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Introduction to Water Sustainability

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Water Sustainability
  • Originally published in
  • R. A. Meyers (ed.), Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology, © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2022

Glossary

Sustainability :

The most widely quoted definition of sustainability and sustainable development is that by the Brundtland Commission of the United Nations in 1987: “sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

Resilience :

Resilience refers to the ability of a system, community, or society exposed to hazards to resist, absorb, accommodate, adapt to, transform, and recover from the effects of a hazard in a timely and efficient manner, including through the preservation and restoration of its essential basic structures and functions through risk management.

Integrated water resources management (IWRM) :

IWRM is a process which promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land, and related resources, in order to maximize the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems.

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Bibliography

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Water Research Foundation, Alexandria, VA, USA

    Harry X. Zhang

Authors
  1. Harry X. Zhang
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Vienna, VA, USA

    Harry X. Zhang

Section Editor information

  1. The Water Research Foundation, Alexandria, VA, USA

    Harry X. Zhang Ph.D., P.E

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© 2023 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

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Zhang, H.X. (2023). Introduction to Water Sustainability. In: Zhang, H.X. (eds) Water Sustainability. Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2466-1_1100

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