David B. Brooks, who was educated in geology and economics, spent much of his professional career with the International Development Research Centre.  He now advises several Canadian Non-Governmental Organizations, including the International Institute for Sustainable Development, and the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance (University of Victoria).  His main research interests are split between water soft paths (an approach to sustainable governance of fresh water) and water demand management in the Middle East, with particular emphasis on Israel and Palestine.  Among his books are Zero Energy Growth for Canada (McClelland & Stewart, 1981); Watershed: The Role of Fresh Water in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (IDRC Books, 1994 – co-author); and Making the Most of the Water We Have: The Soft Path Approach to Water Management (Earthscan, 2009, co-editor).  In 2012 Dr Brooks received an honorary doctor of environmental studies from the University of Waterloo.