12% of population uses 85% of water WATER WARS Zoltan Grossman The Evergreen State College

Sources 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- capacity well withdrawals

Dried-up reservoir

Western U.S. water conflicts Klamath Basin, Oregon vs.Farmers.Ranchers.“WiseUsers” Commercial fishers, Sport fishers, Tribes,Environmentalists

Climate change affecting freshwater

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

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

Public and private prices in France

“Water War” in Bolivia Cochabamba residents protesting Bechtel 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

Alternative: Debrecen, Hungary Preferred public to private Cheaper Financial comparison

Safety of municipal water supplies Wisconsin, 1993 Australia, 1998 (privatized system) Ontario, 2000 (gov’t had dropped e-coli testing)

BOTTLED WATER costs more than oil

Bottled water quality in question

Bottled water growth

WaterPrivatization Woodstock Riot 1999 Fewer bubblers in public buildings?

Perrier/Nestle in the U.S. TexasFlorida

Perrier/Nestle in the Midwest WisconsinMichigan Alliance of farmers, sportfishers, tribe, environmentalists prevents Perrier from pumping springs, Protection of rural supplies from high- capacity 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 rivers Yellow River (Huang He) In northern China Colorado River Delta in 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 Bank groundwater; charges Arabs 3x

Israel’s boundary with Egypt and Gaza (Palestine)

Dead Sea Shrinkage

Tigris and Euphrates rivers Turkey Iraq

International cooperation on water use

DAMS

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 NUMBER OF DAMS s

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 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 resources Privatization of water Bottled water Dams Water Wars (books)

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.)

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 WISCONSIN COLOMBIA

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 NIGERIA ECUADOR