ABSTRACT
The Mediterranean may be, as the author suggests a region of imagined unity, but one thing all the authors in this book reiterate is that the countries that border the Mediterranean Sea are confronted with a severe crisis of fresh water resources. In response to national dissatisfaction with water policies and escalating tensions caused by water shortages, a broad-based social movement has developed in Spain around water. The Mediterranean is the still the most popular tourist destination in the world, beloved not only for its sun and sea, but for its cultural and historical associations. Corruption and economic necessity make nonsense of regulations in many of the countries in the region. There are technical solutions that can help conserve water by making water distribution in urban and rural areas more efficient, or by re-using water and desalinating it, but these are expensive solutions, dependent on careful, coordinated supervision that is not available in every Mediterranean country.
