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Loading... Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilizationby Steven Solomon
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. green As a citizen of a water " have" country (Canada), this is a book which everyone who cares about one of our most under rated natural resources should read. It is a very compelling story of the history of water and civilization. Those societies which were able to tame water for irrigation, or for trade or for agriculture were and are still the most successful. The book chronicles these civilizations through history to the present time and outlines those technologies which made fundamental changes to labour or Economics, such as the water wheel, the steam engine, the canal and the river dam. The ugly side of development is also discussed such as the depletion of massive aquifers in California and Asia, the Middle East as well as the mess leftover from poorly engineered massive dam projects. The geopolitics of water is a fascinating aspect of the book and gives one pause to consider where those who have squandered their water resources will end up in 2035. All of us should take better care of this most important natural resource and encourage our municipal governments to truly,manage and value water. I know I won't take my access to water for granted. I learned a lot from this book, and it has been an important source of inspiration, as I am in the process of making a career in the field of water engineering. I loved the historical analysis, and particularly the theory of 'hydrological determinism' or how differing hydrological environments can foster different sorts of societies. The latter parts of the book felt rushed and a touch confused. Nonetheless, much of value was brought to light (for me) regarding present-day water-related struggles. Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power and Civilization by Steven Solomon is a rolling account of humanity and our supreme dependence on water. Both ancient and modern society’s success is inextricably linked to water - for sustaining life, industrial advancement and as a medium for promoting trade and commerce. This is a book that cannot be read in quick time but should be digested in portions to truly absorb the detailed narrative. Considering the vast scope available to the author he has done a good job in selecting those key moments in history that exemplify our relationship with water. At times I felt there were some fairly unconvincing assumptions made by this author – particularly in relation to the downfall of certain civilisations and societies where water mismanagement may have only been part of the cause. Whilst Steven Solomon presents some rather sobering facts on current water use and makes a few predictions of catastrophe, this is balanced by the many positive ideas and concepts now emerging. The growing ‘soft path’ approach which comprises a greater environmental and ecosystem awareness will hopefully steer our ever increasing populations from the path to ruin. no reviews | add a review
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HTML: "I read this wide-ranging and thoughtful book while sitting on the banks of the Ganges near Varanasiâ??it's a river already badly polluted, and now threatened by the melting of the loss of the glaciers at its source to global warming. Four hundred million people depend on it, and there's no backup plan. As Steven Solomon makes clear, the same is true the world over; this volume will give you the background to understand the forces that will drive much of 21st century history." â??Bill McKibben In Water, esteemed journalist Steven Solomon describes a terrifyingâ??and all too realâ??world in which access to fresh water has replaced oil as the primary cause of global conflicts that increasingly emanate from drought-ridden, overpopulated areas of the world. Meticulously researched and undeniably prescient, Water is a stunningly clear-eyed action statement on what Robert F Kennedy, Jr. calls "the biggest environmental and political challenge of our No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)553.7Natural sciences and mathematics Earth sciences & geology Economic Geology Mineral watersLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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