u.n.'s millennium development goals

Sounds great, right? Ten years for action to solve water problems.

Peter Gleick writes about a related UN proposition in "The Millennium Development Goals for Water: Crucial Objectives, Inadequate Commitments" (The World's Water 2004-2005). After reviewing the goals and the size of the problem, he concludes,

"The failure to meet basic human needs for water is widely acknowledged to be a major development failure of the twentieth century. In recognition of this failure, the United Nations and the world community adopted a set of ambitious development goals to try to address unmet issues of poverty and human development, including two goals to provide safe and reliable access to water and sanitation services. Despite this laudable goal, and fine rhetorical efforts, pratical actions and commitments to provide universal coverage for water and sanitation continue to be inadequate. The price for this will be paid by the poorest populations of the world in sickness, lost eduational and employment opportunities, and for a staggeringly large number of people, early death. Even if the official Millennium Goals set for water are met--which is unlikely given the curret level of commitments by national governments and international aid agencies--as many as 32 million people, and perhaps many more, will die by 2020 from preventable water-related diseases. This is morally unacceptable in a world that values equity and decency. At present, it appears unavoidable."

See also http://www.worldwater.org/

water for life

The United Nations named 2005-2015 the International Decade for Action 'Water for Life'.

Here is an excerpt from the web site:

WATER IS ESSENTIAL FOR LIFE. Water is crucial for sustainable development, including the preservation of our natural environment and the alleviation of poverty and hunger. Water is indispensable for human health and well-being.

The United Nations General Assembly, in December 2003, proclaimed the years 2005 to 2015 as the International Decade for Action 'Water for Life'.

A decade of action! The primary goal of the 'Water for Life' Decade is to promote efforts to fulfill international commitments made on water and water-related issues by 2015.

These commitments include the Millennium Development Goals to reduce by half the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water by 2015 and to stop unsustainable exploitation of water resources. At the World Summit in Johannesburg in 2002, two other goals were adopted: to aim to develop integrated water resource management and water efficiency plans by 2005 and to halve, by 2015, the proportion of people who do not have access to basic sanitation.

A major effort is required in this decade to fulfil these commitments and extend access to these essential services to those who remain unserved, the majority of whom are poor people.

As women play a central role in water provision and management, a special emphasis will be placed on ensuring the participation and involvement of women in these development efforts.

Among the themes that are central for the 'Water for Life' Decade are: scarcity, access to sanitation and health, water and gender, capacity-building, financing, valuation, Integrated Water Resources Management, trans-boundary water issues, environment and biodiversity, disaster prevention, food and agriculture, pollution and energy.

UN-Water is coordinating the 'Water for Life' Decade, 2005-2015. UN-Water is the United Nations inter-agency mechanism of all relevant agencies, departments and programmes involved with water-related issues.


See http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/index.html

getting started

Generally it's only after a certain amount of time has passed that a person is able to point to a particular moment as a turning point in their life.

I ask myself, how did I come to be a water aficionado? Two moments come to mind.

My second day in New Mexico I went for a walk in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains. It was August. It was going to get pretty hot. I thought about the desert plants around me and the people who lived in this place. I marveled at how they ran water in the kitchen sink without a thought about being careful of it. I remember being surprised.

Several years later my uncle made a chance remark about growing population in the southwest and the strain it put on water resources. He mentioned a book called Cadillac Desert. His comment set me to wondering about water. More than wondering, it moved me to action. I began to talk to people, to look for things to read, to learn . . .