by Fred Pearce
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Product Description
In this groundbreaking book, veteran science correspondent Fred Pearce travels to more than thirty countries to examine the current state of crucial water sources. Deftly weaving together the complicated scientific, economic, and historic dimensions of the world water crisis, he provides our most complete portrait yet of this growing danger and its ramifications for us all.
"A strong—and scary—case that a worldwide water shortage is the most fearful looming environmental crisis. With a drumbeat of facts both horrific (thousands of wells in India and Bangladesh are poisoned by fluoride and arsenic) and fascinating (it takes 20 tons of water to make one pound of coffee), the former New Scientist news editor documents a 'kind of cataclysm' already affecting many of the world's great rivers."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Oil we can replace. Water we can't—which is why this book is both so ominous and so important."
—Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature
"An enriching and farsighted work."
—Jai Singh, San Francisco Chronicle
"Pearce cogently presents the alarming ways in which this ecological emergency is affecting population centers, human health, food production, wildlife habitats, and species viability. Having crisscrossed the globe to research the economic, scientific, cultural, and political causes and ramifications of this under publicized tragedy, Pearce's powerful imagery, penetrating analyses, and passionate advocacy make this required reading for environmental proponents and civic leaders everywhere."
—Booklist
"If you want to quickly get up to date on climate change and its consequences, I recommend With Speed and Violence: Why Scientists Fear Tipping Points in Climate Change. If you can read only one book on climate change, this is it."
—Lester Brown, president, Earth Policy Institute
". . . perhaps it is time for you to spend some time with Fred Pearce and his wonderful When the Rivers Run Dry."
—Daily Kos, July Review
Fred Pearce has been writing about water issues for over twenty years. A former news editor at New Scientist and currently its environment and development consultant, he has also written for Audubon, Popular Science, Time, the Boston Globe, and Natural History. His books include With Speed and Violence, Turning Up the Heat, and Deep Jungle.
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Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Puzzling, 2008-10-31
Journalist Fred Pearce's "When the River Runs Dry" (2006 324-page paperback) is a puzzling presentation. On the one hand it presents the contemporary predicament of worldwide water shortages emerging from prior centuries. Certainly, this shortage is a central issue for survival of Earth's varied populations. On the other hand, the book proffers impossible solutions for humanity's "hydraulic civilization".
Touring each of the world's principal rivers, wetlands, lakes, and aquifer zones Pearce seeks opinions from experts, victims, scientists, clergy, activists, business people, and politicians. (Unfortunately, there are not footnotes in this book, and thus no opportunity for follow up reading.) His travels in themselves proffer an interesting narrative. From these field trips Pearce presents a wide range of views and suggestions for solving the world's complex water problems. By the end of each of the 10 chapters, the author is proposing his own solutions.
Pearce's solutions change this text's intent and purpose. He moves from journalist reporting the issue to activist claiming solitary resolution for each water problem. His activism leaves scientific and academic resolutions behind on the dusty dry riverbank.
The author's answers for saving the world from the emerging water problems range from the technically impossible (i.e. taking the gigantic dams out of river valleys and redirecting rivers) to the simply odd (i.e. giving the wetlands to prehistoric native populations). Dam destruction would, seemingly, only invent more environmental destruction while returning water sources already harnessed would deprive those dependent on them including their earliest users. His solutions are too often simplistic and baffling.
Obviously, there are answers for the continuing shortages of water across the globe. Pearce's book is best viewed as a warning message and not a resolution advocate. His water warnings, but not his solutions, should be taken seriously.
This book is recommended to everyone concerned about 21st century water shortages and to all who want to develop answers for the global questions it proposes.
Happy Halloween!
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Beautiful book - Easy read, 2008-10-24
I liked this book because Fred Pearce used different parts of the world for his research. It relates not only human behavior and how we use water, but also talks extensively about "virtual water", the water in all the things we buy, we eat, we use.
The examples are riveting and frightening, he uses stories of the past and how they are causing the same problems in the present because of human behavior and our careless water management.
Read it and understand your role in a catastrophe that we could avoid if we put our mind to it. With population growth and our current water consumption we won't be able to make it. Fred points it clearly.
A must read.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
 ignores soil surface, 2008-05-19
Interesting book but it ignores the biggest factor in a functional water cycle: the condition of the soil surface. Plant and litter cover on the soil surface increases infiltration, slows runoff, and slows evaporation. The biggest issue with the water cycle around the world is bare ground. From reading this book, you would only realize that this is a problem in cities, with their impervious pavements.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Interesting and thought provoking, 2008-02-06
By now, many people have heard of the Aral Sea drying up or the Colorado River not making it to the ocean. However, this book is a good overview of many other issues people may not have heard about. The author seems to suggest that there could be enough water to go around, but that in order to make sure, we would have to change the way we go about doing a lot of things. The scariest part of the book is that large sections of highly populated countries may be living an unsustainable lifestyle with respect to water. What happens when the wells go dry? Whenever I read books about water, global warming, or oil supply, it makes me think that perhaps these are life and death issues that are put on the back burner by modern society. In any case, while this book may leave you wanting a little more, it'a very readable and informative.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
 Lots of Detail , 2008-02-02
He makes his point over and over and over again. I had to read this for a class, and the running joke we had was that he could have got his point across in 75 pages and saved alot of water from not having to print as many pages.
Overall, this is a really good book, its nearly impossible to counter his argument due to the enormous amounts of facts he has from traveling the globe.
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