Water Management in 2020 and Beyond

Description

Water is intertwined in the daily life of humans in countless ways. The importance of water as a driver for health, food security, and quality of life and as a pillar for economic development is unique. As water affects human lives, the mankind also effects the hydrological cycle, in all dimensions from the local to the global scale. Food production accounts for 90% of water use in developing countries. Hydropower production evokes emotions; yet sustainable energy production is among cornerstones of economic development. The damages caused by floods and droughts are escalating all over the world. The human impacts on ecosystems are increasing as well. Water is largely a political good since a bulk of the mankind lives in river basins shared by two or more nations. These complexities are approached in the book in depth. The analyses include consideration of how developments in seemingly unrelated processes and sectors such as globalisation, free trade, energy, security, information and communication revolutions, health-related issues such as HIV/AIDS, as well as emerging developments in sectors that are linked more conventionally to water, such as population growth, urbanisation, technological development, agriculture, infrastructure, energy, management of water quality and ecosystem health, are likely to affect water management in the future. For the first time, a pragmatic attempt is make to define a realistic framework for water management in 2020 with leading experts from different parts of the world as well as different disciplines. Front Matter....Pages I-XVI Changing Global Water Management Landscape....Pages 1-34 More Urban and More Aged: Demographic Pressures to Global Water Resources by 2050....Pages 35-63 Water and the Next Generation – Towards a More Consistent Approach....Pages 65-87 Adaptive Water Management: Strengthening Laws and Institutions to Cope with Uncertainty....Pages 89-113 In Search of a Comprehensive Approach to Sustainable Management of Water Resources in the World Community....Pages 115-124 Science, Ideology and Sustainable Development: An Actor-Oriented Approach....Pages 125-136 Leading and Managing Change in Water Reform Processes Capacity Building Through Human Resource Development....Pages 137-148 The European Water Framework Directive: Potential for Change and Implications Beyond 2020....Pages 149-164 Towards a Climate-Proof Netherlands....Pages 165-194 The Strategic Role of Water in Alleviating the Human Tragedy Associated with HIV/AIDS in Africa....Pages 195-212 Irrigation and Water Policies in Aragon....Pages 213-235 Singapore Water: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow....Pages 237-250 The Pace of Change in Seawater Desalination by Reverse Osmosis....Pages 251-258 Back Matter....Pages 259-268