Overview

At the 2008 Davos Annual Meeting, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon identified water as “the climate adaptation issue,” directing the World Economic Forum to assemble the world’s foremost group of public, private, non-governmental-organization and academic experts to examine the impending global water crisis from all perspectives. The result of their work is this forecast—a stark, non-technical overview of where we will be by 2025 if we continue to (mis)manage our water resources. Water Security contains compelling commentary from leading decision-makers, past and present. The commentary is supported by analysis from leading academics of how the world economy will be affected if world leaders cannot agree on solutions. The findings are shocking. Perhaps equally stunning are the potential solutions and the recommendations that the group presents. All are included in this landmark publication.

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9781597267359

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Reviews

Waughray (World Economic Forum) has compiled a report reflecting three years of discussion among World Economic Forum constituents on the global issue of freshwater management and security. Despite its relative brevity, the book is successful in disentangling the complex web of interactions that characterizes the water-food-energy-climate nexus. The first chapters highlight water's indispensable and irreplaceable role in key sectors of the world economy, from agriculture and energy to trade and finance. The last chapters offer tentative, market-based solutions and blueprints for partnership initiatives to improve freshwater management by 2030. The brief, factual examination of the socioeconomic implications of current water usage trends in many sectors of the world economy is nicely complemented by commentaries from academic experts, business leaders, and public officials. Overall the book adopts an instrumental and anthropocentric approach to water as an essential commodity for economic growth, and lightly touches on the ecological dimension of the debate. In presenting multiple perspectives the book provides a broad and diverse set of opinions, which is appropriate for an undergraduate audience or for readers looking for a point of entry into the pressing issue of global freshwater management. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers and undergraduate students. --Q. M. Duroy, Denison University Choice

Despite its relative brevity, the book is successful in disentangling the complex web of interactions that characterizes the water-food-energy-climate nexus...The brief, factual examination of the socioeconomic implications of current water usage trends in many sectors of the world economy is nicely complemented by commentaries from academic experts, business leaders, and public officials...In presenting multiple perspectives the book provides a broad and diverse set of opinions, which is appropriate for an undergraduate audience or for readers looking for a point of entry into the pressing issue of global freshwater management. --CHOICE Island Press editors have achieved a nearly impossible task....The World Economic Forum Water Initiative and Island Press is to be congratulated for raising awareness of complex and interdependent future water needs and the impacts on economic and social security if these needs are not met. --Journal of the American Water Resources Association It is a book written by a committee, but it gets the story right. Even its title makes the case that water, food, and energy are woven together inextricably to form the very web that sustains human existence. --BioScience

Waughray (World Economic Forum) has compiled a report reflecting three years of discussion among World Economic Forum constituents on the global issue of freshwater management and security. Despite its relative brevity, the book is successful in disentangling the complex web of interactions that characterizes the water-food-energy-climate nexus. The first chapters highlight water''s indispensable and irreplaceable role in key sectors of the world economy, from agriculture and energy to trade and finance. The last chapters offer tentative, market-based solutions and blueprints for partnership initiatives to improve freshwater management by 2030. The brief, factual examination of the socioeconomic implications of current water usage trends in many sectors of the world economy is nicely complemented by commentaries from academic experts, business leaders, and public officials. Overall the book adopts an instrumental and anthropocentric approach to water as an essential commodity for econ

Author Information

Since 2006, the World Economic Forum has raised awareness of the need to manage our future water needs and the challenge to economic and social security if we fail to do so. Its work has helped catalyse several major initiatives in water management around the world.

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