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A comprehensive look at the relationship between water and violence, and how we can move from conflict to cooperation and peace, by one of the world’s leading water experts
The first major water war erupted around 2500 BCE, when the Sumerian city-states of Lagash and Umma fought for a century over irrigation canals from the Tigris River. A few thousand years later, both Athenians and then Spartans were accused of poisoning the water supply of their enemies, in pursuit of victory. From the ancient Sumerian, Babylonian, and Assyrian empires to the present day, access to and control over freshwater has been entwined with human conflict, violence, and war. As a fundamental resource for survival, ecosystems, and the stability of civilizations, water and its scarcity or intentional manipulation have long played a pivotal role in power struggles and geopolitical tensions.
In When the Well Is Dry, MacArthur Fellow and world-renowned water expert Peter Gleick traces the history of water and violence, weaving together historical accounts, personal reflections, and analysis. Spanning over four thousand years, the book examines how water has shaped conflicts, from ancient civilizations to contemporary crises, such as Syria’s civil war and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as detailing the evolution of modern environmental security studies.
When the Well Is Dry highlights the dangers of water-driven violence but also offers comprehensive recommendations for reducing such conflicts, paving a new path toward cooperation over water and strategies for a sustainable future.
Praise for When The Well Is Dry:
“We finally have a comprehensive account of the building water crisis that we’ve long needed, and that it comes with workable ideas for addressing it is a great bonus. No one on the planet knows this subject any better than Peter Gleick.”—Bill McKibben, author of Here Comes the Sun
“Peter Gleick is one of the world’s foremost authorities on water, conflict, and cooperation, and this book distills all that he has learned. Weaving together data, insights from his broad experience, powerful examples, and some really good storytelling, Gleick guides us through the many ways water can be caught up in conflict. He also offers a clear and sensible road map for what to do about it. If you want a world in which water is a force for peace and cooperation rather than a driver of violence and conflict, read this book.”—Ken Conca, professor at American University and editor of The Oxford Handbook of Water Politics and Policy
A founder and President Emeritus of the Pacific Institute, Peter Gleick is a MacArthur Fellow, an elected member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was awarded the Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization and is the author or editor of many scientific papers and books, including Bottled and Sold and The Three Ages of Water, he lives in Berkeley, California.