Is there enough water for everyone?

I found this weeks presentation to be extremely interesting. The control for water will soon become the most one of the most pressing needs for states to control. The privatization of water directly leads to inequality as those who can not afford to pay for it will no longer have access to clean water. In third world countries where government supervision is minimal the quality of water will not be regulated leading to further disease. I really enjoyed this weeks documentary film which outlined future of water reserves, and the quality of water that is being provided in the global south.

I also enjoyed the interviews conducted with Maude Barlow who wrote Blue Gold, and other books about the status of water in the world. She argues that transnational corporations are plotting to control the world's dwindling water supply, and that when privatized water rates will soar making it unaffordable to the vast majority of people. (Exactly what we saw in the video documentary)

Even if water is not completely privatized, semi-privatization -- or the creation of public private partnerships (P3's) -- can lead to disaster. This removes direct government oversight, and offshoots responsibility onto the private sector meaning that there is less direct accountability for the public. When left to the private company to manage water facilities there is a tendency for cutting costs, downsizing etc.. in order to save money. This can result in disaster. (See Walkerton Water Crisis)

I think that we need to be careful when attempting to privatize the distribution of water. It seems like an essential need that everyone should have access too. I liked how there is currently movement to include in the UNDHR a clause stating that water is an essential necessity for everyone. (Food is currently included) I highly doubt that this will happen, mainly because of global corporate capitalism and the domination of neoliberalism in international poltics.

Climate Change

This weeks seminar, and presentation were very interesting for me. I enjoy many outdoor activities, all of which are impacted by climate change. I thought the presentation was very informative, and the choice of video was excellent. Its obvious that climate change in occurring. I always wonder how some people choose to argue against it. Almost every chart/graph i have seen indicates that change is happening whether we are getting warmer or colder. I thought the video documentary an Inconvenient Truth really summed up how increased temperature are a result of humans.

One startling fact that i took away from the video was after the glaciers melted in North America to form one giant lake (now the great lakes region) and the impact that had on the ocean currents after the St. Lawrence Burst, ultimately causing an ice age in Europe. It makes me wonder what happens when the ice on Greenland or the Arctic melts, and how this will effect the ocean currents, and climate. Will there be another ice age? Another thing i took away from this is the spread of new insects and pests that have serious effects on the environment. I know there are new insects that feast on trees, and now mosquitoes can climb to new heights because of increased temperature.

The inequality of climate change is something that i never really thought of. People who live in Asia, Africa, and Latin America face more serious and frequent effects of global climate change. Floods, droughts, and new diseases disproportionately affect those who are poor, and live in the global south. It seems that no change will come about until every nation recognizes the need to change for the better. We have the resources to make this change, we just need the collective will to do so. Until there is that urgency to reverse climate change i doubt anything will really happen.

Diaster Vulnerbiity

This weeks presentation was great. Seeing what happened in New Orleans from people who have actually visited made the presentation that much more enjoyable. I thought the video was great, it really showed the whole time line and powerfulness of the storm. I did not realize that there was still so much work to be done in New Orleans. This reinforces the inequality that exists in that region. It makes you wonder if the Hurricane had hit a rich neighborhood if the cleanup would take so long.

Another question i had is why the levies were not built stronger to begin with. It seems as if everyone knew the flood could happen if a powerful storm came by. It makes me wonder why they didn't build up the levies earlier in order to prevent certain disaster. This probably has to do with the people living in the disaster area. Again race, ethnicity and socio-economic status may be the reason nothing was done.

I found the article to be very interesting this week. The Social Vulnerability Index seems like a very useful tool for understanding where disaster vulnerability is likely. Areas with lower vulnerability scores tend to be occupied by wealthy, highly educated white people. Areas of high vulnerability tend to be occupied by lower social classes. Another fact i did not know was that some of the most vulnerable areas in New Orleans were build on flood plains. It seems as these people had nowhere else to settle and got one of the worse spots. I don't understand how the government can sit back and just watch as these individuals suffer. More definitely needs to be done to rebuild New Orleans, and to make sure that this type of disaster wont happen again.

Factory Farming

This week presentation was great. I knew of the harmful effects of factory farming but not to the extent that takes place in the United States. Hog farming produced so much waste that it could be smelt from 3000 feet above in an airplane. Seeing the video where farmers use an irrigation system to spread the liquid waste was disgusting. Because of the risk of hurricanes and heavy rainfall the waste could spill over into nearby watersheds destroying it. Animals, fish and humans developed a disease that was a result of the waste.

What can be done? I liked how the presentation offered some suggestions. The complicity of this problem offers little hope. Millions of people rely on factory farming for beef, pork and eggs, because of this it seems doubtful that anything will be done. I feel like even regulations or moving the industry would do nothing except move the problem to a new area. Individuals basically need to demand on an aggregate level for change in the industry.

The Meatrix was a funny little film that really portrayed the problems associated with factory farming. I thought it was a great selection for the presentation. I live on a farm in an area where there are lots of cattle but i don't notice the factory aspect of it. The farmers in my area let their cows roam free (at least on their property), and I’ve defentailly had a few chickens range into my yard over the years. We buy beef from friends, usually a quarter or half cow. I think this example offers some hope as not all farmers are bad, just ones who operate large scale operations and treat their animals poorly, as well as disrespect the environment. Hopefully we can find a solution to this problem.