Protect the Source of Human Life: Water

Author: Qu Yaoguang (Editor)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-03-01
Features: Currently, public environmental awareness in China is not yet very high. Phenomena of pursuing temporary, one-sided development without considering environmental carrying capacity still exist; actions such as polluting a river or damaging land for short-term corporate interests remain relatively common in some areas. General Secretary Jiang Zemin once clearly stated that the level of environmental awareness and environmental quality serve as important indicators of a nation and its people's level of civilization. Over the next decade, China will achieve the third strategic goal, and the national economy will continue to maintain a relatively rapid growth rate, while the population will also continue to increase. The ecological environment will face immense pressure. Only by quickly raising the environmental awareness of the entire population and fostering a situation where society as a whole cares about and participates in environmental protection can China achieve more effective protection of its ecological environment and continuous improvement of environmental quality. Only then can the vision of clearer skies, greener lands, cleaner waters, and more beautiful mountains and rivers endure on the Chinese land. It is believed that the publication of this series of books will play a positive role in enhancing public environmental science knowledge and raising environmental awareness among the entire population.
With the advancement of industrialization in China, population growth, and increasing urbanization, large-scale pollution is becoming increasingly severe, and water resources are facing growing scarcity. Water shortages affect and constrain the further development of social economies in many regions, even deteriorating and damaging the basic living environment of humanity. "Sustainable development," of course, becomes even more out of reach. The primary purpose of writing this book is to systematically and comprehensively introduce readers to the relationship between Earth's life and water, the formation and characteristics of water on Earth, the forms and water cycle of water on Earth, the important role of water in human society and production, the hazards of water pollution, and its protection and prevention. This aims to provide a basic scientific understanding of the human-water relationship, fostering and establishing a conscious awareness of protecting water resources and social ethics.