Over the weekend, while Renee was in Lethbridge, Carrie and I were at the Human Rights Cafe dialogue. We were a little surprised to see the low turn-out…I wonder if people just forgot there was a Cafe happening? Anyways, the speaker this week was Fiona Cavanaugh from Change for Children, speaking on the issue of Water as a Human Right.
Water will become, if it isn’t already, one of the crucial tests and challenges for humanity in the 21st century because it is essential to the survival of the human race and the well-being of the planet. Fresh water is critical to the survival, health and well-being of not just humans but of the biodiversity that sustains this entire planet. Basically, without water, we’re all dead. Fresh water is also a finite resource (while the Earth is roughly 71% of water, much of that is salt water which is unfit for consumption or industrial usage. Desalinization is evidently a very expensive process, which is why fresh water supplies are such vital concerns).
The Canadian Government has refused UN attempts to categorize water as a human right on two separate occasions, apparently fearing that international obligations would force Canada to open its water resources to other countries such as the United States who remains the largest consumers of water in the world. But water, much like climate change, is a global issue that expands beyond the sovereign territory of any one country–it directly impacts the well-being and health of everyone. Water is a global issue that requires a global solution.
For more information regarding Water, Maude Barlow is the definitive Canadian voice in this matter. She has written two books, Blue Gold and Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Battle for the Right to Water on the subject, which are worth the read. Here is a clip from Blue Gold (the documentary).
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ikb4WG8UJRw]
