Climate Change, Talk about the effects of long-term weather changes on the planet, along with the good work being done to counteract this trend.

25857 Followers

Follow Justmeans editorial on:

Share this on:

Water: right to profit?

Sara Wolcott | Monday 25th May 2009

Many say that the next global war will be fought not over oil but over water. And if the latest world conference on Water hosted by the World Water Forum (WWF) in Istanbul this past year, the 'war' is starting with a battle between the 'rights' approach which holds nations accountable for securing water and the profit approach which suggests businesses should try to go where governments have failed to lead.

Coming from California, the potential of water wars is no new news. Nor is the threat of privatization. My cousin's town of Stockton, a hot place in the middle of some of the best agricultural land in the world, was one of the first to have privatized water. But though her experience is largely benign, I remain skeptical about the basic necessity of life being turned into a mere commodity, subject to the whims of the restless market.

In Istanbul, the official documents did not attempt to bridge the gulf between water as right or as a commodity? Many say access to safe water and sanitation is a basic human right. Right now, over one billion people don't have that right. And there are businesses out there trying to support that - and make a profit.

With climate change, there is little doubt that water will continue to be one of the biggest and most contentious issues on the global platform. Should business step in and see if it can provide this essential service better than government? Is public-private partnership the way to go? Or should national government (often rife with corruption) get their acts together and provide people with the basic services they need?

Other Great Categories

Other Climate Change Articles

Climate Change to Increase Ground-Level Ozone, Smog, and Air Pollution

New CSR Report: Doing Climate Change Business Better

Scotland Policy: Going Blue with Wave and Tidal Renewable Energy

Indirect Effects of Climate Change on Cyclones

Should We Switch To Consumption-Based Carbon Dioxide Accounting?

MARLYS APPLETON 28 July 2009

The Monitor Group calls this type of partnership (government,NGO,Private) co-creative capitalism and says it is the paradigm going forward.

Graham Sinclair 27 July 2009

while the government versus corporations is an easy simplification in the 1990s, it misses the mixed picture: most major infrastructure projects need both private and public sector capital [financial, human, intellectual]. As governments quickly discovered when private sector running key parts of the economy in the wobbled last October, private and public ownership may need to be joined. Investors will invest in projects and products that will return their capital with a greater return than stuffing in their mattress. See http://jm.ly/r4J7Jz

MARLYS APPLETON 25 July 2009

oops! Article 31 is what we mean...

MARLYS APPLETON 25 July 2009

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in place many years now, has a current campaign to add Article 32, the right to access to water, on the 60th Anniverssay of the Declaration. http://jm.ly/ypY6nJ

His Infernal Majesty Aka HIM 13 July 2009

Naturally speaking it's illegel to charge people for drinking what nature provides and even tax people to live in homes,seeing that they torn down,filled in and made it illegel to enter caves,forest ect..which nature provided for us all to take shalter and live in,but the government tax us to live...all our freedom and all of which is ours by nature they have taken from us all and now taxing people for whats ment to be free

Andre Botha 9 July 2009

Perhaps I can offer a view from a developing country-South Africa-where our government lacks the skills and financial resources to develop water resources so that they will be avaialble to all. To make it worse, bureaucracy and corruption are delaying delivery even further. I would make a strong case for the private sector to take over development and delivery of these resources on terms that offer sustainable financial returns. At least this will lead to development-if this puts the price out of reach of some people, Government can step in to subsidise the price. Whilst this is also an imperfect system, at least it will lead to these resources being developed by the people who have the skills and finance-the private sector. "Expensive water" trumps "no water"!