Drought in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions

Drought in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions
Author: Kurt Schwabe
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 510
Release: 2013-07-08
Genre: Science
ISBN: 940076636X

Offering a cross-country examination and comparison of drought awareness and experience, this book shows how scientists, water managers, and policy makers approach drought and water scarcity in arid and semi-arid regions of Spain, Mexico, Australia, South Africa and the United States.

Water, Agriculture and the Environment in Spain: can we square the circle?

Water, Agriculture and the Environment in Spain: can we square the circle?
Author: Lucia De Stefano
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 340
Release: 2012-10-17
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0415631521

"The world water problems are a due to bad governance, not to physical water scarcity." This book is inspired by this statement and explores whether it holds in a specific country, Spain, where climatic conditions – Spain is one of the most arid countries of the European Union - would fully justify saying that water problems are due to physical water scarcity. The metrification of water uses and their monetary value is a first important step in understanding how reallocation of water among users could help mitigating many of current water problems in Spain. However, water reallocation among users or from users to nature is far from simple. Initiatives portrayed as the solution to the water governance ‘jigsaw’ – e.g. water trade, improved water use efficiency, users collective action, public participation – are not free of difficulties and shortcomings. The book explores the growing need for maintaining Spain’s natural capital and the human component of water governance – people’s needs, wishes, (vested) interests, aspirations – that often determine the result of decisions and, sometimes, lead water management to a deadlock. This book takes a step forward in showing a more complex - and also closer to reality - picture of water governance in Spain.

Glosario Del Banco Mundial

Glosario Del Banco Mundial
Author: World Bank
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 468
Release: 1996
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

This edition of the World Bank has been revised and expanded by the Terminology Unit in the Languages Services Division of the World Bank in collaboration with the English, Spanish, and French Translation Sections. The Glossary is intended to assist the Bank's translators and interpreters, other Bank staff using French and Spanish in their work, and free-lance translator's and interpreters employed by the Bank. For this reason, the Glossary contains not only financial and economic terminology and terms relating to the Bank's procedures and practices, but also terms that frequently occur in Bank documents, and others for which the Bank has a preferred equivalent. Although many of these terms, relating to such fields as agriculture, education, energy, housing, law, technology, and transportation, could be found in other sources, they have been assembled here for ease of reference. A list of acronyms occurring frequently in Bank texts (the terms to which they refer being found in the Glossary) and a list of international, regional, and national organizations will be found at the end of the Glossary.

Pollution of Water Bodies in Latin America

Pollution of Water Bodies in Latin America
Author: Leobardo Manuel Gómez-Oliván
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2019-11-22
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9783030272951

The indiscriminate use of chemical substances in industrial processes and anthropogenic activities, have resulted in the release of these compounds into aquatic ecosystems through municipal, hospital and industrial discharges, producing various undesired effects on the environment and on species of ecological interest. These compounds, such as metals, pesticides, emerging pollutants and other substances are persistent and susceptible to biotic and/or abiotic transformations, yielding metabolites that can be more toxic than the original compounds. In this book, researchers from diverse environmental science disciplines share their experiences in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, and critically examine the problem of contaminants in aquatic ecosystems in Latin America, as well as the risks presented by their presence.

Water Availability and Management in Mexico

Water Availability and Management in Mexico
Author: Elena María Otazo-Sánchez
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 509
Release: 2019-09-28
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 303024962X

This book presents several complex case studies related to water management and planning in the context of pollution, growing demands, and global climate change in Mexico, but which are also relevant for other countries in Latin America. These concerns are of critical importance for policymakers who are coping with multiple conflicting interests. Water availability in Mexico is polarized, with abundant rainfall and large rivers in the south, and desert-like conditions in the north. The central region, which is the most industrialized, is overpopulated. Mexico City pours millions of cubic meters of “blackwater” into the northern valley daily and receives its clean water from the south. To address these unsustainable conditions, the world's 4th biggest water treatment plant went into operation in 2018. The water infrastructure and governance must satisfy the demands of all sectors, including agricultural, urban, and economic activities. At the same time, water resources are affected by drought, and climate change puts constraints on the supply. As such, regulation and monitoring are important when it comes to adherence to agreed plans and priorities. The book is divided into four sections. 1: Water Availability discusses quantitative aspects, such as supply, methods of calculation, and fracking. 2: Water Quality highlights pollution risks and diagnosis of water resources. 3: Water Allocation examines the sectoral demands and vulnerability due to unsustainable irrigation. 4: Water Governance and Management focuses on laws, urban rules, national parks, planning, and integrated water resources management, among other topics. The chapters include illustrative case studies in Mexico, such as basins, cities, reservoirs, and aquifers, water supply demand assessment, planning, and management.

Tierra Vacante en Ciudades Latinoamericanas

Tierra Vacante en Ciudades Latinoamericanas
Author: Nora Clichevsky
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2002
Genre: Land use, Urban
ISBN: 9781558441491

Vacant urban land--the product of land market activity, the actions of private agents, and the policies of public agents--is an important challenge for policy makers. Vacant lots on the urban fringe and in central and interstitial areas have affected growth patterns in Latin America. Contributors to this book analyze the problems and opportunities related to vacant urban land in five cities: Buenos Aires, Argentina; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Quito, Ecuador; Lima, Perú; and San Salvador, El Salvador.