Water Always Wins

By Erica Gies

When we think of adaptation to rising seas or flooding rivers, our mind usually goes to the likes of sea walls and levees: big, slow, expensive projects, "grey infrastructure", after the concrete used to build them.

But do these projects offer us solutions to the increasing threat of storms and flooding? In Water Always Wins, Gies explores the Slow Water movement as an alternative to grey infrastructure. With case studies from around the world, she opens the reader's eyes to a new world of responses to water: green infrastructure, Slow Water, managed retreat, and more. Even better, she considers our broken relationship with water, looking at injustice and colonial legacy, and explores a future where we live together harmoniously.

An excellent example of effective popular science writing, this book is engaging and informative without being overly academic. It has a great balance between narrative, theory, and practical case studies.

Required reading for anyone who works with water or is interested in climate adaptation.