All posts in Water

Posted:
March 20, 2012
Author:
COA Students

Relaxation at the World Water Forum

by Janoah Bailin

Not all of the sessions at the WWF are riveting. Such as one of the more tedious presentations on Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM), an all-encompassing process for approaching water that stresses: planning from a watershed level as opposed to arbitrary political boundaries, a recognition of multiple values of and uses for water, and matching various water qualities to their most appropriate use (dare I say the Human Ecology of water management? Except somehow, in this case, exceedingly boring). I began to nod off. Deciding to save myself from the shame of snapping awake too suddenly, I snuck outside to repose on the steps and enjoy the last rays of warm Marseille SUNSHINE! before the next session. No sooner had I laid my head back on my bag when a guard walked over and told me to sit up: “on va se faire engueuler” he told me – you’re going to get told off. It was a nice enough way of giving me a completely ridiculous piece of information: “I’m sorry,” I asked, “I’m not allowed to rest?”

“You can rest. But you just can’t lay down,” he explained. “Only sit.” It was probably good at that point in the conversation that I had to leave because I fear I might have had much more to say on the matter. Although I assume that there are legitimate security reasons for not allowing participants to nap on the premises, the message I gleaned was slightly more cynical: this world of big business and governments and policy can’t stand to see someone who’s not doing something for a moment. Or were they scared that, tired of dry text and formalities, one person relaxing might suddenly prompt everyone else to follow suit?

This is an exclusive forum, accessible to those who can pay or have not proven their expertise (students were given a discounted rate only after NGOs and professionals lobbied for their inclusion). Not a space for those who care to lie in the sun, for those who are not completely convinced that the constant accumulation of responsibilities and knowledge is the only method of changing this world. Basking in the nature for which we fight (be it sunlight, water, or mountain) is essential to its salvation. Otherwise, conservation becomes just another job, another duty; the environment just another product.

Posted:
March 16, 2012
Author:
COA Students

An Additional Youth Statement on Water

An Additional Youth Statement on Water
March 16, 2012

Youth are the future decision makers of the world. We must be forward thinkers because we will inherit a planet shaped by the actions of today. We are innovative by nature, and we call upon those involved in water issues to listen to and engage with our perspective. We are youth, but we do not speak for all youth, and we issue this document within the Alternative Water Forum to expand upon the youth voice presented at the 6th World Water Forum (WWF). This additional vision demonstrates that there exist myriad perspectives. Given that the WWF text will be incorporated into the Rio¬+20 process, we are compelled to share our voices with the world.
…

Water is essential to all life, and as such cannot be allocated through market mechanisms. There is a human right to water and sanitation, as declared by the United Nations General Assembly . Water should not be classified as an economic good or used as a political tool, rather it is a public resource, a common good.
…

Water is simultaneously relevant on global, local, and regional levels with environmental, social, and political implications. Our management strategies need to reflect this complexity in several ways:

1. We need to engage all manner of communities and knowledge bases in management decisions. As humans, we have a right to education. This education can manifest in a variety of ways, including formal education and learning through living. This variety of experiences must be acknowledged and valued in the management of water.
2. We need to acknowledge the social and political aspects of water by cultivating a respect for water as a human right.
3. We need to acknowledge both the place-based and environmental aspects of water through basin-level, as opposed to nation-level, management.
4. Water is the foundation for life: the management decisions we make must accentuate this natural infrastructure rather than detract from it.

In these ways, we can ensure that decisions respect the rights of all peoples as well as the needs of the environment.
…

We propose recapturing the sense of the word “Forum” as a place to discuss, debate and act together. We maintain that these fundamental connotations are not fully represented in the structure of the WWF.

The WWF is closed – through its price and its structure. The cost of admission is prohibitive even for many immersed in the world of water, and certainly for those most adversely affected by mismanagement or scarcity. Youth now participate thanks to pressure for our inclusion; it seems appropriate, then, that we call for the inclusion of all those currently under-represented at the forum, including non-professionals, non-academics and impacted peoples.

The WWF, composed of panels, suits, hierarchy and speeches, has become a place to present rather than discuss. The private nature of the forum privileges certain voices to speak first and loudest, and thus controls the content and direction of discourse. We’ve heard the repeated desire of participants in the forum for a place to share — the sense that the solutions are there and can be discovered through communication. The existence of the Alternative Water Forum is proof of this discontent, although this venue still does not provide a non-partisan space for all.

An appropriate environment to discuss water must be more inclusive. Rather than undermine UN language, it must strengthen our commitment to the Human Right to water and sanitation. The forum would be transparent and open to all people and civil movements around the globe.
…

We call upon governments, organizations, communities, and individuals – all humans of the world…

…To respect the human right to water and sanitation as distinct from other human rights
obligations.
…To recognize water as a common resource rather than an economic good, and not to use
it as a political tool.
…To engage in management based on water basins instead of political boundaries.
…To open the negotiation process to all stakeholders – corporate, public, and civic –
through compassionate and honest dialogue.

In order to find new solutions we must find new ways of discussing water.

[Earth] – Earthinbrackets.org
Janoah Bailin
Barbara Beblowski
Lisa Bjerke
Rachel Briggs
Robin Owings

Posted:
March 15, 2012
Author:
COA Students

Mid-week Stress Relief

After a long Tuesday sitting in very tense debate sessions regarding private sector partnerships, Wednesday was the opposite. Our hostel knows a local guide who takes tourists into the nearby mountains to hike and talk about the local ecology of the area, and luckily Lisa found out about him and got him to give us a tour. The area is in the last stages of becoming Calanques National Park, and will be the only rural/urban national park in France.
The Calanques rise from the sea in spectacular limestone peaks, giving Marseille a unique skyline. Nabilus met us at the entrance of the park, and we began our ascent through a small village. I think our eagerness to be outside was a bit of an early morning shock for him and he told us that we needed to take it slow, as it was the morning. Slowly we wound our way up the former seabed peaks, pausing to admire the beautiful plants and learn from Nabilus what was edible. As we continued to rise above the city, the view became more and more spectacular, and with each step the tension from the past three days began to leave.
As the sun rose higher, lunch became our focus. When I thought we had reached a peak, we took a sharp left, seemingly off the side of the mountain, and around the corner was the ruins of a German occupied base from World War II.
We had packed a lunch of fresh bread, cheese, nuts and fruit, which was enough to satisfy our every whim, but Nabilus had brought us food that was beyond description. With the herbs found in the park (white thyme, two types of rosemary and others) he had created a magical olive oil. He provided dried baguette rubbed with fresh purple garlic; we poured the oil over and with oily hands ate the little bruschettas. When we thought we were in food heaven, he pulled out a small wheel of Camembert cheese and sliced it into large triangles. Then, much to our shock he liberally poured his olive oil over the cheese. To skeptics of this endeavor, I can safely tell you that any thought of my arteries disappeared, and at once I was encompassed in one of the most delicious culinary delights I have ever experienced. We contentedly munched on our lunch, and Nabilus answered our questions about the city, ecology, and how he came to love the area. It became clear that his passion is these mountains and educating tourists and citizens alike in the marvel that lies within the city. We zigged and zagged our way down and across the mountain stopping to examine an old venting system from an old ascorbic acid factory. At the bottom we parted ways with Nabilus and wandered down to the ocean to dip our toes into the Mediterranean. After a long day hiking the cold (yes, cold!), refreshing water was exactly what we needed to continue back to the Water Forum and hear from the Youth Movement.

Posted:
March 15, 2012
Author:
COA Students

Thoughts on grammar at the World Water Forum

Ken Cline

I have developed an adjective-noun problem.  I wrote in an earlier entry that “words matter.”  I was thinking about that even more today.  It wasn’t even because we have been discussing the wording of proposed statements late into the night or that I have been spending time with Rachel (for whom  English grammar is a contact sport).  No, I was just sitting in a presentation listening to people talking about the “green economy”, “green growth”, ”sustainable development”, and “sustainable hydropower.”   This has been a week chock full of these kind of terms.  And they aren’t so bad; a green economy is better than a black or brown one and I understand why some would see these phrases as a great step forward.

But I can’t help but thinking that with all of these terms, the emphasis (sometimes silent, sometimes not) is always on the noun – economy, growth, development, hydropower.  It explicitly says that these are the things that we want, but we will try to temper their impact, thus the adjective.  To the extent that these phrases contain a vision, the vision seems to be only contained in the noun (with a little qualification added on).  As a result, the much celebrated Rio +20 conference this June is focusing on the (green) economy, not justice, not health, not the environment, not well-being.  The economy is important and green is my favorite color for economies and lots of other things.  But that is not my vision, that is not my emphasis and if we are going to bring together 50,000 people around an important vision – I want a different noun front and center.


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