The World's Water 2000-2001: The Biennial Report On Freshwater Resources

by Peter H. Gleick

The quality and availability of fresh water are of critical importance to human and ecosystem health. Given its central role in the functioning of all living systems, water is arguably the most important of all natural resources.

Produced biennially, The World's Water provides a comprehensive examination of issues surrounding freshwater resources and their use. It offers analysis of the most significant trends worldwide along with the most current data available on a variety of water-related topics. This 2000-2001 edition features overview chapters on: •water as a human right •water and food •desalination •stocks and flows of fresh water •international watersheds and water-related conflicts •water reclamation/recycling •the removal of dams It also includes brief reports on issues such as arsenic in ground water in Bangladesh, the collection of fog as a source of water in remote regions, the role of nongovernmental organizations in meeting basic water needs, and an update on water and the internet. Following the overview chapters are more than thirty charts and tables that offer data on topics including: water use by country, agricultural water use, salinization, endangered aquatic species, major rivers in China, dam capacity, desalination capacity, and more.

The World's Water is the most comprehensive and up-to-date source of information and analysis on freshwater resources and the political, economic, scientific, and technological issues associated with them. It is an essential reference for water resource professionals in government agencies and nongovernmental organizations, researchers, students, and anyone concerned with water and its use.

300 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2000

About the author

Dr. Peter H. Gleick (born 1956) is a scientist working on issues related to the environment, economic development, and international security, with a focus on global freshwater challenges. He works at the Pacific Institute in Oakland, California, which he co-founded in 1987. In 2003 he was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship for his work on water resources. Among the issues he has addressed are conflicts over water resources [1], the impacts of climate change on water resources, the human right to water, and the problems of the billions of people without safe, affordable, and reliable water and sanitation.
Gleick received a B.S. from Yale University and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Energy and Resources from the University of California, Berkeley. Gleick is the author of the biennial series on the state of the world's water, called The World's Water,[2] published by Island Press, Washington, D.C., regularly provides testimony to the United States Congress and state legislatures, and has published many scientific articles. He serves as a major source of information on water issues for the media, and has been featured on CNBC, CNN, Fresh Air with Terry Gross [3], NPR, and in articles in The New Yorker,[4] and many other publications. He has also been featured in a wide range of water-related documentary films, including "Running Dry" [5] and "Flow: For Love of Water" [6], accepted for the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.
He is the brother of noted author James Gleick and editor Elizabeth Gleick.