Forget OPEC. The Next Cartel May Export Drinking Water

I would think that it would be cheaper to desalinate and purify ocean water. This would be especially true of desert areas like the middle east where they could easily run such equipment on solar energy.

We have .05% of the planet's population and 25% of its water. Economically speaking, there are gains from trade, at the risk of kissing sovereignty goodbye.

Yeah, but David Orchard mentioned that based on our area, our water is pretty typica. Something like 7+% of the world's land, 8.6% water. Watersheds would dry up if we tapped them to quickly.

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The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter --

Winston Churchill

Not to mention, according to NAFTA, and observing corporate greed, yes, we`d get tapped out. Makes sense here that it is said that even at the local level Canadians who couldn`t afford to pay corporate oligopolistic prices would be denied access! I agree with Maude Barlow on this one- leave the existing water reserves where they are.

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Dave Ruston

Simply watching our freshwater drain away into the Oceans because we have so much of it is not only selfish, but naive too. It is a resource that we can share with the rest of the world and they'll pay us for it, and there's nothing wrong with that. Ideology can't be eaten.

I wonder who'll get the proftis.....and no, we don't have a huge surplus of water, it can only be plundered for so long. David Schindler at U of A mentioned how the 20th century was unusually temperate, and how farming and oil extraction is already stressing water in the west.

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The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter --

Winston Churchill

I didn`t say anything about not sharing- just that water should be free of bulk shipments, especially by private corporations. In emergencies, we most definitely could DONATE water to parched areas, or in times of disaster. And this must be planned with utmost consideration for human need and the environmental consequences! Water should be a HUMAN RIGHT. And not another commodity. When it becomes commodified, Canada will once again, be raped of another natural resource!

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Dave Ruston

While Canadians have a right to go jump in the lake, shipping water from that lake to anywhere - the corner store or the Sahara desert - requires commodities like vehicles, pumps, tanks, rubber seals, boots for the workers, oil & gas for the vehicles, ships, accountants etc. etc.

Water is not a 'human right', it's a necessity that has to be worked for like anything else.

Bullshit! It is a human right! It will come down to, as usual, that no matter how hard you work, the wealthy will get first dibs on it, while others are denied access. Water is not a commodity. That`s exactly why people starve; countries like Canada produce way more food that we need, and the stockpiles are destroyed instead of donated, all because of commodification.

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Dave Ruston

You don't seem to understand human rights. Water & food are essential to life and millions of people work very hard to obtain these items, they have done so for millenia, so have the animals - the animals that have occasionally eaten humans before being eaten themselves...

'Rights' are legal & moral entities that humans construct, they don't mean much to someone dying of thirst in the desert...

Yes, and it is every human`s moral right to food and water. Food has already been commodified, thereby denying many poor the right to food! We must not do the same with water. These corporations are already rich enough; they don`t need to expropriate and control the world`s water supply.

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Dave Ruston

If a person has a 'moral right to food and water' is it your responsibility to bring him food and water? He has a 'right' to it, as you say, and you would be remiss if you denied him his rights, so regardless of wether or not he feels like sitting on his ass, in your universe you would hand deliver the food and water yourself. Fill your boots. Sucker.

You can believe is hard work if you want--fine.

However, I think Dave was suggesting that safe water should not cost anything, other than an affordable water-bill if you are a home owner.

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The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter --

Winston Churchill

Exactly! That`s why municipal water systems were built in the first place! You`re the sucker if you`d let some greedy corporation control it all!

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Dave Ruston