World Water Day on March 22 reminds us of the 1 billion people on Earth who lack easy access to the water most of us take for granted. Global climate change is making that struggle worse, as we see in this report from the rugged region of southern Ethiopia, where drought is drying up wells, threatening an ancient way of life and fueling conflict.
An indigenous group in Ontario, Canada, has been pushing for what they say are basic human rights. They have just achieved an important win in their aim to end what they say is the isolation of Shoal Lake. The 40km-long Freedom Road has just opened and it links the community with the Trans-Canada Highway. But the Idle No More movement is still fighting for the equal sharing of water. They have used protests, online activism and blockades to draw attention to their situation. Daniel Lak reports from Shoal Lake in Canada.
In July 2010 the United Nations General Assembly declared that access to clean water and sanitation is a human right essential to the full enjoyment of life and all other human rights. Today more than 1 billion people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water. Moreover, scarcity and unequal access to water are major risk factors for violent conflict.
Catholic Relief Services' (CRS) engineering, health, and peacebuilding staff will be the conversation partners with faculty from engineering, nursing, law, geography and the environment, and business in this day-long symposium
The American West has known water scarcity and conflict since the 1800s, and has responded by pursuing two primary goals: control of water allocation for the states, and certainty of water supplies for users. Reed Benson will briefly discuss how these twin goals have shaped western water law and policy in various contexts.
Water is our planet's most precious resource. It is required by every living thing, yet a huge proportion of the world's population struggles to access it. Agriculture, aquaculture, industry, and energy depend on it - yet its adequacy and safety engender conflict.
Ken Conca is an associate professor of Government and Politics at University of Maryland. In this short video, Conca discusses the future of water conflict with ECSP Director Geoff Dabelko.
