Description
Floods and droughts, throughout human civilization, have profoundly shaped societal development. Examples include the 18th-century BC Euphrates floods dooming ancient Babylon, the 4th-century AD Tarim River drying ending Loulan, and medieval Europe's decade-long drought destabilizing feudalism—all testifying to their threat to civilizations. In the 21st century, global warming, population growth, and urbanization have heightened such risks, causing $2.8 trillion in losses over 20 years (63% of total natural disaster losses). Cases like Libya's 2023 floods and California's drought show regional crises becoming global existential threats. China, due to its geography and climate, faces severe floods and droughts: eastern floods, northwest oasis shrinkage from drought, Qinghai-Tibet snowmelt flood intensification, coastal losses from rising seas, urban waterlogging (e.g., Zhengzhou's 2021 downpour), and mega-project ripple effects—with disaster prevention pressure exceeding the global average. China has developed a "Chinese solution": Three Gorges enhancing flood control, sponge cities easing waterlogging, Yellow River sediment management improving waterways, and mountain flood early warning networks aiding risk avoidance. This experience is shared via the Belt and Road, seen in Pakistan's Karot Hydropower Station and Africa's Renaissance Dam. Traditional risk management has limits. This book, via a systemic framework, builds a full-chain management system to support China and the world in tackling floods and droughts and building resilient defenses.