The RMB Alliance is a new and developing series of clear, passionate and accessible lectures bringing together writers, thinkers, artists, planners and outdoor enthusiasts in the pursuit of ecological stability and common-sense environmental stewardship.

Growing populations, increasing industrial use and heavy agricultural demand are beginning to tax water supplies in many regions of Canada's west. Future economic and social development will depend upon how much we know about our surface and ground water resources, and how effectively we manage them-especially in the face of climate change.

The message to take home from this eloquent book is that it is time to dispel the myth of limitless abundance of water in Canada and throughout North America, that although our technologically sophisticated society is fuelled and lubricated largely by petroleum, it ultimately runs on plain water. 
In his conclusion to this authoritative book, Robert Sandford, chair of the United Nations water initiative in Canada, offers a realistic picture of the various issues and threats related to the availability and quality of fresh water that Canada will face in the future, and how we can effectively address them.

Robert Sandford is the author or editor of some 20 books on the history and heritage of the Canadian west. He began his work with UN-linked initiatives as chair of the UN International Year of Mountains in 2002, and he also chaired the UN International Year of Fresh Water and Wonder of Water Initiative in Canada in 2003/04. He is also director of the Western Watersheds Climate Research Collaborative, a research and public-policy arm of the University of Lethbridge.

ISBN: 978-1-894765-93-0 5.5" x 8.5", 208 pages $19.95, softcover Available September