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ISBN: 9781773100463

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Back to the Well

Rethinking the Future of Water

Droughts. Floods. Contamination. Climate change. The perils to the global fresh-water supply have never been so clear or so numerous, as the crisis in Cape Town’s water supply in early 2018 can attest. In dozens of countries, not just ordinary citizens but whole cities have cause to worry about their water, and who will ensure that it is available, affordable, and safe.

In this refreshing examination of the fate and future of water, now available for the first time in trade paperback edition, Marq de Villiers takes on some of the biggest questions of the water world. Who owns water? Is access to water a human right? Who is responsible for keeping water clean and ensuring that it gets to the people who need it most? Is privatization of ownership really so bad?

De Villiers’s inspiring book offers a clear-eyed assessment of the politics of water and proposes innovative, real-life solutions. Writes Elizabeth May, “Back to the Well is a forceful prescription for a sustainable water future.”

Contributors

Marq de Villiers

Marq de Villiers is a celebrated author and journalist. He has written 15 books, including Water: The Fate of our Most Precious Resource, winner of the Governor General’s Award for non-fiction and the Canadian Science Writers Award. In 2010, he was appointed to the Order of Canada. He lives in Eagle Head, Nova Scotia

Chapter Title Contents Contributors Pages Year Price

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de Villiers begins the books with 4 assertions about our water future: 1. We aren’t doomed (yet). 2. There is not a global-scale water crisis. Rather, there are thousands of regional water … 4 $0.40

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In this chapter, de Villiers outlines the anatomy of a water crisis, using the city of Sao Paulo Brazil as an example. He shows how limits in supply and distribution, in concert with growing … 12 $1.20

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In this chapter, de Villiers explores how many parts of the world are being impacted or will be impacted by rapidly diminishing and increasingly polluted groundwater sources. 17 $1.70

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In this chapter, de Villiers explores how surface water – lakes and rivers – are some of the most vulnerable to contamination and destruction as a result of human action. 27 $2.70

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In this chapter, de Villiers discusses international law surrounding water use as well as legislation passed on a national level. 15 $1.50

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In this Chapter, de Villiers discusses the thorny issue of water privatization and commodification. He explores the difference between privatization of ownership and use and the ways in which … 45 $4.50

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In this chapter, de Villiers discusses the controversies surrounding dams and hydroelectricity. Using a variety of case studies, he explores their benefits, as well as their impacts on both … 28 $2.80

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In this chapter, de Villiers explores the risks and unknowns surrounding the process of hydraulic fracturing or fracking. He explores whether the economic potential is real and whether it is … 19 $1.90

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In this chapter, de Villiers investigates the impact of a series of hydrological mega-projects occurring around the world, and the potential risks and benefits associates with re-engineering … 17 $1.70

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In this chapter, de Villiers looks at the vast amount of water used by the agricultural sector and ways to reduce that total, either by changing how we grow crops or by changing which crops we grow. 16 $1.60

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In this chapter, de Villiers explores the impacts of climate change on our global water supply, including who will be most affected and to what degree. 15 $1.50

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In this chapter, de Villiers looks at the impact of population growth on water availability, and tries to answer the question of whether there will be enough clean, safe water for a more populous … 9 $0.90

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In this chapter, de Villiers asks whether water shortages lead to war, under what circumstances these conflicts occur, and where in the world they are most likely to spark. 35 $3.50

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In this chapter, de Villiers begins approaching solutions for water crises by asking us to reframe the issue, by thinking and acting on a local level. 6 $0.60

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In this chapter, de Villiers explores new technologies and innovative solutions to water shortages, and shows how we can engineer more efficient ways to use our limited water supply. 18 $1.80

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In this chapter, de Villiers continues to discuss efficiency and suggests that we should focus on increasing that instead of trying to redistribute and increase our water supply. 20 $2.00

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Conclusion 11 $1.10