The Big Thirst
The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water
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The Big Thirst
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Narrated by:
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Stephen Hoye
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By:
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Charles Fishman
About this listen
The water coming out of your tap is four billion years old and might have been slurped by a Tyrannosaurus Rex. We will always have exactly as much water on Earth as we have ever had. Water cannot be destroyed, and it can always be made clean enough for drinking again. In fact, water can be made so clean that it actually becomes toxic. As Charles Fishman brings vibrantly to life in this delightful narrative excursion, water runs our world in a host of awe-inspiring ways, which is both the promise and the peril of our unexplored connections to it.
Taking listeners from the wet moons of Saturn to the water-obsessed hotels of Las Vegas, and from a rice farm in the Australian outback to a glimpse into giant vats of soup at Campbell's largest factory, he reveals that our relationship to water is conflicted and irrational, neglected and mismanaged. Whether we will face a water scarcity crisis has little to do with water and everything to do with how we think about water - how we use it, connect with it, and understand it.
Portraying and explaining both the dangers - in 2008, Atlanta came just 90 days from running completely out of drinking water - and the opportunities, such as advances in rainwater harvesting and businesses that are making huge breakthroughs in water productivity, The Big Thirst will forever change the way we think about water, our crucial relationship to it, and the creativity we can bring to ensuring we always have plenty of it.
©2011 Charles Fishman (P)2011 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
What listeners say about The Big Thirst
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- ayman
- 11-07-19
An eye opening book
Very enjoyable book about how we waste water and how it’s scarers all over the world even in US packet with a lot of story
This book and “ when the rivers run dry” are a must for anyone care/study water/environment
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Steve Richards
- 15-01-17
Interesting but poetic
An interesting analysis of Water though there is a tendency to ramble and use poetic language. It did however provide an decent overview of Water in the US, Australia and India.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Alastair
- 11-12-11
informed, interesting and provoking
I was not sure if this book was going to be dry in the opening chapter but quickly developed a thirst for more. Each chapter is extremely informative yet entertaining to read(listen). The written style is kept concise and translates well into an audiobook. It is clear this book has been researched and strands from case studies are intermingled making it easy to remember what came previously if listening in instalments. I work in the water industry and learned much from this book. I am likely to refer to examples and anecdotes in conversation in the future. A very enjoyable and thought provoking book. Thank you.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- J
- 30-05-11
1st chapter good
I got this because of a good review in "Nature". The first chapter is really interesting. However later on it is highly focussed on America. I am finding it hard to be interested in the water usage of golf courses and hotel washing machines in Las Vagas. Not sure if I will finish this!
I suspect the other reviewer only read the first chapter!!
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1 person found this helpful