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justinsb Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-09-05 09:00 AM
Original message
Old Article: Water Wars Looming
Sounding the Alarm

The year 2003 is designated by the United Nations as the “International Year of Freshwater.” In coordination with this designation, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released a report that provided an overview of the world’s freshwater resources and involved the input of more than 200 water experts from around the globe.

According to this report, certain freshwater trends indicate an imminent water crisis; a crisis that will ultimately impact the survival of tens of billions of people, and place the foundation of civilization on a precarious footing.

Item number five in the Executive Summary of the UNEP report states, “Clean water supplies and sanitation remain major problems in many parts of the world, with 20 percent of the global population lacking access to safe drinking water. Waterborne diseases from faecal pollution of surface waters continue to be a major cause of illness in developing countries. Polluted water is estimated to affect the health of 1.2 billion people, and contributes to the death of 15 million children annually.”

The fact that humans dominate and grossly transform Earth’s biosphere is supported by the above UNEP study as well as by other research. As expressed by Robert Kandel, in his book Water from Heaven, “Today, by way of agriculture, livestock, and forestry, humans appropriate more than a fourth of the world biosphere’s ‘net primary production,’ …” Or, to quote Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Edward O. Wilson, “…water is the deciding element on planet Earth. … The biosphere creates our special world anew every day, every minute …” Today, 450 million people in 29 countries suffer from water shortages. The fact that water use is rising twice as fast as population has led UNEP water experts to forecast that by year 2025 or sooner, “two out of every three people will live in water-stressed areas.”

http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/magazine/03su/waterwars.html
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Triana Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-09-05 09:11 AM
Response to Original message
1. Water will be the new oil...
...corprats and multinationals will vye to get control of it and to profit from it.

You KNOW what that means for the 'rest of us' - it's not good.
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Rich Hunt Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-09-05 12:31 PM
Response to Reply #1
11. what are you talking about?

It already is the new oil, but it's a well-kept secret.

So is the land that is near the water.

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acmejack Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-09-05 09:14 AM
Response to Original message
2. This portends the big argument over the "Right of Capture"
versus the concept of the Commons. Jefferson certainly believed in the latter. Air, water, basics one needs to live are community property, immune to capitalistic proprietorship and available to all..
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justinsb Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-09-05 09:21 AM
Response to Reply #2
3. My only problem with that argument is
a national one. For the last several decades Canada has recognized that this would become a problem, and has sought to protect it's water supply by passing more and more stringent environmental laws, by controlling use of water, enuring that the price of use would be a deterrant to waste, and by building aquiducts and resivouirs to capture more of the snow melt and increase it's reserves.

The US, by comparison, has wasted, polluted and ignored it's water problems. Now, it is already the argument of some in the US, that the US has a 'right' to a good deal of Canada's water supply.

I don't think there is anyone here who would argue that the US should be denied water, but there is a great fear that if the US got it, that the US would squander it, pollute it, waste it, sell it at artificially low prices etc.
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raccoon Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-09-05 09:23 AM
Response to Reply #3
4. Canada better be on the watch...
for US bigshots saying that Canada has WMD, that the Prime Minister is another Hitler, etc.

We all know what THAT means!
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justinsb Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-09-05 09:40 AM
Response to Reply #4
6. The US would lose that one as well.
The big cities would likely fall within a week, but that's not where the water is. After that, it's a big, big country that can be inhospitable in ways the US can't imagine sending kids up here to fight against locals, on their home turf, would be suicidal and with 1 million or so Canadians in the US stuff would start blowing up across the US, and the big cities here would become very unfriendly after little initial resistance. Remember the last time it was tried the white house burned.
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wli Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-09-05 11:41 AM
Response to Reply #6
9. I nominated General Robert Ross for "Greatest American"
:D
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raccoon Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-09-05 12:40 PM
Response to Reply #6
12. yep, it'd be another Stalingrad. nt
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acmejack Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-09-05 09:47 AM
Response to Reply #3
7. Nestle and a few others intend to own it.
Privatization of water was one of the big issues in Bolivia wasn't it?

All the real capitalists (land people) I know feel that capture is an inalienable right. If you're thirsty you need to be prepared to buy a drink.

Of course they are same one's who continually bitch about taxes "taking all their money". Taxes and regulation are their motivators, everything else is subjugated to that.
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justinsb Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-09-05 10:01 AM
Response to Reply #7
8. I agree about privitization
I, and many I talk to, are very upset about it - espcially about American companies buying it. This will become a major issue in the near future.
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jus_the_facts Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-09-05 09:33 AM
Response to Original message
5. read an article in LBN the other day about Rev. Moon and Paraguay....
:(


WATER wars will dwarf oil wars - RevMoon has been buying up Paraguay for
years now.

Read this from Moon's own words:

True Parents' Wedding Anniversary Address



Reverend Sun Myung Moon
May 3, 1996
East Garden
Translator Peter Kim



Father declares that from now on, those who rule and control the clean waters will become the eventual rulers of the world. Whoever is able to occupy and utilize the snow and ice in the North Pole and the clean water resources of the South Pole will eventually rule the world. Therefore, Father is studying the River Paraguay which runs centrally through South America. It is like the lifeline of the South American continent. Father wants to discover the key points along this river where we can establish our foundation. For the development of farms and ranches in South America, they all need this river which has abundant resources. This river will play a key role in the world because the South American continent will provide the unpolluted natural resources to the world eventually.



We must understand why Father has focused attention on Kodiak in North America, which is close to the North Pole, as well as a country such as Argentina in South America which is connected to the South Pole. Father also would like to see us establish a foundation in Siberia, formerly Soviet Union territory, because these are the key regions which will eventually save the world. It is not an easy task to pursue the oceanic venture. In fact it loses money. However, Father sees the future of the world heading in this direction. Therefore, even though we are losing money, Father continues to push this oceanic business. In South America alone Father has begun to establish 400 fishing regions. Four hundred boats are being built and there are plans to build small landing strips where small planes can land and take off without any restriction.



In the future, oceanic related tourism will comprise more than two-thirds of tourist vacation spots. When people go to the beaches and oceans of the world, so often they urinate in the water while they are swimming. This is one of the reasons that the water becomes polluted. If a statistical report comes out stating that a certain percentage of the ocean is polluted with human urine, then people will stay away from the beaches. In the future there will be privately owned beaches. If you wish to transport people to such beaches you need small privately owned planes. Ordinary people do not know this. People don't see the future yet, but in twenty or thirty years it will become apparent. The leisure industry will become the most attractive and money-making industry in the world.



What do you think will be more expensive in the future; the price of gasoline or drinking water? Think about it. Because of air and water pollution, in the future people may become sick. What will they look for? Pure, clean drinking water. When such a time comes, those who live in urban cities will eventually travel in search of clean air and water. When such a time comes there will be tough competition as to who possesses clean water and air within certain territories. People will fight over such territory where clean air and water can be preserved. That kind of territory will not allow any pollution-related businesses and factories at all. There will be a campaign to eat raw food. Once that time comes raw fish and vegetables will be the best food. That will be the only choice in order to avoid pollution. Also there will be a campaign to live without wearing clothes. Then it will become unnecessary to wear fancy clothing.



If we are presently able to live to the age of eighty years by wearing all manner of clothing throughout our lives, then without clothing we can surely live one hundred years, because our skin, tissues and cells will be able to breath more naturally. This isn't random talk on Father's part. Father has thought about this a great deal. Different people have various ways of predicting the future. However, Father's vision is what he explained here-just like the life of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden where they lived naturally with the animals.



The North Pole has an abundant supply of clean, unpolluted water. If we wanted to live there without clothing we would freeze to death. Therefore, we can conclude that the only other place where we can live naked, with abundant clean water resources, is South America. There is one particular swamp-like region on the border between Brazil and Paraguay which is approximately twice as large as Japan. In that region alone there are over 3,000 different species of fish. Father is interested in that region. If that region can be developed to create fish farms with all of these various species of fish, then the entire world will become interested. Everyone will want to come to visit such farms.



All along the River Paraguay, which is 3,200 kilometers in length, there are thousands of various sizes of lakes and ponds. If you observe it from the air, you can see that the entire area is covered by lakes. The weather is always good, making it possible to fish throughout the year. Also one could fish and live without clothing. Do you now understand why Father is focusing on South American projects? The River Paraguay itself has many species of fish. Therefore, if Father catches a cat fish he thinks to himself that this cat fish represents Brazil. Then if he catches another variety of fish he thinks that it represents Argentina. He puts national labels on the fish he catches.



Fishing from a boat or from the bank of a river is the best way to make plans and to think about the future of humanity. Traveling around the world as a fisherman is the best way to avoid misunderstanding or suspicions from different nations, because if such countries become suspicious of Father's coming and going it will cause difficulties. But as long as they know that Father is a fisherman, then there will be no misunderstanding or suspicion. The life of a fisherman and hunter is constantly moving around. Father only carries fishing poles with him and so he is not considered a threat.

>>>>

http://www.tparents.org/Moon-Talks/sunmyungmoon96/SM960...


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WMliberal Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-09-05 12:28 PM
Response to Original message
10. I think it'll take another 2 billion people on this planet before anything
Edited on Tue Aug-09-05 12:30 PM by WMliberal
is done.

The powers that be don't act on these kinds of things until after the catastrophe. Even then, you know they're gonna push for rights to be privatized (btw, they are already).

I took a great course on this stuff. It's bad now, but wait 30 years. Over 60% of Africans already drink unclean water. Many in the third world have to spend half their day walking to and from their only local source of water. Even in North America, our rivers are so stressed that some don't even flow to their historic emptying areas (the Rio Grande and Colorado rivers are the most famous suxh examples).When there's 2 billion more people there, this shit will become THE political issue of the 21st century.
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Booster Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-09-05 12:42 PM
Response to Original message
13. If memory serves me correctly, water was the next thing that Enron
was trying to get control of, so that should tell us all something.
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