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Review: Water Always Wins by Erica Gies

13 May 2022
2 minutes

Jules Stewart reviews Water Always Wins: Thriving in an Age of Drought and Deluge, by Erica Gies, published by Apollo


The Indian physicist Sir C.V. Raman called water ‘the elixir of life’, the most important substance on our planet. But as Erica Gies reminds us, we have forgotten water’s true nature, which is to flex with the rhythms of the earth, expanding and retreating upon the land. The inexorable march of climate change is turning water into an ever more destructive threat to our survival. The author highlights the escalating destructiveness of natural phenomena such as floods and droughts. In some US regions, the amount of precipitation falling during heavy storms has, in the past 65 years, increased by as much as 55 per cent.

So too have we been outsmarted in our quest to control water. Gies points to the 58,000 or so high dams standing around the globe as an example. An attempt to reclaim water’s power, we are now seeing the perils – not least the harm to aquatic life. The perceived benefits of hydropower may even be illusory – the cement used to build dams accounts for nearly ten per cent of global carbon emissions.

Gies proposes a new path. Like the Italian ‘Slow Food’ movement of the late 20th century, ‘Slow Water’ is an approach that works with local landscapes, climates and cultures, rather than trying to dominate or change them. It seeks to call out the ways in which speeding water off the land causes problems. The goal is to restore natural slow phases to support local availability, flood control, carbon storage and myriad forms of life.

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Subscribe to Geographical today from just £3.40 per month. Our monthly print magazine is packed full of cutting-edge stories and stunning photography, perfect for anyone fascinated by the world, its landscapes, people and cultures. From climate change and the environment, to scientific developments and global health, we cover a huge range of topics that span the globe. Plus, every issue includes book recommendations, infographics, maps and more!

Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: Floods, Water

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Subscribe to our monthly print magazine!

Subscribe to Geographical today from just £3.40 per month. Our monthly print magazine is packed full of cutting-edge stories and stunning photography, perfect for anyone fascinated by the world, its landscapes, people and cultures. From climate change and the environment, to scientific developments and global health, we cover a huge range of topics that span the globe. Plus, every issue includes book recommendations, infographics, maps and more!

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Published in the UK since 1935, Geographical is the official magazine of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG).

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