Pope Francis warns of a great world war, over . . .

[pnwmom]

WATER.

This is not the first time he's spoken out on this subject. In 2015, only two years after becoming Pope, he released an Encyclical about the environment that said water was a universal human right.

(And by the way, this is one of the issues in the Israeli settlements -- they're not just trying to control land -- they're trying to control the water.)

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2017/02/24/pope-asks-world-headed-towards-great-world-war-water/

“The right to water is essential for the survival of persons and decisive for the future of humanity,” the pope said Feb. 24 during a meeting with 90 international experts participating in a “Dialogue on Water” at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.

Looking at all the conflicts around the globe, Pope Francis said, “I ask myself if we are not moving toward a great world war over water.”

Access to water is a basic and urgent matter, he said. “Basic, because where there is water there is life, making it possible for societies to arise and advance. Urgent, because our common home needs to be protected.”

Citing “troubling” statistics from the United Nations, the pope said, “each day - each day! - a thousand children die from water-related illnesses and millions of persons consume polluted water.”

SNIP

[fun n serious]

1. South China seas? nt

[pnwmom]

3. Everywhere. Inside the US it will be between the people

and the corporate polluters. It's already started with the coal waste and the planned decimation of the Environmental Protection Agency.

[fun n serious]

4. Yes.

DAPL...

[Hortensis]

20. Yes. Privatization of fresh water in the U.S. is already happening

Last edited Sun Feb 26, 2017, 09:03 AM - Edit history (2)

and will surge under the 45th. Keep this issue in mind as they start "selling" off our federal lands.

EPA:

While the population and the demand on freshwater resources are increasing, supply remains constant and many regions are starting to feel the pressure. In fact, a government report (PDF) (1 pg, 157K)Exit EPA Disclaimerfound that water managers in 40 of 50 states expect water shortages in some portion of their states under average conditions in the next 10 years.
https://www3.epa.gov/watersense/pubs/supply.html

Salon:

"Cash-strapped local governments that can ill afford maintaining and managing them may see selling them off to private firms as an attractive option, and under Trump, more communities are likely to take that step. But let the seller beware.

A recent New York Times investigative report found private equity firms typically make 8-18 percent profit from water privatization, while ratepayer bills skyrocket. In Bayonne, N.J., for example, rates rose almost 28 percent after a private equity firm took over."
http://www.salon.com/2017/01/23/take-back-our-water-how-trumps-appetite-for-privatization-threatens-your-drinking-water_partner/

And those colluding to privatize are working to make sure local governments remain cash strapped.

Worse, water profiteers are no more concerned with public wellbeing issues than petroleum profiteers are. Quality typically drops.

In Rockland, its management has been marked by persistent complaints of deferred maintenance, understaffing, low water pressure, service interruptions, metallic tastes, bad smells and brown, unusable water, to which the company has been less than responsive.

Prices can be raised and raised because water is a basic necessity--there is no orange to buy instead when the price of apples rises too high. Water prices and quality would become significant issues in home buying and cause property values to drop in many neighborhoods.

In future, as water becomes more precious, whole lower-income counties and regions could be allowed to fail for lack of affordable water. In fact, conservative local governments should be expected to use this as a tactic to force retired people and low wage earners to sell their homes and leave.

That's if we let the barbarians currently in power stay in power. We won't, of course, because we can't.

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. No, he's talking about fresh, usable water (nt)

[True Dough]

2. If only there was someone who could

turn wine into water...

[teezy]

5. I am so freaked out over the future of the Great Lakes.

If the coal plants start polluting them because of all the attacks on the EPA and the rollbacks of environment protections, it will totally destroy relations between the US and Canada.

[pnwmom]

6. Yup. n/t

[roamer65]

8. I see Michigan maintaining environmental standards with the lakes in mind.

We will fight like hell to keep them as clean as possible and UNDIVERTED. Our state's economy depends on it.

Michigan, other GL states, Ontario and Quebec have compacts established already and our MI-DEQ will continue to enforce them under law and by treaty with the province of Ontario.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Lakes_Compact

[Volaris]

12. The Great Lakes States should see if there's a way to build

A citizen owned alternative energy utility. Build yourselves a state or multistate owned solar panel factory and tell the coal ceos to go get fucked. It's not like there isn't enough empty warehouse space in the rust belt that it couldn't be done. Cities all over the use tax-increment financing to build useless, taxpayer subsidized stadiums at a billion dollars a pop, I wish to god we could get reps ballsy enough to do the same for shit we actually NEED.

[monmouth4]

7. I have young friends in Jersey traveling to Flint to deliver water this weekend. Sad..n/t

[tavernier]

9. Please don't televise or tweet this.

Trump will instruct Congress to poison all water except that in the bottles of old white republican men. (Will need a supply to wash down Viagra)

[bucolic_frolic]

10. Yeah, but the Pope's a religion and science guy

Our guys are smarter ... no science

[oldcynic]

13. He's more than a little late to the party.

1. The church is a direct contributor to water shortage because of its opposition to birth control and women's right to their own reproductive choices.
2. The idea of water wars has been out there for decades. Blame it on climate change but climate change can be blamed on overpopulation.

[pnwmom]

14. He's only been Pope for a few years, and this isn't the first time

he's addressed this issue.

[peggysue2]

15. A good 10 years ago . . .

I read several articles indicating that water would become the new oil. Those articles appear to have been more than a little prescient. Potable water is becoming an urgent, vital matter, be it Israel, Syria, Africa, etc. It will only get worse. Scarier still, those articles I mentioned (think one was a Time and/or Newsweek) indicated that several corporations were buying up large fresh water sources in advance of the world-wide crises. If you want a glimpse of the future, google the Bolivian water wars and the Bechtel connection. Enough to make your hair stand on end.

Pope Francis is casting a true net here. We should all be forewarned. Which makes Trump's reversal of President Obama's clean stream and river acts, all the more crazy.

You cannot drink coal waste. Water = Life.

[caballojm]

16. Not to mention Nestle buying up water rights for a song and dance all over the planet.

And their chairman's troubling statements on water rights make their actions much more frightening.

[joanbarnes]

17. I have been preaching this for years, glad the Pope finally got on board.

[pnwmom]

18. "Finally"? He released an encyclical in 2015 that said water was a human right,

and he only became Pope in 2013.

[Hortensis]

19. Hopefully Pope Francis, who is heard by far more than merely

a billion plus Catholics, has to be making far more difference than either of us managed. Or my college geology teacher 40 years ago did. He taught climate change and fresh water depletion to every class, but we're right where he said we'd be if we didn't make serious changes.

Thank goodness Pope Francis is speaking. The situation is dreadful. People are dying in holocaust numbers already directly and indirectly from loss of fresh water, and wealthy investors are purchasing and privatizing the fresh water supplies of whole regions ("the oil of the 21st century&quot .

Including right here. The Great Lakes alone are among the planet's largest remaining stores of fresh water. Under Trump, privatization of our fresh water will be surging ahead. How long until wannabe plutocrats are literally shipping fresh water overseas while the number of people who can't afford to buy adequate fresh water grows?