Recent years have witnessed a significant increase in the human and economic impacts of water disasters. During 2000-2010, they accounted for almost 90% of all natural disasters, 96% of the people affected (2.4 billion) and 76% of the economic damages (approximately USD1 trillion) caused by...

The crucial role of energy as an input in the production process has engaged the serious attention of energy planners and researchers in recent years. This was especially true after the OPEC oil embargo of 1973 and the natural gas shortages in the winter of 1976-1977. The prospect of similar...