Author Discusses Global Water Crisis at Seminar 
By Patty Truant Maude Barlow, esteemed author and activist from Ottawa, Canada, discussed the global water crisis on October 9 at JHSPH as part of the "Connecting Health and Sustainability" lecture series. Barlow is the National Chairperson for the Council of Canadians, Chair of the Board at Food and Water Watch, and the co-founder of the Blue Planet project, a group that works internationally for universal access to clean, safe drinking water. “The way we mismanage water is the most important aspect of climate change,” Barlow said. “We are polluting surface water, overtapping our rivers and tapping ground water faster than it can be replenished naturally.” Barlow considers potable water access the single most important indicator of health. Worldwide, an estimated 2.3 billion people suffer from water-borne diseases each year, and 1.7 billion people still lack access to clean water. Increasingly, water scarcity will be a cause of conflict, and water resources will be seen as a national security issue, if the inequality of the current system continues. According to Barlow, there are two paths we could take with regard to water concerns. On the “hard” path, we continue with business as usual and rely heavily on innovation and technology to fix pollution and overuse. On the “soft” path, emphasis is placed on conservation and allowing nature to rebound in a systemic way, promoting ecological integrity. Barlow advocates for the soft path, because it recognizes the interconnectedness of water and nature, and works to reverse the problem. In her new book, “Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water,” Barlow discusses the right to water and the increasing corporate control of the water supply. “Instead of water becoming an issue of conflict...my dream is that water could become nature’s gift to humanity, and all of our differences won’t mean anything,” she said. “It could teach us how to talk to each other, how to get along.” Check out the CLF website for more on the "Connecting Health and Sustainability" lecture series, co-sponsored by the Center for a Livable Future, the Department of Health, Behavior and Society, and the Program on Global Sustainability and Health. | 
