
The Last Oasis
Facing Water Scarcity
Sandra Postel(Author)
Earthscan Ltd (Publisher)
1st Edition
Published on 1. December 1992
Book
Paperback/Softback
240 pages
978-1-85383-148-5 (ISBN)
Description
For decades now we have wasted and mismanaged the world?s water supplies. Today, 27 countries are short of water, a quarter of the world?s population has no safe water, 46 per cent have no proper sanitation and each year four million children die of water-borne diseases. As most of the world?s major river systems cross several national boundaries, the scope disputes and the threat to international security is becoming more and more real.
In The Last Oasis, Sandra Postel examines the economic, ecological and political factors affecting fresh water supply. She confronts the issues of mismanagement and profligacy and analyses and dangers of confrontation, both between nations and between rural and urban users. She also emphasises that the technology and know-how for effective water husbandry does exist. With methods already in use, farmers could cut their demand for water by 40-90 per cent, and cities by one-third, without sacrificing economic output or quality of life.
Investing in water efficiency, recycling and conservation help meet rising demands and stave off disaster. But the priority is a common recognition of the gravity of the position, and with that a widespread push for institutions to manage sustainable use of water.
In The Last Oasis, Sandra Postel examines the economic, ecological and political factors affecting fresh water supply. She confronts the issues of mismanagement and profligacy and analyses and dangers of confrontation, both between nations and between rural and urban users. She also emphasises that the technology and know-how for effective water husbandry does exist. With methods already in use, farmers could cut their demand for water by 40-90 per cent, and cities by one-third, without sacrificing economic output or quality of life.
Investing in water efficiency, recycling and conservation help meet rising demands and stave off disaster. But the priority is a common recognition of the gravity of the position, and with that a widespread push for institutions to manage sustainable use of water.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Academic and Professional Practice & Development
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
310 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-85383-148-5 (9781853831485)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Book
08/2017
1st Edition
Routledge
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Shipment within 10-20 days

E-Book
07/2014
1st Edition
Routledge
€32.99
Available for download

E-Book
07/2014
1st Edition
Routledge
€32.99
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Person
Postel, Sandra
Content
An Illusion of Plenty
I Trouble on Tap - Signs of Scarcity - Engineering's Promise - Bread and Water - Paradise Lost - Hydropolitics - A World Heating Up
II Living Within Water's Limits - Thrifty Irrigation - Small-Scale Solutions - Wastewater No More - Industrial Recycling - Conserving in Cities
III Toward Water Security - Pricing, Markets and Regulations - A Water Ethic
I Trouble on Tap - Signs of Scarcity - Engineering's Promise - Bread and Water - Paradise Lost - Hydropolitics - A World Heating Up
II Living Within Water's Limits - Thrifty Irrigation - Small-Scale Solutions - Wastewater No More - Industrial Recycling - Conserving in Cities
III Toward Water Security - Pricing, Markets and Regulations - A Water Ethic