Water is becoming increasingly scarce. Declining water quality is a problem in much of the world, as increasing human activities induce high levels of water degradation. Yet those who voice these concerns fail to consider the forces for improvement inherent in market political-economic issues that can address water issues. These policies include secure and transferable private water rights, and extending these rights to non-traditional uses such as altering in-stream flows and ecosystem functions. Many examples re offered of how this is being accomplished, especially in formation of water markets and market-like exchanges of water rights.

(WATER * WATER MARKETS * AQUANOMICS)

The Palestinian-Isreali conflict is much more deeply entrenched than previously thought. Existing tactics to control water are leading away from peace, towards continued domination and a squandering of this vital resource. Present approaches tend to play down the negative effects of non-violent water conflict, and what is presented as co-operation between countries often hides an underlying state of conflict between them. This new analytical framework of “hydro-hegemony” exposes the hidden dynamics of water conflict around the world and yields critical insights into the Middle East water problem.

(WATER * ISRAELI HYDRO-HEGEMONY)

Addresses the main coordination gaps among ministries, levels of government, and local actors in terms of policy-making, financing, information, accountability, objectives, and capacity-building, and provides a platform of existing governance mechanisms to bridge them. Data were collected through an extensive survey on water governance in 2010 to which 17 OECD countries contributed. The report 1) maps the allocation of responsibilities in water policy design, regulation and implementation; 2) identifies common multi-level governance bottlenecks for integrated water policy; 3) suggests main policy responses for managing mutual dependencies across levels of government in water policy design and implementation; 4) promotes decision-making that integrates actors at all levels; and 5) encourages adoption of relevant capacity-building, monitoring and evaluation tools.

(WATER * WATER GOVERNANCE: OECD)

World population has increased by >3 billion since 1970 to 7 billion, and the size of the world economy has more than tripled. This growth has pulled millions out of poverty, but it has been unevenly distributed and incurred major cost to the environment. “Natural assets have been and continue to be depleted.” Providing for 2 billion more people by 2050 and improving living standards for all will challenge our ability to manage and restore those natural assets on which all life depends. “Failure to do so will have serious consequences, especially for the poor, and ultimately undermine the growth and human development of future generations.” Looks forward to 2050 to suggest what demographic and economic trends might mean for the environment if the world does not adopt more ambitious green policies, using a “Baseline scenario” and a “450 Delayed Action Scenario.” Focuses on four “red light” areas: 1) Climate Change: alternative growth pathways to stabilize GHGs at 450ppm, the level that has a 50% chance of keeping temperature rise to 2oC; 2) Biodiversity: loss of biodiversity is a major environmental challenge; “despite some local successes, biodiversity is on the decline globally and this loss is projected to continue; continuing with business as usual may have far-reaching adverse implications for human well-being, security and economic growth”; 3) Water: worldwide, cities, farmers, industries, energy suppliers, and ecosystems are increasingly competing for water; the situation is likely to deteriorate by 2050 without major policy changes; 4) Health and Environment: explores current and projected impacts of four key environmental factors: air pollution, unsafe water supply and poor sanitation, chemicals, and climate change (with emphasis on the incidence of malaria).

(ENVIRONMENT * CLIMATE CHANGE * BIODIVERSITY * WATER * HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT)

A companion book to a documentary film on water scarcity poised to become the most explosive issue of our time, as global population soars toward the 10 billion mark. Climate change is producing unprecedented droughts as well as devastating flooding. Less than 1 % of the world's water is fresh and potable—and no more will ever be available. We can't afford to continue our profligate ways with water. Yet forging reasonable compromises over water regulation is very difficult, as raging controversies and conflicts over water supplies in the American Southwest and "fracking" in the Northeast suggest. "Water wars" may soon threaten the peace in regions from the India/Pakistan border to sub-Saharan Africa to the Middle East. Contributors include Peter Gleick (president, Pacific Institute and editor of The World’s Wate), Robert J. Glennon (author of Unquenchable), Lynn Henning (family farmer and “water sentinel”), filmmaker Jessica YU, and hydrogeologist Robert Moran on the troubling rend towrd privatization of water supplies.

(WATER * WATER CRISIS)

The current water "crisis" is not a crisis of scarcity but a crisis of mismanagement, with strong public governance features. Key obstacles to improve water management are institutional fragmentation and badly managed multi-level governance, in a context where local authorities are most often in charge of water resources management and service delivery. The real challenge is implementing existing policies, tailoring them to local contexts, overcoming obstacles to reform, and bringing together the main actors from different sectors to join forces and share the tasks and risks. Identifies who does what in terms of water policy design, regulation, budget and implementation as well as the modalities for allocating roles and responsibilities in the water sector. Also details horizontal and vertical co-ordination challenges for 17 OECD countries, along with country profiles.

(WATER)

The world is on the brink of the greatest crisis it has ever faced: a spiraling lack of fresh water,” as demand for water surges, while groundwater dries up. Worsening water security will soon have dire consequences in many parts of the global economic system. At its 2008 Davos Annual Meeting, the WEF assembled a group of public, private, NGO and academic experts to examine the water crisis issue from all perspectives. The resulting forecast – a stark, nontechnical overview of where we will be by 2025 if we take a business-as-usual approach to (mis)managing our water resources – suggests how business and politics need to manage the water-food-energy-climate nexus as leaders negotiate details of a climate change regime to replace the Kyoto protocols. (also e-book)  See full review at GFB Book of the Month April 2011.

(ENERGY * CLIMATE CHANGE * SECURITY AND WATER * WATER * FOOD/AGRICULTURE)

First published in 1998-1999, the 2011-12 report examines critical global trends and features chapters on US water policy, transboundary waters, and the effects of fossil fuel production on water resources. Water “briefs” provide concise updates on such topics as bottled water, The Great Lakes Water Agreement, and the state of the Colorado River. (also e-book)

(WATER * FRESHWATER * ENVIRONMENT/RESOURCES)

Examines four dimensions of federal water pollution control policy under the US Clean Water Act: 1) limits imposed on industrial facilities’ pollution discharges; 2) facilities’ efforts to comply with pollution limits, identified as “environmental behavior”; 3) facilities’ success at controlling their discharges to comply with pollution limits, identified as “environmental performance”; 4) regulators’ efforts to induce compliance via inspections and enforcement actions, identified as “government interventions”.

(WATER * POLLUTION CONTROL POLICY * CLEAN WATER ACT)

Presents and applies the water “soft path approach” for the first time to bring a wider audience to the concept and its potential, to demonstrate that this type of analysis is analytical and practical, and can be economically and politically feasible. Covers issues including the vision of a sustainable water future based on conservation, an analytic method to define alternative routes to that future, case studies in Canada, and a tool kit for planners and other practitioners.

(WATER SOFT PATH APPROACH * WATER CONSERVATION * WATER)