Boiling Point

Few know water issues better than Barlow, the author of the Blue Water trilogy and cofounder of the Blue Planet Project, an international water rights group . She was the first advisor on water to the Secretary General of the United Nations from 2008 to 2009. Focusing on her home country, she writes that Canadians are complacent when it comes to their water. The country is home to roughly 20% of the world’s fresh water, and Barlow fears that Canadians are unaware of threats to their water supply, stating that it is mismanaged by nearly all levels of government, mistreated by many corporations and businesses, and misrepresented as an indefatigable and still pristine natural resource. Barlow argues these points convincingly, but her reliance on statistics and studies makes for dry reading at times, especially when sections overlap and points are reiterated. However, Barlow injects life into the book by including various success (and failure) stories of communities, groups, and individuals who have fought battles over water issues, as well as by expressing her own zeal for the matter. As interest grows in water as a commodity, Barlow’s book is timely and will resonate with environmentalists, those interested in international trade, and anyone wondering just where Canada stands on the possible impending water crisis. (Sept.)