5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Forget Peak Oil, We're at Peak Water, August 10, 2010
We in the West, myself included, take water for granted - it falls free from the sky and it runs whenever we shower or run the faucet. With the potential for global population heading toward 9 billion by 2050, the authors delineate where the problem "hot" spots are for water, and what measures we can take right now from conservation, to better irrigation, to price-risk management.
Chartres and Varma have written a well-rounded book on the incongruence of water prices and its scarcity. Litre for litre, water is more expensive than gasoline.
Everyone and every industry is at risk of a scarcity of water. Whether you are Continental Grain trying to provide food to the world or an alternative energy firm trying to help ween us off hydrocarbons, you will find this book very pithy and full of resources. It's also insightful for CFAs, analysts, private equity, and venture capital professionals who are considering allocating funds and expertise to the water market.
Environmentalists will enjoy the thorough approach that the authors have taken in describing the effects of water on the environment, and the environment on water.
"All the water that will ever be, is right now." National Geographic, October 1993
There is a podcast with one of the authors, Colin Chartres, at [...]
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Useful info, but fails to engage the reader, October 16, 2010
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
The subject matter is of the utmost importance, and the book conveys some good information even for those who already know something about the world's water problems. Unfortunately, the presentation leaves much to be desired.
The writing style is stiff and repetitive. The reader begins to feel that each chapter makes the same points, just stated in a slightly different way (e.g., water scarcity is driven by population growth, the shift toward meat-intensive diets, competition between water users, slow adoption of efficiency measures, and climate change effects).
The graphics are not helpful. The black-and-white photos, most of them taken by author Chartres, are not well composed and don't do a good job of illustrating the points that the authors are trying to make. The charts and maps generally are too small (in a couple of places, multiple world maps on a single page!) and their color-coded information is hard to discern because they're in black-and-white.
The target audience isn't clear. At some points, I thought the book was directed at readers who are new to water scarcity issues, but other passages seemed more appropriate for academics and others already well versed in the issues. In any case, as other reviewers have suggested, the last chapter probably should have come first, stating a position that the subsequent chapters would seek to support.
Despite conveying some valuable information and insights, I don't see this book as a stimulating introduction for those who are new to the issues. For more informed readers, it offers a very limited solution set. For example, desalination is mentioned a couple of times, but only to remind the reader that it's an expensive option. But what if we were to invest more in improving its affordability and scalability?
For a much more engaging investigation of water issues (though limited to the United States), see Robert Glennon's
Unquenchable: America's Water Crisis and What To Do About It.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Out of Water: From Abundance to Scarcity, October 24, 2010
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Authors Chartres and Varma come from a very strong back ground on the subject of water issues throughout the world.Chartres back ground includes director of International Water Management Institute and 35 years of experience in research. Varma covers women's issues and equity of water worldwide and the effects of poverty and it's relationship with water use and control.The book takes the reader methodically through the Mideast countries to the causes of water scarcity and the effects of population growth.Authors takes a common problem in each chapter from Biofuels, farming and diet around the world and finally concluding with solving water problems. Highly recommended.
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