Water Resources
Availability, Distribution, and Legal Frameworks
The amount of freshwater on Earth is finite, but its distribution has varied considerably, driven mainly by natural cycles of freezing and thawing and fluctuations in precipitation, water runoff patterns, and evapotranspiration levels. That situation has changed, however. Alongside natural causes are new and continuing human activities that have become primary “drivers” of the pressures affecting our planet’s water systems. These pressures are most often related to human development and economic growth. History shows a strong link between economic development and water resources development. There are abundant examples of how water has contributed to economic development and how development has…
