In an age of misinformation and public apprehension about climate change, droughts, floods, and polluted drinking water, Global Thirst offers a critical perspective on water, its uses, and access, as a major global issue in the 21st century. Environmental historian John R. Wennersten turns an unflinching eye on today’s global water problems, critically analyzing pollution, drought, dying rivers, and the privatization of water utilities. He also offers commentary on what kinds of sustainable water options we should be pursuing in the 21st century. Wennersten’s analysis of water ranges from Nigeria to India and China to Australia and the United Statesit goes a long way towards correcting the popular notion that “there will always be water.” This is an ideal treatise for professionals working in government, the environment, international affairs, and public policy.John R. WennerstenJohn R. Wennersten is Emeritus Professor of environmental history at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore. He is the author of Chesapeake Bay: An Environmental Biography and Anacostia the Death and Birth of an American River. His work The Oyster Wars of Chesapeake Bay won the Maryland Writer’s Prize.12 b/w & color imagesWater and Society in the 21st Century12 b/w & color images