Who Owns the Water? uses a phenomenological approach to H2O to persuade readers that an element in a constant state of flux and physical change cannot be subject to any political or economic ownership claims. An informed world community should take responsibility for water and respect it. Water's importance for life cannot be underestimated. (There's a reason why proof that water once existed on Mars was cause for astronomical elation.) Here its life-giving properties are analyzed and celebrated, and its molecular characteristics are described. More crucially, perhaps, the book examines the dangers and opportunities water presents for humanity and the great task society faces in securing the existence of this magnificent life-support system. Complex questions about drinking water provision, waste water disposal, food production and agriculture, and the climate are raised from ecological, economical, cultural, social, ethical, and aesthetic standpoints. The whole is presented through a series of photo essays, written essays, and statistical and factual information.
