Scarcity On The Land

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Land and Resource Scarcity

Author : Andreas Exner
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1136223177
Total Pages : 319 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (362 download)

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Book Synopsis Land and Resource Scarcity by : Andreas Exner

Download or read book Land and Resource Scarcity written by Andreas Exner and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-03-05 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book brings together geological, biological, radical economic, technological, historical and social perspectives on peak oil and other scarce resources. The contributors to this volume argue that these scarcities will put an end to the capitalist system as we know it and alternatives must be created. The book combines natural science with emancipatory thinking, focusing on bottom up alternatives and social struggles to change the world by taking action. The volume introduces original contributions to the debates on peak oil, land grabbing and social alternatives, thus creating a synthesis to gain an overview of the multiple crises of our times. The book sets out to analyse how crises of energy, climate, metals, minerals and the soil relate to the global land grab which has accelerated greatly since 2008, as well as to examine the crisis of profit production and political legitimacy. Based on a theoretical understanding of the multiple crises and the effects of peak oil and other scarcities on capital accumulation, the contributors explore the social innovations that provide an alternative. Using the most up to date research on resource crises, this integrative and critical analysis brings together the issues with a radical perspective on possibilites for future change as well as a strong social economic and ethical dimesion. The book should be of interest to researchers and students of environmental policy, politics, sustainable development and natural resource management.

Instruments of Land Policy

Author : Jean-David Gerber
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1315511630
Total Pages : 354 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (155 download)

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Book Synopsis Instruments of Land Policy by : Jean-David Gerber

Download or read book Instruments of Land Policy written by Jean-David Gerber and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-01-17 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In dealing with scarce land, planners often need to interact with, and sometimes confront, property right-holders to address complex property rights situations. To reinforce their position in situations of rivalrous land uses, planners can strategically use and combine different policy instruments in addition to standard land use plans. Effectively steering spatial development requires a keen understanding of these instruments of land policy. This book not only presents how such instruments function, it additionally examines how public authorities strategically manage the scarcity of land, either increasing or decreasing it, to promote a more sparing use of resources. It presents 13 instruments of land policy in specific national contexts and discusses them from the perspectives of other countries. Through the use of concrete examples, the book reveals how instruments of land policy are used strategically in different policy contexts.

A Thirsty Land

Author : Seamus McGraw
Publisher : Univ of TX + ORM
ISBN 13 : 1477322655
Total Pages : 330 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (773 download)

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Book Synopsis A Thirsty Land by : Seamus McGraw

Download or read book A Thirsty Land written by Seamus McGraw and published by Univ of TX + ORM. This book was released on 2020-08-11 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “An important story not just about [Texas’s] water history, but also about its social, economic, and political identity” (Western Historical Quarterly). As a changing climate threatens the whole country with deeper droughts and more furious floods that put ever more people and property at risk, Texas has become a bellwether state for water debates. Will there be enough water for everyone? Is there the will to take the steps necessary to defend ourselves against the sea? Is it in the nature of Americans to adapt to nature in flux? The most comprehensive—and comprehensible—book on contemporary water issues, A Thirsty Land delves deep into the challenges faced not just by Texas but also by the nation, as we struggle to find a way to balance the changing forces of nature with our own ever-expanding needs. Part history, part science, part adventure story, and part travelogue, this book puts a human face on the struggle to master that most precious and capricious of resources, water. Seamus McGraw goes to the taproots, talking to farmers, ranchers, businesspeople, and citizen activists, as well as to politicians and government employees. Their stories provide chilling evidence that Texas—and indeed the nation—is not ready for the next devastating drought, the next catastrophic flood. Ultimately, however, A Thirsty Land delivers hope. This deep dive into one of the most vexing challenges facing Texas and the nation offers glimpses of the way forward in the untapped opportunities that water also presents. “A hard look at a hard problem: finding sufficient water to live in a place without much of it. . . . McGraw’s fine book serves as a useful guide. Observers of Western waterways will want to have this on their shelves alongside the likes of Marc Reisner and Charles Bowden.” —Kirkus Reviews “In stark prose that often gleams like a bone pile bleached in the sun, McGraw travels back and forth across Texas to give a free-ranging but deadeye view of the crisis on the horizon.” —Texas Monthly “It’s hard to write about the slow creep of environmental crises like drought without resorting to shock tactics or getting lost in the weeds . . . [McGraw] draws out the conflicts in compelling ways by drilling into the plight of individual water users. Even if you feel no connection to Texas, these stories are relevant to every part of the country.” —Outside “Interviewing both scientific experts and everyday water users, [McGraw] clearly delineates the competing interests, describes political and geological reality, and makes a compelling argument for statewide water policy that utilizes modern technology and fairly weighs parochial needs against the good of the whole.” —Arizona Daily Star, Southwest Books of the Year

Environment, Scarcity, and Violence

Author : Thomas F. Homer-Dixon
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 1400822998
Total Pages : 272 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (8 download)

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Book Synopsis Environment, Scarcity, and Violence by : Thomas F. Homer-Dixon

Download or read book Environment, Scarcity, and Violence written by Thomas F. Homer-Dixon and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2010-07-01 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Earth's human population is expected to pass eight billion by the year 2025, while rapid growth in the global economy will spur ever increasing demands for natural resources. The world will consequently face growing scarcities of such vital renewable resources as cropland, fresh water, and forests. Thomas Homer-Dixon argues in this sobering book that these environmental scarcities will have profound social consequences--contributing to insurrections, ethnic clashes, urban unrest, and other forms of civil violence, especially in the developing world. Homer-Dixon synthesizes work from a wide range of international research projects to develop a detailed model of the sources of environmental scarcity. He refers to water shortages in China, population growth in sub-Saharan Africa, and land distribution in Mexico, for example, to show that scarcities stem from the degradation and depletion of renewable resources, the increased demand for these resources, and/or their unequal distribution. He shows that these scarcities can lead to deepened poverty, large-scale migrations, sharpened social cleavages, and weakened institutions. And he describes the kinds of violence that can result from these social effects, arguing that conflicts in Chiapas, Mexico and ongoing turmoil in many African and Asian countries, for instance, are already partly a consequence of scarcity. Homer-Dixon is careful to point out that the effects of environmental scarcity are indirect and act in combination with other social, political, and economic stresses. He also acknowledges that human ingenuity can reduce the likelihood of conflict, particularly in countries with efficient markets, capable states, and an educated populace. But he argues that the violent consequences of scarcity should not be underestimated--especially when about half the world's population depends directly on local renewables for their day-to-day well-being. In the next decades, he writes, growing scarcities will affect billions of people with unprecedented severity and at an unparalleled scale and pace. Clearly written and forcefully argued, this book will become the standard work on the complex relationship between environmental scarcities and human violence.

Land and Resource Scarcity

Author : Andreas Exner
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 0415630614
Total Pages : 319 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (156 download)

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Book Synopsis Land and Resource Scarcity by : Andreas Exner

Download or read book Land and Resource Scarcity written by Andreas Exner and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book brings together geological, biological, radical economic, technological, historical and social perspectives on peak oil and other scarce resources. The contributors to this volume argue that these scarcities will put an end to the capitalist system as we know it and alternatives must be created. The book combines natural science with emancipatory thinking, focusing on bottom up alternatives and social struggles to change the world by taking action. The volume introduces original contributions to the debates on peak oil, land grabbing and social alternatives, thus creating a synthesis to gain an overview of the multiple crises of our times. The book sets out to analyse how crises of energy, climate, metals, minerals and the soil relate to the global land grab which has accelerated greatly since 2008, as well as to examine the crisis of profit production and political legitimacy. Based on a theoretical understanding of the multiple crises and the effects of peak oil and other scarcities on capital accumulation, the contributors explore the social innovations that provide an alternative. Using the most up to date research on resource crises, this integrative and critical analysis brings together the issues with a radical perspective on possibilites for future change as well as a strong social economic and ethical dimesion. The book should be of interest to researchers and students of environmental policy, politics, sustainable development and natural resource management.

Rethinking the Economics of Land and Housing

Author : Josh Ryan-Collins
Publisher : Zed Books Ltd.
ISBN 13 : 1786991217
Total Pages : 306 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (869 download)

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Book Synopsis Rethinking the Economics of Land and Housing by : Josh Ryan-Collins

Download or read book Rethinking the Economics of Land and Housing written by Josh Ryan-Collins and published by Zed Books Ltd.. This book was released on 2017-02-28 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why are house prices in many advanced economies rising faster than incomes? Why isn’t land and location taught or seen as important in modern economics? What is the relationship between the financial system and land? In this accessible but provocative guide to the economics of land and housing, the authors reveal how many of the key challenges facing modern economies - including housing crises, financial instability and growing inequalities - are intimately tied to the land economy. Looking at the ways in which discussions of land have been routinely excluded from both housing policy and economic theory, the authors show that in order to tackle these increasingly pressing issues a major rethink by both politicians and economists is required.

Water Scarcity and Sustainable Agriculture in Semiarid Environment

Author : Ivan Francisco Garcia Tejero
Publisher : Academic Press
ISBN 13 : 0128131659
Total Pages : 586 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (281 download)

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Book Synopsis Water Scarcity and Sustainable Agriculture in Semiarid Environment by : Ivan Francisco Garcia Tejero

Download or read book Water Scarcity and Sustainable Agriculture in Semiarid Environment written by Ivan Francisco Garcia Tejero and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2018-01-03 with total page 586 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Water Scarcity and Sustainable Agriculture in Semiarid Environment: Tools, Strategies and Challenges for Woody Crops explores the complex relationship between water scarcity and climate change, agricultural water-use efficiency, crop-water stress management and modeling water scarcity in woody crops. Understanding these cause- and effect relationships and identifying the most appropriate responses are critical for sustainable crop production. The book focuses on Mediterranean environments to explain how to determine the most appropriate strategy and implement an effective plan; however, core concepts are translational to other regions. Informative for those working in agricultural water management, irrigation and drainage, crop physiology and sustainable agriculture. - Focuses on semi-arid crops including olive, vine, citrus, almonds, peach, nectarine, plum, subtropical fruits and others - Explores crop physiological responses to drought at plant, cellular and/or molecular levels - Presents tool options for assessing crop-water status and irrigation scheduling

The State of the World's Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture

Author : Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1136498877
Total Pages : 332 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (364 download)

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Book Synopsis The State of the World's Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture by : Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Download or read book The State of the World's Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture written by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-06-17 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The State of the World's Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture is FAO's first flagship publication on the global status of land and water resources. It is an 'advocacy' report, to be published every three to five years, and targeted at senior level decision makers in agriculture as well as in other sectors. SOLAW is aimed at sensitizing its target audience on the status of land resources at global and regional levels and FAO's viewpoint on appropriate recommendations for policy formulation. SOLAW focuses on these key dimensions of analysis: (i) quantity, quality of land and water resources, (ii) the rate of use and sustainable management of these resources in the context of relevant socio-economic driving factors and concerns, including food security and poverty, and climate change. This is the first time that a global, baseline status report on land and water resources has been made. It is based on several global spatial databases (e.g. land suitability for agriculture, land use and management, land and water degradation and depletion) for which FAO is the world-recognized data source. Topical and emerging issues on land and water are dealt with in an integrated rather than sectoral manner. The implications of the status and trends are used to advocate remedial interventions which are tailored to major farming systems within different geographic regions.

A Better Planet

Author : Daniel C. Esty
Publisher : Yale University Press
ISBN 13 : 030024889X
Total Pages : 416 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (2 download)

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Book Synopsis A Better Planet by : Daniel C. Esty

Download or read book A Better Planet written by Daniel C. Esty and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2019-10-22 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A practical, bipartisan call to action from the world’s leading thinkers on the environment and sustainability Sustainability has emerged as a global priority over the past several years. The 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change and the adoption of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals through the United Nations have highlighted the need to address critical challenges such as the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, water shortages, and air pollution. But in the United States, partisan divides, regional disputes, and deep disagreements over core principles have made it nearly impossible to chart a course toward a sustainable future. This timely new book, edited by celebrated scholar Daniel C. Esty, offers fresh thinking and forward-looking solutions from environmental thought leaders across the political spectrum. The book’s forty essays cover such subjects as ecology, environmental justice, Big Data, public health, and climate change, all with an emphasis on sustainability. The book focuses on moving toward sustainability through actionable, bipartisan approaches based on rigorous analytical research.

Coping with Water Scarcity

Author : Jean-Marc Faurès
Publisher : Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO)
ISBN 13 : 9789251073049
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (73 download)

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Book Synopsis Coping with Water Scarcity by : Jean-Marc Faurès

Download or read book Coping with Water Scarcity written by Jean-Marc Faurès and published by Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO). This book was released on 2012 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The report aims to provide a conceptual framework to address food security under conditions of water scarcity in agriculture. It has been prepared by a team of FAO staff and consultants in the framework of the project "Coping with water scarcity - the role of agriculture", and has been discussed at an Expert Consultation meeting organized in FAO, Rome, during the period 14-16 December 2009 on the same subject. It was subsequently edited and revised, taking account of discussions in the Expert Consultation and materials presented to the meeting. The purpose of the Expert Consultation was to assist FAO to better design its water scarcity programme. In particular, the experts were requested to provide recommendations on the range of technical and policy options and associated principles that FAO should promote as part of an agricultural response to water scarcity in member countries. The document offers views on the conceptual framework on which FAO's water scarcity programme should be based, proposes a set of definitions associated with the concept of water scarcity, and indicates the main principles on which FAO should base its action in support to its member countries. At the meeting, experts were requested to review the draft document and provide feedback and recommendations for its finalization. Issues that were addressed in discussions included: 3⁄4 Water scarcity: agreement on key definitions. 3⁄4 The conceptualisation of water scarcity in ways that are meaningful for policy development and decision-making. 3⁄4 The quantification of water scarcity. . 3⁄4 Policy and technical response options available to ensure food security in conditions of water scarcity. . 3⁄4 Criteria and principles that should be used to establish priorities for action in response to water scarcity in agriculture and ensure effective and efficient water scarcity coping strategies.

Rainfed Agriculture

Author : Suhas Pralhad Wani
Publisher : CABI
ISBN 13 : 1845934385
Total Pages : 328 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (459 download)

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Book Synopsis Rainfed Agriculture by : Suhas Pralhad Wani

Download or read book Rainfed Agriculture written by Suhas Pralhad Wani and published by CABI. This book was released on 2009-01-01 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rainfed agriculture is generally overlooked by development investors, researchers and policy makers due to limited confidence in its ability to increase agricultural production and development. However, research undertaken by a team of leading scientists from global organizations demonstrates its potential in achieving food security, improving livelihoods and most importantly addressing issues of equity and poverty reduction in dryland areas - the hot spots of poverty. On the basis of case studies from varied agricultural and ecological regions in Asia and Africa, chapters discuss the need for adopting new paradigms between rainfed and irrigated agriculture, catchment/micro-watershed management approaches, upgrades in science-based development and more investments in rainfed areas. Yield gaps for major rainfed crops are analysed globally and possible ways and means including technological, social, and institutional options to bridge the yield gaps are discussed in detail. Covering areas such as rainwater harvesting and its efficient use, the rehabilitation of degraded land and assessment methods for social, environmental and economic impacts, this book will be necessary for both academics and policy makers working in water management, agriculture and sustainable development.

Coping with Water Scarcity

Author : Luis Santos Pereira
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 1402095791
Total Pages : 385 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (2 download)

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Book Synopsis Coping with Water Scarcity by : Luis Santos Pereira

Download or read book Coping with Water Scarcity written by Luis Santos Pereira and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2009-03-22 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the main problems confronting the world of the 21st Century is a shortage of water. There is already severe scarcity in many regions of the world, causing tremendous problems for local populations and indeed entire societies. There is insufficient water available for the production of food to alleviate poverty and starvation; the lack of water hampers industrial, urban and tourism development, forcing restrictions on other sectors, especially agriculture; health problems arise as the deterioration of ground and surface waters favours water-borne diseases, which flourish in the absence of decent water distribution and sewerage systems. Water conflicts still arise in areas under stress, while water for nature has become a vanishing priority in such zones. This book is a guide to the establishment of regional and/or local guidelines for developing and implementing new ideas for coping with water scarcity. The basic premise underlying the book is that water scarcity will persist, so personal, human and society-wide skills will be needed to cope with it while living in harmony with the necessary environmental constraints. The book provides basic information to assist decision makers, water managers, engineers, agronomists, social scientists and other professions (and their students) in formulating coherent, hopefully harmonious and consolidated views on the issue. Guidelines are also given for introducing the general public to the concept of water scarcity and how to deal with it.

Scarcity and Survival in Central America

Author : William H. Durham
Publisher : Stanford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0804765669
Total Pages : 229 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (47 download)

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Book Synopsis Scarcity and Survival in Central America by : William H. Durham

Download or read book Scarcity and Survival in Central America written by William H. Durham and published by Stanford University Press. This book was released on 1979-06-01 with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Looking at both population and land tenure dynamics in their historical context, this study challenges the view that the 1969 conflict between El Salvador and Honduras was primarily a response to population pressure. The author demonstrates that land scarcity, a principal cause of the war, was largely a product of the concentration of landholdings. The analysis focuses on the emigration of 300,000 Salvadoreans to Honduras in the years before the war, inquiring into the reasons for the emigration, its impact on local agricultural economies, and its relation to the conflict. Answers to these questions are based on a new interpretation of national statistics and on original survey research in peasant communities. The author has used an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on the perspectives of anthropology, ecology, history, demography, and geography. In addition to its value as a case study in human ecology, this book gives a clear account of the nature and origins of ecological pressures in rural Central America. The book is illustrated with 21 photographs and 7 maps.

Water Scarcity, Land Degradation and Desertification in the Mediterranean Region

Author : Jose Rubio
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 904812526X
Total Pages : 156 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (481 download)

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Book Synopsis Water Scarcity, Land Degradation and Desertification in the Mediterranean Region by : Jose Rubio

Download or read book Water Scarcity, Land Degradation and Desertification in the Mediterranean Region written by Jose Rubio and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2009-05-03 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on the suggestions made by the speakers of Plenary Session IV “Ch- lenges to the management of water resources and to countering deserti cation in the Mediterranean region” during the 15th Economic and Environmental Forum, the OCEEA proposed to organize a workshop on “Water Scarcity, Land Degra- tion and Deserti cation in the Mediterranean region – Environment and Security Aspects”. In order to build on common synergies, OSCE sought co-operation with c- leagues from NATO, in particular from the Science for Peace and Security P- gramme. NATO has a longstanding expertise on the issue and had organised in Valencia, in December 2003, a NATO scienti c workshop on “Deserti cation and Security in the Mediterranean Region”. The objective of the new proposed wo- shop would be to broaden its focus from the scienti c community to include also policy makers. 1 The workshop, aimed at government of cials from the Mediterranean Region, gathered representatives of Water management, Land degradation and Desert- cation Departments of Ministries of Environment and representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs. In addition, policy makers, scientists and experts were also invited. The aim was to discuss how the OSCE, NATO and other c- petent organizations like the UNCCD, UNEP, MAP, and the EU could play a role in ensuring that environment and security linkages in terms of water scarcity, land degradation and deserti cation are addressed in the Mediterranean Region.

The Politics of Land and Food Scarcity

Author : Paolo De Castro
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 0415638232
Total Pages : 170 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (156 download)

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Book Synopsis The Politics of Land and Food Scarcity by : Paolo De Castro

Download or read book The Politics of Land and Food Scarcity written by Paolo De Castro and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book aims to explore what the current state of knowledge is on the role of agricultural biodiversity in improving nutrition and food security. The book will examine and challenge some of the prevailing myths and assumptions to improving nutrition through agriculture mechanisms so as to identify the key research and implementation gaps"--

The Coming Age of Scarcity

Author : Michael N. Dobkowski
Publisher : Syracuse University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780815627449
Total Pages : 380 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (274 download)

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Book Synopsis The Coming Age of Scarcity by : Michael N. Dobkowski

Download or read book The Coming Age of Scarcity written by Michael N. Dobkowski and published by Syracuse University Press. This book was released on 1998-03-01 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Michael Dobkowski and Isidor Walliman have edited a book that, although ominous, is not a fatalistic look at the future. The Coming Age of Scarcity lays out the perils of not recognizing the reality of genocide or of acknowledging the full implications of warfare. Showing how scarcity and surplus populations can lead to disaster, The Coming Age of Scarcity is about evil. It tells of "ethnic cleansing" and excavates the world's expanding killing fields. The writers in this volume are all too aware that the future suggests that present-day population growth, land resources, energy consumption, and per capita consumption cannot be sustained without leading to greater catastrophes. The essays in this volume ask: What is the solution in the face of mass death and genocide? As philosopher John K. Roth says in the Foreword, "The essays can sensitize us against despair and indifference because history shows that human-made mass death and genocide are not inevitable, and no events related to them will ever be."

The Last Oasis

Author : Sandra Postel
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1134161581
Total Pages : 241 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (341 download)

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Book Synopsis The Last Oasis by : Sandra Postel

Download or read book The Last Oasis written by Sandra Postel and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-07-16 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.