The book begins like this:

“The world is running out of fresh water. Humanity is polluting, diverting, and depleting the wellspring of life at a startling rate. With every passing day our demand for fresh water outpaces its availability and thousands more people are put at risk. Already, the social, political, and economic impacts of water scarcity are rapidly becoming a destabilizing force, with water-related conflicts springing up around the globe. Quite simply, unless we dramatically change our ways, between one-half and two-thirds of humanity will be living with severe fresh water shortages within the next quarter-century....

“Faced with the now well-documented fresh water crisis, governments and international institutions are advocating the privatization and commodification of water. 'Price water,' they say; put it up for sale and let the market determine its future. For them, the debate is closed.”Well, today on “Democracy Now!” we are going to reopen this debate with the author and activist, Maude Barlow. Maude Barlow is the chairperson of the Council of Canadians, Canada’s largest public advocacy organization. She was one of Canada’s leading voices in the battle against the US-Canada Free Trade Agreement, NAFTA, and the Multilateral Agreement on Investment. Her book, ??Blue Gold: The Fight To Stop The Corporate Theft Of The World’s Water, has just been published by The New Press.

Guest:

• Maude Barlow, national volunteer chair of the Council of Canadians, Canada’s largest public advocacy organization, and author of ??Blue Gold: The Fight To Stop The Corporate Theft Of The World’s Water.

Related link:

• Council of Canadians

Music:

• God Save Us From Ourselves–Walela, Unbearable Love.

??
????
????
????
??