The title of Clive Cussler’s novel, Blue Gold, is a play upon the term Black Gold which is commonly used for another valuable resource, oil. The central theme is global eco-crime or crimes committed against the environment or nature, particularly water and plant resources. The story commences with the attempted abduction of an engineer, Dr Francesca Cabral, who has discovered a process that converts sea water into fresh water. After surviving a plane crash, in which her abductors die, she is rescued by an Indian tribe, and survives in the jungles of the Amazon Basin for ten years until Gamay and Paul Trout arrive to rescue her. Cussler’s book explores the realities of water scarcity, corporate greed, and theft of water resources and the outcome of having a
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Written in the year 2000, it is set in the near future with the premise water would be recognised by governments and corporations as a valuable and scarce commodity. Conversely, as in the book, theft of water and plant resources are a real concern in the near future.
The proverb “water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink” holds true given that approximately 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water with the ocean holding 96.5% of Earth’s water (US Geological Society), hence the need for a desalination process. According to Barlow, water scarcity currently affects one-third of the world’s population. If the water scarcity trend continues, approximately two-thirds of the population will have insufficient access to clean water by 2025 (Barlow). Further, the world’s surface waters are suffering massive pollution by humans (Barlow & Clarke). Simultaneously, the groundwater resources are being depleted faster than nature can replace
Written in the year 2000, it is set in the near future with the premise water would be recognised by governments and corporations as a valuable and scarce commodity. Conversely, as in the book, theft of water and plant resources are a real concern in the near future.
The proverb “water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink” holds true given that approximately 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water with the ocean holding 96.5% of Earth’s water (US Geological Society), hence the need for a desalination process. According to Barlow, water scarcity currently affects one-third of the world’s population. If the water scarcity trend continues, approximately two-thirds of the population will have insufficient access to clean water by 2025 (Barlow). Further, the world’s surface waters are suffering massive pollution by humans (Barlow & Clarke). Simultaneously, the groundwater resources are being depleted faster than nature can replace