Building Resilience for Uncertain Water Futures

This book describes the existential threats facing the global water systems from population growth and economic development, unsustainable use, environmental change, and weak and fragmented governance. It argues that ‘business-as-usual’ water science and

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Patricia Gober

Building Resilience for Uncertain Water Futures

Patricia Gober School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning Arizona State University Tempe, AZ, USA

ISBN 978-3-319-71233-8    ISBN 978-3-319-71234-5 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71234-5 Library of Congress Control Number: 2017963062 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover designed by Getty/artisteer Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer International Publishing AG part of Springer Nature The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland

To Howard, my partner in water science and in life

Preface

This book follows from a graduate seminar in water policy taught in the Schools of Sustainability at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, and Public Policy at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada. Over the course of ten years, the course attracted an interdisciplinary audience of students from geography, sustainability, civil engineering, public administration, policy studies, and environmental science. Some had considerable knowledge of a narrow field of water science but wanted a broader synthesis of water problems and their potential solutions. They were attracted to the social science and policy dimensions of the course and to the effort to integrate those perspectives with climatology, hydrology, and ecology. The course evolved somewhat over the ten years to include the perspectives of the international students and more international issues, but the storyline remained constant. It begins with the woeful state of global water resource management, overuse, and increasing pressure on water systems from climate change. Emphasis is on the lack of human capacity to deal wit