   • Brian Richter

   Pages 75-96

7. Bringing Power to the People

   • Brian Richter

   Pages 97-116

8. How to Survive a Water Crisis: Murray-Darling Basin, Australia

   • Brian Richter

   Pages 117-140

9. Chasing Hope

   • Brian Richter

   Pages 141-147

10. Back Matter

    Pages 149-171

    PDF

Water scarcity is spreading and intensifying in many regions of the world, with dire consequences for local communities, economies, and freshwater ecosystems. Current approaches tend to rely on policies crafted at the state or national level, which on their own have proved insufficient to arrest water scarcity. To be durable and effective, water plans must be informed by the culture, economics, and varied needs of affected community members.

International water expert Brian Richter argues that sustainable water sharing in the twenty-first century can only happen through open, democratic dialogue and local collective action. In Chasing Water, Richter tells a cohesive and complete story of water scarcity: where it is happening, what is causing it, and how it can be addressed. Through his engaging and nontechnical style, he strips away the complexities of water management to its bare essentials, providing information and practical examples that will empower community leaders, activists, and students to develop successful and long-lasting water programs.

Chasing Water will provide local stakeholders with the tools and knowledge they need to take an active role in the watershed-based planning and implementation that are essential for water supplies to remain sustainable in perpetuity.

• Freshwater ecosystems
• Sustainability
• Water management
• Water shortage
• water quality and water pollution
• water policy
• marine and freshwater sciences

• The Nature Conservancy, Global Freshwater Strategies, Charlottesville, USA

  Brian Richter

Brian Richter has been a global leader in river science and conservation for more than 25 years. He is the Director of Global Freshwater Strategies for The Nature Conservancy, an international conservation organization, where he promotes sustainable water use and management with governments, corporations, and local communities. Brian has consulted on more than 120 water projects worldwide. He serves as a water advisor to some of the world's largest corporations, investment banks, and the United Nations, and has testified before the U.S. Congress on multiple occasions. He also teaches a course on Water Sustainability at the University of Virginia. Brian has developed numerous scientific tools and methods to support river protection and restoration efforts, including the Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration software that is being used by water managers and scientists worldwide. Brian was featured in a BBC documentary with David Attenborough on "How Many People Can Live on Planet Earth?" He has published many scientific papers on the importance of ecologically sustainable water management in international science journals, and co-authored a book with Sandra Postel entitled Rivers for Life: Managing Water for People and Nature. His new book, Chasing Water: A Guide for Moving from Scarcity to Sustainability, will be published by Island Press in June 2014.

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