Water Security Handbook
The interest in the concept of water security has increased considerably over the past decade. This increasing interest may reflect the increasing concern of scientific and policy communities about the state of freshwater resources and the pressures expected on freshwater resources in the coming fifty years. The past two decades have witnessed increasing global concern with the need for sustainable water and land management in an era of rapid change and persistent water and food insecurity. Human population increase, economic development, the trade in goods and services that embody water, climate change, and other drivers alter water resource availability and use, resulting in increased risk of extreme low and high flows, variously altered flow regimes, and often global water demands surpassing local renewable supply.
The handbook on water security will reflect on past, present and future challenges to water security and strategies how to overcome them. Water security has become quite popular in recent years with increasing attention in the scientific and policy community. This handbook could be a useful resource for graduate students, instructors, and scholars investigating new areas of research in Water Security.
The handbook is supported by the Global Water System Project (GWSP). It will build on the global network of the GWSP and insights developed on water security over the past decade. The handbook will contribute to shaping as well the agenda of global water research under the umbrella of the new global program “Future Earth“.