Pearce places agriculture at the center of the problem. Most of the water we currently use goes towards growing and processing food. Many green revolution crops are particularly water-intensive, and water is quickly becoming the factor limiting global agricultural output. Transporting “virtual water” in the form of food and crops such as cotton and alfalfa also acts as a drain on an area’s hydrological resources. He explores how this dire problem came about, and posits some possible solutions. This is leading to a shortage of clean, potable water for many communities and damaging riparian habitats and wetlands. In his book When the Rivers Run Dry: Water-the Defining Crisis of the Twenty-First Century, Pearce takes his readers on a global journey, explaining the impact of increasing water scarcity. $26.95 (cloth), ISBN 978-0-8070-8572-1 $16.00 (paper), ISBN 978-0-8070-8573-8.Īmong the barrage of environmental problems we face today, from climate change, to deforestation, to pollution, there is another potential disaster looming on the horizon that journalist Fred Pearce argues is not getting enough attention-major rivers across the globe are no longer flowing all the way to their traditional outfalls.

When the Rivers Run Dry: Water-The Defining Crisis of the Twenty-First Century.

When the river runs dry google books