Resources
-
Gold Mining and the Defense of Water in El Salvador
International Delegation to El Salvador, May 10-13, 2013 Preliminary Report From May 10-13 2013, an international delegation from 12 countries representing 22 human rights, social justice and environmental non-profit organizations and advocates, along with academics, journalists, artists and grassroots activists, carried out a three day tour of El Salvador to examine experiences with gold mining operations and…
-
Dam Truths: A compilation of case studies about popular struggles against dams
While water is now undisputedly recognized by the United Nations as a human right, communities defending their right to water continue to face an uphill battle against industries that are destroying watersheds. Prime among these is the dam industry, which remains a major threat to freshwater sources and the human right to water around the…
-
Our Right to Water
The UN right to water resolutions present an incredible opportunity for communities and groups around the world. It is not often that a new right is recognized at the United Nations, especially around an issue that is as increasingly political and urgent as the global water crisis. The right to water and sanitation resolutions are…
-
The Rights of Nature
In April 2010, Bolivia hosted a gathering for civil society in the wake of the failed December 2009 United Nations Copenhagen climate summit (COP 15). It was clear to millions of climate activists, scientists and environmentalists around the world that the UN process had been sidelined by a deal, the Copenhagen Accord, which represented a…
-
Chilean Patagonia in the Balance
Dams, Mines and the Canadian Connection By Alex Latta and Kari Williams for The Council of Canadians Far away, on the southern cone of South America in Chilean Patagonia, exists one of the most beautiful, still-virgin territories on Earth. There, an intense struggle is taking place that most Canadians have never heard of, but that…
-
A Review of Private Sector Influence on Water Policies and Programmes at the United Nations
This detailed report about the role of the private water sector at the UN serves to inform the public in the search for a more just and sustainable water future.
-
Conflicts Over Water in Chile: Between Human Rights and Market Rules
Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow writes, “Chile has gone farther than any other country in the world in commodifiying water and creating a market economy based on private water rights…”
-
Our Great Lakes Commons: A People’s Plan to Protect the Great Lakes Forever
This paper is intended to serve as a background, a call to understanding and a call to action on an exciting new proposal to designate the Great Lakes and its tributary waters as a lived Commons, to be shared, protected, carefully managed and enjoyed by all who live around them.
-
All That We Share: A Field Guide to the Commons
All That We Share: A Field Guide to the Commons is a wake-up call that will inspire you to see the world in a new way.