Scientists call them 'hot stains' - the parts of the earth running out of clean, drinkable water. They now include northern China, large areas of Asia and Africa, the Middle East, Australia, the Midwestern United States, and sections of South America and Mexico. How did the world's most vital natural resource become so imperilled? And what must we do to pull back from the brink? In the tradition of such classics as Rachel Carson's Silent Spring and Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth, Blue Covenant addresses an environmental crisis that - together with global warming - poses one of the gravest threats to our survival. World renowned activist and author Maude Barlow has been at the forefront of international water politics, and in this timely and important book she discusses the state of the world's water, how water companies are reaping vast profits from declining supplies, and how ordinary people from around the world have banded together to reclaim the public's right to clean water. Essential reading for all who care about the planet, Blue Covenant is the most up-to-date look at the global water crisis and its impact on humans and the natural world.