Water, Peace, and War: Confronting the Global Water Crisis by Brahma Chellaney (review)

In recent years, the academic literature has been awash with books focusing on the global water crisis, water wars, water conflicts, and the doom and gloom of environmental degradation. So it was with some trepidation that I opened Brahma Chellaney’s new opus, Water, Peace, and War: Confronting the Water Crisis, fearing this to be more of the same. I should not have worried; Chellaney brings his usual astute and critical analysis to the global water crisis with aplomb. I highly recommend this book for those interested in the geopolitics of water issues or those looking for new insights on international water concerns. Some might argue that it is somewhat derivative of his previous work, Water: Asia’s New Battleground (Georgetown University Press, 2011) but I believe that this will be even more widely read because of its broader perspective.

In this book, Chellaney takes us on an all-encompassing analysis of global water issues, geopolitical battles, and international water politics, sweeping from critical site to critical site, recounting intra-national and international disputes from around the globe. The writing is along the style of Jarred Diamond or Carl Sagan weaving the big picture from a vast array of case-studies, identifying themes and prospects, and pulling seemingly disparate facts into a coherent whole. As such, inevitably perhaps, one could find criticism with some specifics and certainly raise issues with his characterization of some water conflicts. For instance, his depiction of the Pakistan/India water clashes invariably comes with a distinctly Indian perspective, issues that are raised at several places within the book. Nevertheless, this does not detract from the overall tenor of the book -- water is rapidly becoming the next battleground for geopolitical encounters. Of course, this is not a new concept, but Chellaney highlights in great detail the multitude of disputes brewing around the world, and argues that such conflicts have already begun.

Chapter one sets the scene raising the specter of water wars as pressure on the resource increases with growing populations, intensification of water consumption, rapid urbanization, and spreading obesity. This latter argument is somewhat new regarding water resources and deserves further exploration and understanding. Chapter two addresses the power of water focusing particularly on the synergy of water and energy. In this chapter he also makes an interesting case for the trade in virtual water and the potential benefits and limits to such exchanges. Again, I can see scholars pursuing this line of inquiry further.

In Chapter three, Chellaney looks at the future of water resources presenting discussions on the commodification and marketing of water, threats to water reserves affected by climate change, and prospects for water refugees. Indeed, the potential dangers facing society due to coming water conflicts are tremendously worrisome. On the one hand, I particularly like his discussions of the various lakes and inland seas (e.g., Aral, Salton, Chad, Dead) and the forces that have led to their degradation/depletion. On the other hand, I was somewhat perturbed by his (unfair?) criticism of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change with regard to the accuracy of its data and the “cover-up” of information, given that these issue have been resolved. However the fundamental message he makes is very clear and poignant – make sure you have good, strong and accurate data before making pronouncements.

I am also not convinced entirely by Chellaney’s argument that climate change and environmental change are separate forces. He asks, for instance, “What has climate change to do with impacts of reckless land use, overgrazing, contamination of surface-water resources, groundwater depletion, environmentally unsustainable irrigation, degradation of coastal ecosystems, waste mismanagement, or the destruction of forests, mangroves, and other natural habitats?”(147). One could equally reason, for instance, that such issues are inextricably linked with climate change putting pressure on all aspects of water resources. He is correct in stating, though, that climate change should...