The first topic today was a recap of the reading assignment “Global Water Shortage Looms in New Century.” From here we moved back into Blue Covenant, focusing primarily on chapter 5.
Throughout her book, Barlow argues that water is becoming a growing source of conflict. Some examples given are the Colorado River in the U.S., cloud seeding in China, violent defense of water in Java, domestic violence in Kenya, air strikes on rebels trying to divert water in Sri Lanka, capital punishment for those who contaminate water in Malaysia, and many deaths in Nepal, Bangladesh, Sudan and elsewhere. There are also many conflicts between countries over water resources.
Another issue we looked at was water refugees. BY 2050, 1.7 billion people will live in dire “water poverty” and be forced to relocate. Water is becoming a security issue. Homeland Security is now responsible for protecting our water from terrorism at a price of $548 million a year. Further exacerbating water conflict is the issue of water privatization.
There are three major crises affecting access to water in the world today:
1. Dwindling freshwater supplies
2.Inequitable access to water
3. Corporate control of water is worsening these issues
Barlow does not believe that technology will solve these problems and that we shouldn’t place ourselves too far ahead of nature. She has a great disdain for unrestrained growth. Her three purposed solutions are:
1. Water conservation: a pact between the people and government guaranteeing the right to clean water and implementing practices that will ensure this.
a. This is an alternative to the dwindling water supply
b. We have plenty of workable examples to build from, but we lack the political motivation.
c. Existence of water depends on sustainable management of water
d. We must implement watershed restoration and proper land use
e. Development of green conservation zones in urban development (i.e. Central Park)
f. We need to mitigate chemical farming, the use of pesticides, etc. This will take grass roots, localized movements – keep food local
Here we looked briefly at the results from our water footprint homework: Students are slightly below the national average. This could be because we do not own lawns, wash our cars, etc. The second and third solutions were then presented:
2. Water Justice: a pact between governments of the global north and global south to work on solidarity and equal access to water.
3. Addresses inequitable access to water
-62 countries are heavily burdened by debt and this is hindering their development
-There needs to be substantial allowances for debts, forgiving debt and increasing foreign aid. According to Barlow, the level of aid should be .7% of GDP of giving country – the U.S. now gives only .17%
-Need to address gender inequality – keep policies local and help indigenous peoples
-Water Democracy: pact between all governments and all people guaranteeing fundamental human right of access to clean water
Alternative to corporate control of water:
Working examples are Public Services International, which provides alternatives to private water schemes and PUPs, which supports public water services
Some further examples of solutions were Acequia, an ancient Spanish ditch irrigation system and the International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance.
The presentation concluded that there is a need for a binding law, which would ensure both accountability and visibility. It is essential that we develop and maintain sustainable management and conservation. With these in mind, Barlow proposes a covenant that would entail an obligation to respect and action in the interest of citizens before the state, an obligation to protect, a responsibility to keep out third parties threatening the human right to water, and an obligation to fulfill, forcing governments to take on any additional measures to ensure this right.
The impediments to this covenant exist in water corporations, the northern countries, the World Bank, Green Cross International, and market-based globalization. According to Barlow, if we can assert the primacy of human rights, the need to distribute water publicly and without discrimination and promote water rights efforts on a national level, then we can overcome the problems of water conservation and distribution.
Slides shown in lecture today are available as a .pdf on Sakai.
There will be no reading assignment for Friday.
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