Corporate water ownership. Water will be the next oil dilemma.

[graywarrior]

Who owns the water?
Suez, Vivendi, RWE or you or me?

Tuesday, August 20, 2002

By Mort Rosenblum, Associated Press

PARIS — In a world fast running short of fresh water, a new debate rages: Private companies are free to exploit oil, "black gold," but what about the infinitely more valuable resource of "blue gold"?

Two French companies alone — Suez and Vivendi Environnement — supply water to 230 million people around the globe, from U.S. cities like Atlanta to urban centers across the Third World.

Hardly noticed a few years ago, the issue of water privatization is likely to be a big topic at the United Nations' World Summit on Sustainable Development that begins Monday in Johannesburg, South Africa.

It raises a deceptively simple question: Is water a human right or a commodity? "The problem is that it's both," said Peter Gleick of the Pacific Institute in Berkeley, Calif. Everyone has a right to safe, clean water, he said, but because of government failures, 1.1 billion people lack access to it.

A new trend is clear. Both Suez and Vivendi expect double-digit annual growth in their water business, and each already has contracts that add up to more than $10 billion a year. Puerto Rico just hired Suez to distribute its water.

http://www.waterindustry.org/Water-Facts/world-water-5.htm

[Liberty Belle]

1. Kick! This is a travesty of justice.

Clean water should be a human right--not a privilege of the wealthy.

[mermaid]

2. Didn't You Get The Memo??

Clean Water...Clean Air...Nourishing Food...Adequate Shelter and Clothing...Adequate Healthcare...didn't you know these things are all in short supply, and therefore we must make sure that the BETTER PEOPLE...the wealthy...have as much of the above as they want...and FUCK the poor people...they oughta just curl up and die. Didn't you get that memo?

[mcscajun]

3. Most of the wars of this century will be fought over water/water rights

Count on it.

[H2O Man]

4. I believe it.

I think there will be conflicts over water in the US that will be as bitter as any between nations.

[TX-RAT]

6. Hope your wrong, but I'm afraid your right.

[mcscajun]

16. And get ready for conflict with Mexico...

Water demands on the Rio Grande are so severe (much mandated by treaty with Mexico) that in 2003, the river ran dry within the Big Bend National Park in Texas.

[H2O Man]

17. Right.

It also has implications for the relationship with Indian territories. Water rights have long been an issue; it will become far more acrimonious in the next few years.

[DrDebug]

10. It's the most vital commodity in the world

Even more than oil. And with the ever increasing population growth and economical growth in Asia, Latin America and Africa water will be most fought for and sought after commodity.

After signing the 1979 peace treaty with Israel, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat said his nation will never go to war again, except to protect its water resources

King Hussein of Jordan identified water as the only reason that might lead him to war with the Jewish state.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2949768.stm

We are actually lucky, since we only get to experience the enormous private companies who are in charge of our water.

Vivendi/Universal. Another company you can really trust:
SEC Settles Civil Fraud Action Against Vivendi, Former Execs
http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2003-184.htm
CSR Europe - News - Vivendi settles on fraud lawsuit
www.csreurope.org/news/Vivendisettlesonfraud/
etc.

[TX-RAT]

5. Old News

Private investors have been buying up water rights all over the country for years, i had a representative from Mesa Petroleum, make an offer to by the water rights on my place 10 years ago.

[MadHound]

7. Yep, it has been going on quietly for awhile now.

If you want to know how well privatized water has worked in the US, just ask the residents of Atlanta, who've had large rate hikes, and poor water infrastructure maintenence.

[Pithy Cherub]

8. The water fights are just kicking off as the new extreme political sport,

Will the best water ballons be thrown by corporations or countries? Should Mexico have more say so over river flow from the US? Can California, Arizona and Nevada have a conservation plan decided at the point of a 50 gallon water gun with spray nozzles? Water is the new old new oil...

[lonestarnot]

13. Yep I saw all the books...

[Solomon]

9. It highlights the much bigger issue of whether any resource should be

privately owned. The very heart and soul of capitalist society.

Noam Chomsky said long ago this is the issue we are headed toward.

[TX-RAT]

11. Are you saying i shouldn't own the water on my place?

[RaleighNCDUer]

12. There were people warning us of this 30 years ago, when there

were 1.5 billion fewer people on earth.

So many smart people, and how easily we ignore them.

[dcfirefighter]

14. The earth

is the common heritage of all mankind.

For practical purposes, natural resources within a country should belong, in common, to all of it's citizens.

Allowing corporations to 'own' resources is fine - as long as the rights are continually rented. Having the rights annually or periodically auctioned means that the value of the water is returned to the community: the value of such resources should be returned to the citizens in the form of public goods, services, or dividends.

The net affect of having to pay auction rates for natural resources means that 1) it's nearly impossible to maintain a monopoly and 2) the corporations only earn on what value they bring to the resource, such as refining or infrastucture, and 3) the resource is conserved.

If water, held in common, is given free to all who would use it, it will not be conserved, and a few users will use quite a bit of water, and not leave enough for others. This happens quite often around the world when farmers are given special water rights.

The auction is economically identical to the idea of splitting the water up into shares for each citizen and letting each 'sell' the water he doesn't use for personal consumption.

[chieftain]

15. Enron had designs on Florida's water supply.

They were working with Jeb to explore the privatization of the Sunshine State's water resources. Additionally, they were very far along on a hare brained scheme to pump untreated water into the aquifers for later purification and use. Only an outraged public who belatedly caught wind of the project stopped it in its tracks and then Enron's financial troubles put it on the shelf. All of us need to be alert to efforts by corporations to co opt water resources, this is not just a third world issue(although little brother Bush runs this state as if it was a banana republic).

[morgan2]

18. the next oil?

this is already a dillema in much of the world. There have been water riots in the middle east and south america already.