Sandra Postel Quotes & Sayings

Pervasive depletion and overuse of water supplies, the high capital cost of new large water projects, rising pumping costs and worsening ecological damage call for a shift in the way water is valued, used and managed. — Sandra Postel

Water is the basis of life and the blue arteries of the earth! Everything in the non-marine environment depends on freshwater to survive. — Sandra Postel

For many of us, water simply flows from a faucet, and we think little about it beyond this point of contact. We have lost a sense of respect for the wild river, for the complex workings of a wetland, for the intricate web of life that water supports. — Sandra Postel

Reforesting the earth is possible, given a human touch. — Sandra Postel

Today's water institutions-the policies and laws, government agencies and planning and engineering practices that shape patterns of water use-are steeped in a supply-side management philosophy no longer appropriate to solving today's water problems. — Sandra Postel

Water is finite and we have not done a great job of managing it in the past. — Sandra Postel

We have been quick to assume rights to use water but slow to recognize obligations to preserve and protect it ... In short, we need a water ethic-a guide to right conduct in the face of complex decisions about natural systems we do not and cannot fully understand. — Sandra Postel