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12% of population uses 85% of water12% of population uses 85% of water
MajorityMinority
BymajorityByminority
WATER WARSWATER WARS
Zoltan GrossmanZoltan GrossmanThe Evergreen State CollegeThe Evergreen State College
http://academic.evergreen.edu/g/grossmaz
Sources of waterSources of water
Surface fresh water: 3% of liquid water,
which is 13% of fresh water,which is 2.4% of water
Precipitation Patterns
U.S. Water Policy
• Through most of US history, water policies have generally worked against conservation. In well-watered eastern states, water
policy was based on riparian use rights. In drier western regions where water is
often a limiting resource, water law is based primarily on prior appropriation rights.
- Fosters “Use it or Lose it” policies.
Ogallala Aquifer
High-capacitywellwithdrawals
Dried-up reservoirDried-up reservoir
Western U.S. water conflictsWestern U.S. water conflicts
Klamath Basin, OregonKlamath Basin, Oregon
vs.vs.Farmers.Farmers.
Ranchers.Ranchers.““Wise Wise Users”Users”
Commercial fishers,Commercial fishers,Sport fishers,Sport fishers,Tribes,Tribes,EnvironmentalistsEnvironmentalists
Climate change affecting freshwater Climate change affecting freshwater
Nisqually Glacier, Mt. Rainier Nisqually Glacier, Mt. Rainier
Bulk water transfers
River system diversions(Canada-to-U.S.)
Water pipelines(Canada/Great Lakes-to-Southwest)
Supertankers(North America-to-Asia)
Canadian government banned bulk transfers in 1999.
WATER AVAILABILITY AND USE
• Renewable Water Supplies Made up of surface runoff and infiltration
into accessible freshwater aquifers.
Readily accessible, renewable supplies are 400,000 gal /person/year.
Depleting Groundwater
• Groundwater is the source of nearly 40% of fresh water in the U.S. On a local level, withdrawing water faster
than it can be replenished leads to a cone of depression in the water table,
- On a broader scale, heavy pumping can deplete an aquifer.
Mining non-renewable resource.
Depleting Groundwater
FRESHWATER SHORTAGES
• Estimated 1.5 billion people lack access to an adequate supply of drinking water. Nearly 3 billion lack acceptable sanitation. Freshwater withdrawals doubled in 50 yrs.
• A country where consumption exceeds more than 20% of available, renewable supply is considered vulnerable to water stress.
Global Water Use Growth
A Precious Resource
• 45 countries have serious water stress, and cannot meet the minimum essential water requirements of their citizens.
More than two-thirds of
world’s households have
to retrieve water from
outside the home.
Water use and commodification
Agriculture
Industry
Household/municipal
PRIVATIZATION
• Price mechanisms charging a higher proportion of real costs to users of public water projects has helped encourage conservation.
Yet discriminates against poor.
Global water Industry Over $140 Billion a year
The World Water and Wastewater Utilities Market is estimated at $142 billion US in 2000…
(2000, $US)
Water multinationals
Public/private water in EU countries
95 100
82
63
25
100 100 96
100 100 100 99
90
98
12
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Belgium
Denmark Ge
rmany
Spain
France
Greece
Ireland
Italy
Lux
Neth
s
Austria
Portugal
Finland
Sweden
UK
Public Private
1,489
1,6211,716
1,8031,848 1,841
1,784
1,9081,993
2,0502,100 2,100
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
average annual price (FF) for yearly consumption of 120m3, water & sanitationSource: DGCCRF
Municipal/RégiesDelegated/Private
Public and private prices in France
““Water War” in BoliviaWater War” in Bolivia
Cochabamba residents protestingBechtel privatization of
municipal water system, 1999
Private and public: subsidies to and from water
Private
Loss leaders
Subsidies from taxation
Public
Financing other MNC operations
Financing other public services
Water
services
Alternative: Porto Alegre, Brazil
Autonomous department- Efficiency and public accountability
‘Participatory budgeting’- Decentralised democratic prioritizing
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Alternative: Debrecen, Hungary
• Preferred public to private
• Cheaper
• Financial comparison
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Safety of municipal Safety of municipal water supplieswater supplies
Wisconsin, 1993Wisconsin, 1993
Australia, 1998Australia, 1998
(privatized system)(privatized system)
Ontario, 2000Ontario, 2000(gov’t had dropped(gov’t had dropped
e-coli testing)e-coli testing)
BOTTLED WATER BOTTLED WATER costs more than oilcosts more than oil
Bottled water quality in questionBottled water quality in question
Bottled water growthBottled water growth
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
1970 1980 2000
Billions of gallons
WaterWaterPrivatizationPrivatization
WoodstockRiot 1999Fewer
bubblers inpublic
buildings?
Perrier/Nestle in the U.S.Perrier/Nestle in the U.S.
TexasTexas FloridaFlorida
Perrier/Nestle in the MidwestPerrier/Nestle in the Midwest
WisconsinWisconsin MichiganMichigan
Alliance of farmers, Alliance of farmers, sportfishers, tribe, sportfishers, tribe, environmentalistsenvironmentalists
prevents Perrier fromprevents Perrier frompumping springs,pumping springs,
1999-2002 1999-2002
Protection ofProtection ofrural suppliesrural supplies
from high-from high-capacity wellscapacity wells
“NEW GEOGRAPHY OF CONFLICT”
“Possible flashpoint for resource conflict”Water systems & aquifers• Jordan• Nile• Tigris – Euphrates• Amu Darya• Indus• Mountain Aquifer (West Bank/Israel)”
Water diversions from riversWater diversions from rivers
Yellow River (Huang He)In northern China
Colorado River Deltain U.S./Mexico
Soviet diversion of rivers to the Aral Sea
• Once the 4th largest inland body of water in the world
A series of dams was built to irrigate cotton.
• Aral Sea reduced to about 25% of its 1960 volume, quadrupled the salinity of the lake and wiped out the fishery. Pollutants became airborne as dust, causing significant local health problems.
• The environmental damage caused has been estimated at $1.25 -$2.5 billion a year.
Middle East Water Conflicts
Israeli-Palestinian Water Conflict
Israel uses 82%Of West Bankgroundwater;charges Arabs 3x
Israel’sboundarywith Egypt and Gaza(Palestine)
Dead SeaShrinkage
Tigris and Euphrates riversTigris and Euphrates rivers
TurkeyTurkey
IraqIraq
International cooperation on water useInternational cooperation on water use
DAMSDAMS
Major investments …
• 45,000 large dams
• 2 dams commissioned per day in1970s
• Total investment exceeds $2 trillion
• flow in 60% of world’s rivers affected
• 19% of world’s electricity from hydropower
• Other dams for irrigation, flood control, water supply
2 000
0
4 000
6 000
NUMBER OF DAMS
1900 1990s
Dam projects increasingly questioned
• Affected populations strongly oppose dams
• Proponents point to development demands
• Opponents point to adverse impacts
• Uprisings against globalization
• Examples: Narmada (India), Three Gorges (China), Gabcikovo (Slovakia/Hungary)
Significant impacts on riverine & downstream ecosystems…
• Sediment, salinity, and
herbicide concentrations
• Biodiversity losses
• Fish migration, nutrient flows blocked
• Evaporation in reservoirs
• Reservoirs emit greenhouse gases
• Flooding if dam fails
• 67% of ecosystem changes in survey are negative
Heavy toll on human communities…
• Estimated 40-80 million physically displaced; many others affected by social disruption
• Flooding of Cultural Sites (Archeological and Modern)
• Project cost overruns/debt
• Socio-economic centralization
• Negative impacts fall disproportionately on disadvantaged populations
Water resourceswww.worldwater.org/ www.groundwater.com/Privatization of waterwww.citizen.org/cmep/Water/www.blueplanetproject.org www.ratical.org/co-globalize/BlueGold.pdf Bottled waterwww.knowbottledwater.org Damswww.dams.orgwww.irn.org Water Wars (books)www.southendpress.org/books/waterwars.shtmlwww.mapcruzin.com/rev_resource_wars.htm
Strategies to protect natural resources
• DESTABILIZE: Make investment “risky for companies. Make the cost of delays and poor Public Relations too high
• Divide and conquer the capitalists Pit Banks vs. TNC, Subsidiary vs HQ, Shareholders vs. CEOs
• Protect movement from “divide & conquer” Solidarity of Core and Periphery grassroots Not In Anyone’s Back Yard (NIABY) A mine in U.S. won’t prevent a mine in Latin America, and vice versa
• Take power Local (Nashville WI, Chaltenango, El Salvador) National (Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, etc.)
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Grassroots organizing to protect resources
• Internet for research, education, networking, mobilizing
• Popular education Speaking tours, Translate technical/legal info
• Sectoral organizing Local grassroots groups Form around interest (students, tribal, health care,
women, fishers, farmers, labor)
• Alliance-building Umbrealla for sectoral groups Regional, national networks Exchange Core, Periphery activists
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WISCONSINWISCONSIN
COLOMBIACOLOMBIA
Tactics to protect natural resources
• Global media campaigns Make their Public Relations scream
• Jump scales (scope of conflict) Internationalize local issues Localize international issues
• Legal action Shareholder resolutions Local government resolutions Lobbying/legislation (state/national) Lawsuits in courts of HQ country
• Direct action Site occupations, road/rail blockades Sabotage, rebellion
NIGERIANIGERIA
ECUADORECUADOR