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Spreading good ideas with someone you know is one of the simplest things we can do to improve the conversation.

• william watson replied on 10:18 AM on April 05, 2008
  If we study what has and is happening in Australia and just look at what is well underway in Canada Dr.Barlow's comments seem understated.We Canadians,(stewards of "most"of the fresh water on earth) are setting a suicidally bad example.
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• william watson replied on 02:18 PM on April 05, 2008
  If we study what has and is happening in Australia and just look at what is well underway in Canada Dr.Barlow's comments seem understated.We Canadians,(stewards of "most"of the fresh water on earth) are setting a suicidally bad example.
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Re: What effect does population growth have on oil and water?

Well, it is important when we think about population and it is and I am concerned about that. We are talking probably around three billion people between now and 2050 and I do think it is an issue, but I also want to be careful to say because a lot of people then take that and use it as an anti-immigrant or potentially racist kind of thing. When we look at who is using the most energy and water in the world, it isn't the places in the world where the population is exploding. It is here in North America; we are the worst energy guzzlers and the worst water guzzlers, followed by Australia, which has no water left and Europe. So, it is very important for us I think to realize that it is the industrial model and the individual overuse and abuse of these resources that is the issue and when then you compound that with growing population, which is then growing in areas of the world that are industrializing. So, it is the industrializing China, the industrializing India with the class structure where their upper classes buying all the stuff and more that we have here, that is the thing that is unsustainable. So, it is the connection between population and consumerism and industrialization that we have to put together. If we in the global north don’t want the global south to destroy all of its water and energy sources, we better admit that our development model may not be the best one and that…but we are going to have to show some leadership as well in cutting back because how do you ask people in a poor country to cut back when we won't cut back ourselves. It is quite a lot to ask really if you think of it. It is like saying well, we will all cut our missions, we will all cut our water use or whatever by 20%, but if you are…somebody described it…if you are 80 pounds and you are supposed to cut your food consumption by 20%, you are going to die. If you are 200 pounds, probably you could cut your food consumption by 20% and then some, right? So, similarly, I think we could think of ourselves as being kind of gluttons in the global north and maybe we can cut more than our share so that the global south isn't taking the entire burnt. Recorded On: 3/17/08

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Maude Barlow is the National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians and Senior Advisor on Water to the President of  the United Nations General Assembly.   She also chairs the board of Washington-based Food and Water Watch and is a Councillor with the Hamburg-based World Future Council. Maude is the recipient of seven honorary doctorates as well as many awards, including the 2005 Right Livelihood Award (known as the “Alternative Nobel”), and the 2008 Canadian Environment Award. She is also the best selling author or co-author of 16 books, including the recently released Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and The Coming Battle for the Right to Water.

Read more about Maude Barlow »

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