Solving the World Water Crisis with Icebergs?

An idea to tow icebergs to parts of world that need clean drinking water has surfaced some forty years ago after it was originally conceived ("How Hauling Icebergs Could Help Sustain the World's Thirstiest Regions," NBC News, August 7, 2018). An United Arab Emirates-based company will attempt a test of this technique employing "satellite imagery to scour the Southern Ocean for a suitable iceberg, lasso it with nets and chains, and then use a small flotilla of boats to tow it" later this year.

Review selected hard copy/online library books related to the world's fresh water supply at LSC-CyFair Branch Library. Click the title of a listed item, select the "Place Hold" button in the listing, and enter your library card number and PIN for each title you want to request for pick up at the library.

Use these subject words and phrases to find more information in the library catalog:

• droughts
• groundwater
• water conservation
• water use
• water supply
• water consumption
• water resources development

A Thirsty Land: The Making of an American Water Crisis by Seamus McGraw
University of Texas Press, 2018
call number: 333.91 MacG

"As a changing climate threatens the whole country with deeper droughts and more furious floods that put ever more people and property at risk, Texas has become a bellwether state for water debates. Will there be enough water for everyone? Is there the will to take the steps necessary to defend ourselves against the sea? Is it in the nature of Americans to adapt to nature in flux? The most comprehensive--and comprehensible--book on contemporary water issues, A Thirsty Land delves deep into the challenges faced not just by Texas but by the nation as a whole, as we struggle to find a way to balance the changing forces of nature with our own ever-expanding needs." - publisher's summary excerpt

Replenish: The Virtuous Cycle of Water and Prosperity by Sandra Postel
Island Press, 2017
call number: 551.48 Pos

"We have disrupted the natural water cycle for centuries in an effort to control water for our own prosperity. Yet every year, recovery from droughts and floods costs billions of dollars, and we spend billions more on dams, diversions, levees, and other feats of engineering. These massive projects not only are risky financially and environmentally, they often threaten social and political stability. What if the answer was not further control of the water cycle, but repair and replenishment? Sandra Postel takes readers around the world to explore water projects that work with, rather than against, nature's rhythms. In New Mexico, forest rehabilitation is safeguarding drinking water; along the Mississippi River, farmers are planting cover crops to reduce polluted runoff; and in China, "sponge cities" are capturing rainwater to curb urban flooding." - publisher's summary excerpt

High and Dry: Meeting the Challenges of the World’s Growing Dependence on Groundwater by William M. Alley and Rosemarie Alley
Yale University Press, 2017
call number: 628.1 All

"Groundwater is essential for drinking water and food security. . .But a growing global population, widespread use of industrial chemicals, and climate change threaten this vital resource. Groundwater depletion and contamination has spread from isolated areas to many countries throughout the world. . .Drawing on examples from around the world, including case studies in the United States, Canada, Australia, India, and Sub-Saharan Africa, the authors examine groundwater from key scientific and socioeconomic perspectives. While addressing the serious nature of groundwater problems, the book includes stories of people who are making a difference in protecting this critical resource." - publisher's summary excerpt