It is generally considered by international observers that there is a World Water Crisis characterized by shortages of potable water in urban areas and shortages of irrigation water in the developing world.
The crisis is associated with both population increases and associated urbanization and economic and agricultural development.
The United Nations Millennium Development Goals partially address the problem. The Water for the Poor Act, signed into law in the United States on December 1, 2005 attempts to address the crisis though foreign aid programs.
The CEO Water Mandate is a voluntary undertaking by corporations such as the Coca-Cola Company and the Läckeby Water Group which have "agreed on a new cooperation model for the responsible management of water resources by companies."[1]
Charity:water "is a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations."
References[]
External links and further reading[]
- Circle of Blue.Org "Reporting the Global Water Crisis"
- "U.S. faces era of water scarcity" feature article by Keith Schneider on the website Circle of Blue July 9, 2008
- Robert Glennon, Unquenchable: America's Water Crisis and What To Do About It, Island Press (April 17, 2009), hearcover, 432 pages, ISBN-10: 1597264369 ISBN-13: 978-1597264365
- Navigating the Mainstream: The Challenge of Making Water Issues Matter, By J. Carl Ganter (PDF file)
- Text of the Water for the Poor Act
- WaterTreaty.org WaterTreaty.org
- The International Secretariat for Water International Secretariat for Water
- Interactive graphic "Where Water is Scarce"
- "Letter from Bolivia: Leasing the Rain" article by William Finnegan in New Yorker, April 8, 2002