Wholesale Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization

This book discusses water and how water wealth has been pivotal to the rise and fall of great powers, civilization’s achievements, and societal transformations. Steven Solomon’s narrative portrait of power struggles, personalities, and breakthroughs from antiquity to the 21st century highlights the impact of water on humanity. As modern society faces freshwater scarcity and depleting renewable water ecosystems, a new fault line divides humanity into water Haves and Have-nots. Water-starved regions in Africa and Asia are the source of genocides, epidemic diseases, failed states, and civil warfare. Water scarcity is intrinsically linked to global crises in energy, food, and climate change. This book is for people who want to have a comprehensive look at many angles of the issue with water within a single robust volume. (This book may contain a sharpie mark on the top or bottom edge and may show mild signs of shelfwear.)