"United Nations water expert Robert Sandford takes the reader on a thought-provoking tour of a world where water, weather, cities, landscapes, economies, even entire cultures, are dramatically impacted by a changing climate. Human beings and industrial-based society are changing the composition of our planet's atmosphere and causing it to warm at an unnatural and oftentimes astonishingly rapid rate. Much of that warmth is being absorbed by water, which as a result is moving through the global hydrological cycle faster and in unprecedented ways. A warmer atmosphere carries more water vapour, which means that as temperatures continue to rise, storms will become more intense, last longer and cause more damage to our towns, cities and vital infrastructure. On the other side of the hydro-climate coin, we can also expect deeper and more persistent droughts throughout the world, resulting in dramatic crop losses, difficult economic outcomes and fundamental alterations to landscape. How changes in the water cycle have already begun to affect how we think about and value water security and climate stability and what we can do to ensure a sustainable future for our children and grandchildren. Robert William Sandford lives in Canmore, Alberta."--Provided by publisher