Daedalus: Water Security in Africa in the Age of Global Climate Change

by Allen F. Isaacman (Editor), Muchaparara Musemwa (Editor), Harry Verhoeven (Editor)

Africa is at the center of the global water predicament and climatic The continent contains the greatest number of least-developed countries, the most woeful sanitation infrastructure, and the highest share of people in highly weather-dependent rural employment. Due to global warming, crop yields are expected to decline sharply, and sea-level rises along the African littoral are already higher than average. The Fall 2021 issue of Dædalus features authors from Africa and the Global North who explore policy debates and conflicts over water use as well as the efforts to mitigate these tensions. The essays focus on four dimensions of the water crises facing the African 1) the increasing scarcity, privatization, and commodification of water in urban centers; 2) the impact of large dams on the countryside; 3) the health and sociopolitical consequences of water shortages; and 4) water governance and the politics of water at the local, national, and transnational levels. The contributors share the concern that without commitments to creating more equitable access to water, the effects of water insecurity will continue to be devastating.

431 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 27, 2021

About the author

Allen Isaacman is the Regents Professor of History at the University of Minnesota. He is the founder of the African History program at the University and the co-founder of the MacArthur Interdisciplinary Program on Global Change, Sustainability and Justice.