Peak Water: Civilisations and the World's Water Crisis - Hardcover

What makes Peak Water interesting is the way it weaves such laconic personal predictions with a wealth of history, anecdote and analysis, all focussing on the vital role of water in the rise and fall of civilisations. Here, alongside Bell s obvious delight in building sandcastles and digging moats at the seaside, are lucid accounts of the ancient cities of Mesopotamia and the Andes. --The Scottish Review of Books

Covering the history, social and religious conflict over water, Peak Water: Civilisation and the World's Water Crisis is the first title to exclusively discuss the world's next global disaster. As Bell says: 'This is a worldwide concern. We all have a part to play'. --Edinburgh Evening News- October 2009

While sea levels rise, the wells run dry, our human future draining steadily away. That's Bell's claim in this arrestingly urgent essay... an eloquent and alarmingly persuasive book. --The Scotsman

Water is the source of life and the building block of all civilisation. The control of water has shaped politics, health, population growth, city planning, technology and religion. Controlling water has driven progress, through the growth of intensive farming and industrial revolution. It has also become a symbol of our civilisation - evidence that we have mastered nature.From the hanging gardens of Babylon and the ancient myth of the Nile to the fountains in Las Vegas, water is the one constant. We are fed by irrigated fields, live in plumbed cities, and turn on a tap without a moment's thought. Yet, this simple technology that underpins everything is at bursting point. There are too many people for the available water, and war may follow. How did we get here, and what can we do about it?