October 17 2008 by The Systemic Analyst.

The movie below is written and directed by Peter Joseph. It is 123 min long and offers a lot of food-for-thought. We welcome your comments.

Posted in Health Preparedness, Economic Issues, In The News, Identity, Security Measures, Environment, Food Security, Water Issues, Politics | No Comments »

March 4 2008 by The Systemic Analyst.

The Toledo Blade reported recently that Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania may have hit a road block in ratifying an agreement that would limit water withdrawal from the Great Lakes. If four states within the same country can’t adopt an agreement after 4.5 years of negotiations, why should Canadians expect that their “gentlemen’s agreement” is enough to protect our interests regarding the Great Lakes basin?

We might start minding our own interests by first looking past the many layers of bureaucracy which are so conveniently blamed for our lack of initiative around security measures (“oh, that’s provincial jurisdiction,” or “U.S. states and Canadian provinces can’t enter into binding agreements”) and finally do something that will protect the future of precious fresh water resources. Environmental degradation certainly won’t stop because this department or that province has been deemed responsible for what happens on an issue.

Perhaps we just need a reason to take fresh water resource depletion seriously. How about the plans of the Governor of New Mexico to have resources “shared” among the states - after all, he believes, that Great Lakes region is just “awash with water.” Care to share valuable water with green lawns in deserts, anyone?

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February 14 2008 by The Systemic Analyst.

The Refugees of the Blue Planet is a must watch documentary that illustrates how little value is placed on the individual and, indeed, entire communities at the expense of our current consumption-driven system. Although many in the West find it easy to brush off the threats of food and water scarcity and rising sea levels as a distant scare to poorer nations, much of what has led to such crises stems from our own choices.

What is particularly enlightening about this documentary is the inclusion of Canadians who are pushed off farms due to oil and other production. What’s particularly shocking is how the neighbours and fellow-townspeople will turn on such victims of so-called progress in this so-called advanced nation.

This should be mandatory viewing for everyone.

Posted in Disasters, Water Issues, Environment, Politics | No Comments »

January 22 2008 by The Systemic Analyst.

The Age in Australia has published an article discussing Professor Julian Cribb’s recent report The Coming Famine. A kind thank you to Professor Cribb for sharing his report with us:

“Humanity is eating more food than it is producing.As world food prices soar to record levels, scientists are warning that global food supplies are rapidly diminishing due to water shortages, fiercer and more intense droughts, soil loss, increased land competition from crops grown for biofuel and humanity’s apparently insatiable appetite for meat.

According to leading science writer Julian Cribb, the greatest challenge this century will be to double global food production with less land, less water and less nutrients — all in drier and hotter conditions.

Speaking yesterday at a Melbourne conference, Professor Cribb said that while public awareness of climate change had grown exponentially, the world had remained relatively ignorant of the fact it was entering a prolonged period of food shortages.

According to his discussion paper, The Coming Famine, there will be about 9.3 billion people living in the world in 2050 who will eat as much food as would 13 billion people at today’s levels. The UN’s environmental program estimates global food output must rise by 110% to meet demand for food in the coming 40 years.” Click here for more.

Posted in Water Issues, Food Security | No Comments »

January 17 2008 by The Systemic Analyst.

The Kampala Monitor has reported that:

“Police say they are registering rising numbers of domestic fights and inter-family scuffles at Gbukutu and Maji Muzuri water points as natives exchange blows in the scramble to secure water for desperate families. It is envisaged that the water scarcity and resultant animosity would only worsen in the coming drier months of February and March.”

Water, like food, is an absolute necessity for existence. As a result, rising tensions among populations that experience shortages of either water or food should be expected. Unfortunately, most world leaders have been very short-sighted about the looming risks associated with such shortages, often failing to carry-out adequate preparations in advance. Although most westerners are quick to brush off incidents in Africa as isolated cases, the question begs, what will be the probable fallout of water or food shortages in Europe or North America?

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January 16 2008 by The Systemic Analyst.

The Los Angeles Times has reported that some “water laws may throttle growth.” It would be an understatement to say this claim is a little backwards. The laws aren’t what will stifle economic growth in drought-prone areas, the lack of water will. It should be alarming that it took this long for this indirect connection to even have been made.

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December 20 2007 by The Systemic Analyst.

The Charlotte Observer in North Carolina has published an article by Dr. Michael Walden which calls for the increase of water prices to effectively limit water usage. Although higher prices are likely to impede water waste, it is also likely that the already disenfranchised will become even more so as a result. Thus begins the great divide, those who have lot’s and water too, and those who have even less:

“North Carolina is suffering its worst drought in 100 years. Many municipalities are counting the days until reservoirs are empty, and rural water users worry their wells will run dry.Governments have responded in two ways. They have called on households and businesses to voluntarily conserve water. And they have imposed restrictions on the use of water.

However, water restrictions require rules about who can use water, when they can use it, and what they can use it for. Inevitably, questions arise about the fairness and implications of such rules. As restrictions are tightened, questions become more intense. To be effective, governments must spend resources to police the rules.

Economists argue there is another approach. Simply put, the easiest way to motivate people to do something is to give them a financial motivation to do it on their own.

Therefore, economists say, if we want people to use water more frugally, the quickest and more direct way to do so is to increase the price of water. The core economic principle of demand says the higher the price of a product, the less people will use. Studies show that every 10 percent increase in the price of water decreases water use by about 3 percent.” Click here for more.

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December 20 2007 by The Systemic Analyst.

Here is a great piece on water security from a blog called “Rolling Back The Tide of Extremism, One Post at a Time”:

“Looking for a good investment? Have a look at the leading companies in the rapidly expanding, global water supply industry. There are a lot of places in the world where people lack access to clean, fresh water and that’s a growing market at least for the century to come. What’s more, people who need fresh water will pay what it takes to get it. Life itself doesn’t really work too well without it.

Water as a commodity. It’s something a lot of Canadians have fretted over for years, the idea of somebody selling our stock of freshwater to foreign bidders. Keep your eye on that.

An interesting development in the US southwest where water is becoming increasingly scarce. It arises out of the apportionment of water between agriculture and domestic use. About three-quarters of their fresh water supply is earmarked for agriculture. People gotta eat - or do they? Some clever farmers in the region are reportedly now getting into the business of selling water they might otherwise be putting on their fields. They’re not selling their quota, just the water. That means they’re taking a common resource, privatizing it and putting it onto the commercial market. The best thing is they never pay dime one for the water itself. They get it so they can grow crops. The new way, however, cuts out all the bother of planting and irrigating and harvesting. You simply sell what you never produced in the first place. Neat trick, eh” Click here for more.

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December 19 2007 by The Systemic Analyst.

The following article was published in The Advertiser in Adelaide, Australia. In it the prospects of charging residents based on delivery distance for water is discussed. On one hand this indicates the changing nature of water as a commodity, on the other, it introduces the concept of penalization for those living in more arid climates - perhaps this is something the US should consider to prevent further development of areas with little water resources such as Nevada or parts of California:

“Southern Australia’s (SA) billing system should be “scrapped” and replaced with a pricing structure based on residential region, an Adelaide water expert says.

Professor Mike Young, a scientist from Adelaide University and member of the Wentworth Group, yesterday released a Pricing Your Water plan calling for a complete overhaul of SA Water’s two-tiered water pricing system.

“I propose we have a per kilolitre pricing structure where people are charged for each kilolitre they use,” he said.

“That price would be determined by the region, its water system, the problems associated with that system and the scarcity of water at the time.” Click here for more.

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December 19 2007 by The Systemic Analyst.

How we use our fresh water resources greatly impacts our future. Given the importance of water, as well as the apparent on-going abuses of such precious resources, International Perspectives has decided to keep a running source of articles covering water issues from around the world. We hope you find the collection useful!

Our first article comes from Don Wiltshire and was originally published in the Mountain Mail. The article discusses a recent application to begin drilling the limited water resources of New Mexico and exporting it for sale in Texas:

“Some random and perhaps paraniod thoughts about “the water problem”:

An application has been filed at the New Mexico State Engineer’s Office by Augustin Plains Ranch LLC to drill 37 water wells with 20 inch casings to a depth of 2,000 feet. 17.5 billions of gallons of water a year would be pumped to Elephant Butte.

Let’s put this in perspective: The annual consumption of water per year in Magdalena is about 42 million gallons. The bar chart presented at the Village of Magdalena trustees meeting was not a pretty picture!” Click here for more.

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