- provides a holistic view of desalination, highlighting the important role this technology can play in providing safe access to water across the globe - describes the context for desalination technology to flourish in the coming decades, moving from a 'good-to-have' contributor to the provision of water to a 'must-have' mainstream water solution - uses a series of case studies to illustrate how desalination can supplement natural water resources in different countries and for different purposes, - examines the potential impact of desalination technology to 2050 - will be of great interest to those researching and working to alleviate water insecurity, from across water resource management, water policy, water science and environmental engineering