University of Leeds/Civil Eng. masthead

WATER WARS

or at least Water Conflicts



Water Conflict Chronology (Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security, 2008)

Water wars graphic

Do nations go to war over water? (Nature, 2009)

The potential for water conflict is on the increase (Nature, 2009)  

Water and Conflict (CRS, 2009)

Is this the beginning of water wars? (New Scientist, 2008)

Tensions rise (WEM, 2008) − will water wars soon be with us?

Rising Temperatures, Rising Tension: Climate Change and the Risk of Violent Conflict in the Middle East: Climate change could fuel further conflict in the Middle East (International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2009) "hotter" = "drier", so water is part of the conflict.

Mexico City: Water scarcity could cause “spiral of violence”, human rights commission warns (IRC Source Weekly, 2009)

Water and Politics: Contemporary Struggles Over Water Across the Globe (APHA, 2009) [Abstracts of four presentations given at APHA’s 137th Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, 7−11 November]

Water Rights and Water Fights: Resolving Conflicts Before They Boil Over (APHA, 2009) [Abstracts of five presentations given at APHA’s 137th Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, 7−11 November]
Abstract of the presentation Water rights and water fights: Resolving conflicts before they boil over − An overviewAs the world's population grows from 6.5 billion people now to 9.0 billion by 2050, as countries modernize, and as climate change evolves, there will be increasing conflicts, including armed conflicts, over the finite supply of fresh water. Already, during the past two decades, there has been a substantial increase in the number of international and intranational conflicts, many of them violent conflicts, over water. This presentation will describe the nature of these conflicts and provide specific examples and also describe the application of international and national laws, diplomacy, mediation and arbitration, and other approaches for resolving these conflicts before they boil over. These approaches may provide a basis for resolution of other issues that might otherwise lead to armed conflict.

Books:
Managing and Transforming Water Conflicts (CUP, 2009) University of Leeds Library catalogue entry.
When the Rivers Run Dry: Water − The Defining Crisis of the Twenty-first Century 
(Beacon Press, 2007 – the link is to Amazon.co.uk)
Water Wars: Drought, Flood, Folly and the Politics of Thirst
(Riverhead Books, 2003 – the link is to Amazon.co.uk)

Cochabamba! Water War in Bolivia (South End Press, 2004 – the link is to Amazon.co.uk)

Websites:

worldwaterwars.com

Water Wars (Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting)

Water Wars News, Links and Information (Water Conserve)

News items:
Videoclip:
Worldwide battle for water (BBC News, 2008)
Water Wars: The Middle East (BBC News, 2000)
Water wars in the south-east [USA]: Chattahoochee blues (The Economist, 2010)
Ex-UN chief warns of water wars (BBC News, 2005)
The danger of water wars (New Statesman, 2007)
Stemming the water wars (by Jeffrey Sachs, Guardian Online, 2009)
Seven experts debate the past and present existence of water wars, consider the difficulty
of owning a fluid resource, and examine the hot spots for future conflict
(SeedMagazine, 2009)

DVD: Blue Gold: World Water Wars − trailer on YouTube

BUT: Peace in the pipeline (BBC News, 2009)