Gorbachev Calls for Global Water Treaty

[WhiteTara]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=519&e=15&u=/ap/20050416/ap_on_re_us/gorbachev_water


<Snip>

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Mikhail Gorbachev is pressing world
leaders to adopt a treaty guaranteeing clean water and
sanitation for their people, a task he says is more daunting
than ending the nuclear arms race during the Cold War. 
	

Dwindling water supplies and political resistance have
hampered efforts to bring fresh water to poor people around
the world, the former Soviet leader said Friday in an
interview with The Associated Press. 

"We were able to solve the nuclear arms race because of
... political will," he said before an awards banquet
held by his American environmental group, Global Green USA.
"Today we don't see that political will. But I think it
will emerge that leaders will have to address this
problem." 

Gorbachev will call for a first-ever international water
treaty during an April 21 keynote address to the U.N.
Commission on Sustainable Development.
 There's more.  

[achtung_circus]

1. Here it is as a clickable link:

<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=519&e=15&u=/ap/20050416/ap_on_re_us/gorbachev_water>

[WhiteTara]

11. thanks for the posting help! eom

[elehhhhna]

2. Thank God Enron crashed BEFORE they got heavy into the water biz.

[Trillo]

4. If corporations are allowed control of water,

i.e., privatization of water, water availability will be based upon ability to pay.

All humans need clean water.

"Global Water Grab", a PDF with a nice bibliography at the end.
http://www.polarisinstitute.org/pubs/pubs_pdfs/gwg_english.pdf

[ctex]

12. Enron did get into the water business big time and lost their shirt

In the mid-90s Enron purchased Wessex, one of the largest water companies in the UK, for about $2.3 billion, IIRC. They later purchased another $1-1.5 billion in water assets in the US, Latin America, etc. Enron's water assets were held by a subsidiary called Azurix which was partially spun-off through an IPO. Azurix performed so poorly that its stock cratered and Enron repurchased the publicly traded shares. The water business was liquidated after Enron's bankruptcy fetching about $1.5 billion less than what Enron paid to acquire the Azurix assets.

[LdyGuique]

3. 5 million die annually due to waterborne diseases

Clean water is a fundamental necessity for life. Maybe, this is something that all can agree on.

I decided to post this part of the article as it brings it on home what Gorbie is talking about:

Gorbachev, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who led the Soviet Union for six years until its 1991 collapse, founded Green Cross International in 1993 to encourage business, government and non-governmental organizations to collaborate and find solutions to environmental problems.

About 2.5 billion people worldwide lack water sanitation services, and 5 million die from waterborne diseases each year, according to Global Green USA, the American arm of Green Cross. Nearly 1.2 billion people do not have clean water to drink.

[HereSince1628]

5. Nice in principle, but problematic.

Improving sanitation and distribution of available water is all well and good. I'd support that in a heartbeat.

But, I certainly wouldn't support Lake Michigan being piped to Nebraska, Kansas and other points west. I have no interest in being part of an uncontrolled trial of the impact of reduced freshwater flow into the North Atlantic and the possible impacts that might have on global climate via the impact of such a change on the deep ocean conveyor.

[salib]

6. Huh?

Problematic? Who in any of this discussion or the article about Gorbachev said anything about redirecting the flow of lake water on massive scales? That is really a silly comparison, or fear, or whatever. Instead, the issue is to define covenants, laws, treaties, etc., before private interests turn it into profit and wealth driven criminality.

[HereSince1628]

8. Such a guarantee implies major diversions and alteration of

landscapes. I don't need it stated in an article to forsee an obvious implication of trying to guarantee quality and quantity of drinking water to a population expanding past 5 billion people.

Freshwater is a finite resource, guaranteeing sufficient water comes with two major concerns quality and quantity.

Demand on quantity is a direct function of population size. If countries sign a treaty to guarantee meeting all the demand of individuals, without putting limits on the growth of demand, the fundamental conditions for environmental crises will be created.

[sweetheart]

9. Not true, personal-use water is miniscule next to agriculture

The point is water supplies for people (drinking, sanitary and cooking),
not agriculture. Domestic water use is tiny when you remove agriculture
water from the equation.

Gorbachev is not saying that everyone has the right to water their
lawn, rather that every person on earth deserves the right to clean
water for their personal use.

Where are you getting the "big ag" implication from? Gorbachev is
out to save lives, and he's right... likely the cowardly lowlife
american administration will fight such a kind gesture.... but i hope
he's successful nevertheless.

[CHIMO]

7. Link To Original

Article.

http://www.watertreaty.org/letter.php

[tabasco]

10. Good for Gorby !

Bringing attention to a huge problem.

I think Gorbachev is a man of enormous courage and good will.

I wonder if he is friends with Jimmy Carter.

[Mr.Green93]

13. Water is a global resource

and should be controlled by a Global governing body.