'So much plastic!': British diver films deluge of waste off Bali

The Global Water Grabbing Syndrome

The Global Water Grabbing Syndrome

by Jampel Dell'Angelo a,b,⁎, Maria Cristina Rulli c, Paolo D'Odorico d

See excepts below:

Abstract

Large-scale acquisitions of agricultural land in developing countries have been rapidly increasing in the last 10 years, contributing to a major agrarian transition from subsistence or small scale farming to large-scale commercial agriculture by agribusiness transnational corporations. Likely driven by recent food crises, new bioenergy policies, and financial speculations, this phenomenon has been often investigated from the economic development, human right, land tenure and food security perspectives, while its hydrologic implications have remained understudied. It has been suggested that a major driver of large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) is the quest for water resources that can be used (locally) to sustain agricultural production in the acquired land. The appropriation of water resources associated with LSLAs has often been termed ‘water grabbing’, though to date a formal definition of such a normative and inherently pejorative term is missing. The intrinsic assumption is that the acquisition of water undergoes the same dynamics of unbalanced power relationships that underlie many LSLAs. Here we invoke hydrological theories of “green” and “blue” water flows to stress the extent to which water appropriations are inherently coupled to land acquisitions and specifically focus on blue water. We then propose a formal definition of blue water grabbing based both on biophysical conditions (water scarcity) and ethical implications (human right to food). Blue water grabs are appropriations of irrigation (i.e., blue) water in regions affected by undernourishment and where agricultural production is constrained by blue water availability. We use this framework to provide a global assessment of the likelihood that LSLAs entail blue water grabbing.

2.1. What is Water Grabbing?

While on the concept of land grabbing there is a broad semantic consensus and it has been formally defined by a coalition of international organizations (ILC Tirana Declaration), the concept of water grabbing is neither used officially in policy fora nor unofficially by international development organizations. As we show in this section, the concept of water grabbing has been used by different authors in peer-reviewed publications to indicate relatively different phenomena. The common denominator among the different definitions is that there is an aspect of injustice and power imbalance which is represented by the word ‘grabbing’. Water grabbing means something different from water appropriation, exploitation, extraction, consumption, or use. It involves the notion of ‘grabber’ and ‘grabbed’, a dynamic of usurpation based on the power imbalance between subjects that lose and subjects that win, unjustly. The definition of water grabbing deals with the ethical question of when it is appropriate to define a particular case of typology of natural resources extraction as ‘grabbing’. It also deals with the biophysical question of how do we quantify or identify the appropriation of a resource, that by its own nature is fluid, renewable and difficult to quantify (Rodríguez-Labajos and Martínez-Alier, 2015).

View webpage here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921800916307121

Great Pacific Garbage Patch now three times the size of France

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Philippines closes 'cesspool' tourist island of Boracay

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Four Tips for Going Zero Waste

I came across this while searching for ideas to share to save the planet and couldn't wait to share it. Hope you'll give it a try.

CAN YOU DO IT?

buy less:

The average American throws out 4.4lbs of trash a day. For every pound of trash we throw away, 7lbs is thrown away on average in the waste upstream. That's almost 30lbs of trash a day.

THAT'S INSANE.

Buying less is the number one thing you can do to produce less trash.
Before buying anything make sure you really truly need it. I always ask myself a series of questions.

• Do you really need it?
• Is it really necessary?
• Can something else make do?
• Do you need to own it?

Zero waste is not just about a trash jar. It's not solely about the landfill. Trash is a physical representation of misallocated resources.

Earth Overshoot Day illustrates this best. Earth Overshoot Day came in the beginning of August last year. It's the day that illustrates how many resources the earth can sustainably produce for the year.
We're using almost two earth's worth of resources. It's completely unsustainable. So, the best thing we can do for the planet is to buy less.

 

buy well:

However, there are still purchases we need to make. If you don't live completely off grid/are self-sustaining, you'll need to make some purchases.

So when you do purchase something, really think about its full life-cycle. Think about where it came from and where it's going after you're through with it.

Here are a series of questions I like to ask myself when making a new purchase.

• Ask a friend.
• Can you find it second hand?
• Can you find it local?
• Who made it?
• Is it made to last/ can it be repaired?
• What happens when you’re done with it?

Always check the secondhand market first and if you're going to buy something new make sure you're taking everything into consideration.

And, whatever you do don't settle.

If I've learned anything in two years of zero waste living, it's that settling for something your not 100% happy with inevitably means you will be unhappy with it. Then you'll look for something else which is a waste of money and time.

So whatever you buy, you better love it.

 

find contentment:

We live in a world full of constant advertisements. Advertisers tell us in order to be happy or in order to get the girl or boy we have to have this product. This product will make us happy or loved.
One of the most rebellious things you can do is find contentment with what you already have.

Things don't define you. They don't give you worth. Instead of buying things to make you look better or cooler, try spending time bettering yourself. Take a class, learn a new skill, truly focus on self-improvement.

 

strike a balance: 

And, like you've heard on this blog a hundred times before, it's not about perfection it's about making better choices.

Personal sustainability is super important. I've written a whole post about it, you can read it here. It's one of my favorite blog posts I've ever written.

We live in a society where things are meant to be thrown away. We don't live in a perfect world where zero waste is normal.

Instead, we just do the best we can where we are. Things are going to happen that don't 100% align with your values and that's alright.

Each decision you make is a vote for the future you want. So, buying package free goods and purchasing products from responsible companies is a vote for a move to a circular economy, where waste is resumed back into the system like nature.

So get out there, and do the best you can!

Even if it's one change. Even if it's only buying a lonely banana. Every single step in the right direction is just that, a step in the right direction.

What would be some of your tips for someone starting a zero waste life?

Go to this awesome website: https://www.goingzerowaste.com/blog/four-tips-for-starting-a-zero-waste-lifestyle