Erkin | June 21, 2011
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Globalization and Water

Globalization, which refers to the increasing integration and interdependence of countries, is a major trend shaping world affairs around the globe. Never before has it been so likely that the bananas we eat, the music CDs we listen to, the shirts we wear, the cars we drive, and the movies we watch were produced in another country.

Globalization affects not only the production and consumption of products, but also culture, security, the environment , and the exchange of ideas. Globalization also has important implications for environmental challenges such as deforestation, climate change, pollution , biodiversity loss, and water resources.

Globalization Trends

Globalization is an abstract concept that refers to a complex process involving political, economic, and sociocultural changes. Certainly it is not a new process, because the world has been globalizing for several centuries. However, much has been written about its intensification since the 1990s.

Many forces are acting to speed globalization trends. This acceleration is due to emerging technologies (particularly information and communication), deepening worldwide acceptance of markets, and increasing free-trade activity. Globalization can be viewed as the intensification of worldwide social relations, which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many kilometers away, and vice versa. Nations, international institutions, corporations, and individuals all are affected. Read more

Category: Article |
Erkin | June 17, 2011
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Did you know…? Facts and figures about trends in water use

 

  • With rapid population growth, water withdrawals have tripled over the last 50 years.
  • This trend is explained largely by the rapid increase in irrigation development stimulated by food demand in the 1970s and by the continued growth of agriculture-based economies. Read more
Category: Facts and figures |
Erkin | June 14, 2011
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The scale of the water problem

The 2006 United Nations Human Development Report, notes the following: (See pages 6, 7, 35. Emphasis Added)

  • Some 1.1 billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to water
  • 2.6 billion people lack basic sanitation
    • Lack of water is closely related to poverty:
    • Almost two in three people lacking access to clean water survive on less than $2 a day, with one in three
    • living on less than $1 a day
    • More than 660 million people without sanitation live on less than $2 a day, and more than 385 million on less than $1 a day. Read more
Category: Facts and figures |
Erkin | June 11, 2011
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Climate Change and Water Security

Climate change is going to increase water insecurity:

Many of the world’s most water-stressed areas will get less water, and water flows will become less predictable and more subject to extreme events. Among the projected outcomes:

  • Marked reductions in water availability in East Africa, the Sahel and Southern Africa as rainfall declines and temperature rises, with large productivity losses in basic food staples. Projections for rainfed areas in East Africa point to potential productivity losses of up to 33% in maize and more than 20% for sorghum and 18% for millet. Read more
Category: Article |
Erkin | June 9, 2011
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Future wars over water?

For a number of years now, we have heard of predictions that future wars will be fought over control of essential resources, such as water. To some extent, most wars have already been about that. However, in terms of water itself, some experts question this prediction. Inter Press Service (IPS) notes a number of experts disagree with the view that future wars will be over water, and instead feel it is mismanagement of water resources which is the issue, not scarcity (which is the underlying assumption for the prediction of such wars.)

That same IPS article quotes Arunabha Ghosh, co-author of the United Nations Human Development Report 2006 themed on water management who says, “Water wars make good newspaper headlines but cooperation (agreements) don’t.… there are plenty of bilateral, multilateral and trans-boundary agreements for water-sharing—all or most of which do not make good newspaper copy.” Read more

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