“The world’s water crisis due to pollution, climate change and a surging population growth is of such magnitude that close to two billion people now live in water-stressed regions of the planet. By the year 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population will face water scarcity. The global population tripled in the twentieth century, but water consumption went up sevenfold. By 2050, after we add another three billion to the population, humans will need an 80 per cent increase in water supplies just to feed ourselves. No one knows where this water will come from.”
– Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water
Maude Barlow, 2007
Water and Climate Change
The clear links between water and climate change are growing more apparent every day. As increased greenhouse gas emissions continue to pollute our planet’s atmosphere, we are seeing the ravages that result: floods, droughts, melting polar ice caps, altered coastlines, and extreme weather conditions, and others. Global fresh water sources are limited, and a growing population and corporate misuse that continues to over-extract, pollute and squander water threatens to dry up the world’s resources.
The Global South, where water-stressed areas are abundant – is also feeling the most impact from climate change. Scientists predict that as we continue to pollute the planet, the effects of climate change will worsen.
The Blue Planet project raises awareness about the link between the growing threats of climate change and the deepening water crisis. We have brought voices to United Nations climate negotiations and pressed governments for binding commitments on emission reductions. We continue to tell the stories of people whose very lives are in danger without access to clean, safe water. We are pushing for governments not only to recognize the impacts of climate change on our water resources, but to act immediately on solutions that will protect water for future generations.
Privatization and Corporate Influence
Around the world, private companies and free market ideologies are threatening to increase water disparity, further impoverish the water poor, and entrench continued abuse of our natural water systems. These powerful influences can be seen at the United Nations, the World Water Forums, and in national and local governments.
World Water Forums
The World Water Forum (WWF) claims to be a democratic, multi-stakeholder platform for governments, civil society, academics and industry on global water issues, but past forums have shown that in fact, they are dominated by a handful of multinational food and water corporations with a strong agenda of privatization and corporate control of water. Forums are held every three years, with the last one held in Marseilles, France in March 2012.
The World Water Forum is organized by the World Water Council – an umbrella organization with more than 300 members, ranging from NGOs and citizens’ groups to financial institutions and public sector representatives. The world’s biggest private water companies, including Suez, Vivendi and RWE Thames play a major role in driving the forum’s agenda. As a result, the World Water Forum has consistently refused to acknowledge or promote water as a human right. The private water companies are more concerned with profiting from a global water crisis than working toward sustainable public solutions.
The Blue Planet Project – along with other civil society groups and organizations – attends these forums to provide a voice for the more than 1 billion people around the world who do not have access to clean water. We organize events and activities and speak about the need to view water as a life-giving public resource, not a commodity.
Water, Mining and Dams
Around the world people have engaged in grassroots struggles against powerful mining and energy corporations that seek to profit from natural resources. Whether through intensive mining operations that use vast amounts of water, or massive dam projects that alter the natural landscape and water flows, communities are fighting back and saying “no” to the profit-driven projects that threaten their homes, livelihoods and health.
The Blue Planet Project helps to raise awareness about these local fights, and campaigns against corporate abuse of local water resources and the threats posed to people, their communities and the environment.
The Council of Canadians’ Blue Planet Project has partnered with the Projet d’Accompagnement Guatemala Quebec to launch a new campaign called The Money Thread. We are calling on people living in Canada and Quebec to show their solidarity with mining impacted communities in Guatemala by pushing for the divestment of Canadian funds from the mining projects of Goldcorp and Tahoe Resources. Our new website contains a toolkit, petitions and background information about the campaign.
Water and Indigenous Peoples
Indigenous peoples around the world have struggled with water pollution from large scale industrial projects and the depletion of water sources they depend on to live. While indigenous peoples view water as sacred – a resource to be preserved, protected and respected – their beliefs are contested by those who want to drain water resources for corporate profit.
In Canada, the Blue Planet Project supports the Assembly of First Nations’ call on the Canadian government to ensure the now legally-binding human right to water. Shockingly, there are at least 49 “high risk” aboriginal communities in Canada with little access to clean water, and more than 100 facing “boil water” advisories. First Nations homes are 90 per cent more likely to be without running water than the homes of other Canadians.
The Blue Planet Project stands with indigenous peoples in their struggles for access to clean, safe water.