WaTER Conference, 24-25 October, University of Oklahoma (USA). The Water Technologies for Emerging Regions (WaTER) conference on “Synergy at the Interface: Integrating Technology, Social Entrepreneurship and Behavior Change.” Highlights include the presentation of the OU International Water Prize to Ben Fawcett, Professor and Environmental Health Engineer at the University of Queensland, Australia and co-author of The Last Taboo: Opening the Door on the Global Sanitation Crisis. Other speakers include Ned Breslin (Water for People, Annette Johnson (Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology), Dennis Lettenmaier (University of Washington), John Oldfield (WASH Advocacy Initiative), Kurt Soderlund (Safe Water Network), and Peter Winch (Johns Hopkins School of Public Health).
The Water Ethics Network facilitates sharing of experience, ideas, and information about events and activities relating to water ethics. The aim is to bring an awareness of water ethics into the everyday discourse of water policies and management decisions, so that choices about water use and water ecosystem management are consciously informed by values. The network is sponsored by the Water-Culture Institute and the partner organizations listed below.
September 15, 2011
Featured Program: Wine to Water
2Water organizes wine tasting events globally to 'metaphorically transform wine to water'. Their focus is on using campaigns and social media tools to support initiatives in developing countries (currently focusing on Nepal and Malawi) to provideclean, drinking water to communities. 2Water uses a two tiered business model by which fund-raising to meet administrative costs is kept separate from its project-oriented fund-raising at the wine tasting events, so that all event donations go directly towards water projects. The organization started in 2010 when two London based professionals visited Bordeaux for the release of the greatly anticipated 2009 En Primeur wine campaign, and saw the opportunity to apply the art of wine for a social cause. Learning that it takes 120 litres of water to make just one glass of wine led to the idea of trying to give back some of that water through community water projects. Click here for a 3 min. video of 2Water CEO, Diana Isac, explaining the philosophy behind this innovative organization. Contact: diana.isac@2water.org
Water Ethics Newsletter - September 2011
Letter from the Editor
Welcome to the second monthly issue of the Water Ethics Network Newsletter! The Network's purpose is to raise awareness about ethical dimensions of water, promote collaboration among the members, enhance understanding, and promote the practical application of ethical concepts and perspectives. The Network is an initiative of the Water-Culture Institute in partnership with the individuals and organizations listed in the sidebar below. The content of this Newsletter, as well as past issues, is permanently posted on this Blog. To subscribe to the "home edition" of the Newsletter, (delivered by email) fill out the subscription form here. It's free! To submit news to include in upcoming newsletters, contact me at network[at]waterculture[dot]org. Your news should have some connection to water values/ethics, but other that that we have no strict filter. One of the purposes of the Network is to expand our understanding of how and where ethics play a role in water behaviors. And don't worry about sending in polished prose; it's my job to edit! Thanks in advance for your contributions.
Water Ethics News
The biggest water ethics news coming out of North America during the past month was the Tar Sands Action in front of the White House in Washington, DC. Environmental celebrities (Bill McKibben, Gus Speth, Jim Hansen) joined rank and file demonstrators to urge President Obama to not allow construction of a pipeline from Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico, carrying oil extracted from Canada’s tar sands. The central reason given in most of the statements focused on climate change and the extra CO2 contained in tar sands oil, but there is an equally compelling water story. Strip mining of vast areas of tar sands is contaminating the interconnected lakes and rivers which are home to both wildlife and people: First Nations tribes who have co-evolved with this land and water-scape over thousands of years. The environmental justice issues are well documented in a report from the Indigenous Environmental Network. Click here for a video report on the White House demonstration.
Rivers and Wildlife in South Africa
The Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Healthy Rivers Programme was initiated as a response to the poor protection of and intensifying pressures on South Africa’s our freshwater resources. The programme is focusing on the North West Province of South Africa, in the Crocodile (West)-Marico Catchment (the upper reaches of the international Limpopo River basin). The perception of rivers as boundaries, rather than the focus of protected areas, has meant that freshwater resources are often overlooked in national conservation planning initiatives. Only 16 of the 112 main river ecosystems are moderately to well represented within protected areas. We need to start appreciating the value of rivers and wetlands, as immensely biodiverse ecosystems in their own right and this may involve adopting a new approach to the way in which we perceive water. The ecological value of functional springs, watersheds, riverine corridors, wetlands, etc. cannot really be measured. It is only when they have been traded in for short-term economic gain will we begin to understand their true value. For more info visit: www.ewt.org.za.
Can Religion Save India’s Yamuna River?
A workshop held in January 2011, co-organized by Yale University (Forum on Religion and Ecology) and Teri University in New Delhi, explored how religious values might motivate environmental action along the Yamuna River. Click here for the papers and news clippings from that workshop
Donate to the Water Ethics Network!
Please consider making a donation to the Water Ethics Network and help us become financially sustainable. The Network is currently run entirely through pro-bono contributions of staff time. We are working to change that through grand proposals to various foundations, but we need bridge funds in the meantime. To make an on-line donation, click the "Donate Now" button on the Water-Culture Institute's homepage and type "Water Ethics Network" in the "Designation" box. On-line donations are processed through Network for Good, which adds a 5% processing fee, but they are also a worthy NGO providing financial services to groups like ours.
Ethics of Water Planning
This month we feature several reports dealing with the complex issues of planning water infrastructure, and how values and ethical perspectives makes a difference in how planning is done.
1. Ethics and Unintended Consequences
We routinely hear development horror stories about well-intentioned projects making things worse, but rarely do we get the details. Senior scholar, Prachanda Pradhan has documented how a municipal water and sanitation program in Bhaktapur, Nepal had unintended environmental and health consequences. The local river became an open sewer when the centralized sewage treatment system fell into disrepair, and farmers tapped into drain pipes for irrigation, resulting in further health risks. If we think of ethics as a way of enlarging our arena of concern, e.g., to include neglected rivers and marginalized people, what are the implications for planning? Focusing on a narrow set of intended outcomes (smoothly functioning water and sanitation services) without accounting for the natural environment (pollution from the treatment plant) or local culture (farmers viewing sewer drains as an irrigation source) leads to unintended consequences. You can read Dr. Pradhan’s account here (PDF, 500KB).
2. Who Should Be Involved in Planning?
A new report from UNESCO’s Ethics and Climate Change in Asia and the Pacific (ECCAP) Project, addresses the issue of Representation and Decision-Making in Environment Planning. While the main focus is energy infrastructure, water is usually a central issue (e.g., hydroelectric dams and mining-related water pollution). Click here to go to the download page.
3. Stakeholders in Urban Water Governance
Who should be involved in water planning and governance? How can the diverse views of stakeholders be effectively incorporated into water decisions? A synthesis from the experience of urban water programs is available from the SWITCH program, a just-completed EU initiative to enhance the environmental and social benefits of urban water supply in a dozen cities around the world. This newly released report focuses on stakeholder issues.
New Journal on Water and Gender
wH2O is a new special-issue academic journal on women and water and sanitation from the University of Pennsylvania. Women face disproportionate impacts from a lack of sanitation and clean water, yet in many areas are systematically excluded from water/sanitation decisions. We are aiming to be an academic hub for information, research and thought, to augment work already being done, and to help facilitate more work on the issue across the globe. We are soliciting papers, case studies, opinion pieces, photo journalism, interviews and other research on women/gender dimensions of water or sanitation. Topics can be international or domestic, but must address the nexus of women and water. The first issue will be published online in the spring of 2012. A one-page abstract should be submitted by September 30th, 2011 to wh2ojournal@gmail.com.
New Books and Reports
Blue Revolution: Unmaking America's Water Crisis by Cynthia Barnett exposes the extent to which the nation’s green craze missed water — the No. 1 environmental concern of most Americans, according to Gallup. As a journalist (“I’m not an academic!”) Barnett offer lots of inspiring stories, and presents solutions from across the nation and around the globe. Reporting from San Antonio to Singapore, Barnett shows how local communities and entire nations have come together in a shared ethic to dramatically reduce consumption and live within their water means. Barnett credits the late hydrologist Luna Leopold, son of Aldo Leopold, with having articulated an ideal water ethic for the United States – a set of guiding beliefs for government, large water users and citizens. Barnett says that, having written for many years about the efforts of government and large water users to solve water problems, she wrote this book for citizens. [Cynthia Barnett is a member of the Water Ethics Network advisory committee.]
Water Governance Key Approaches: An Analytical Framework. By L. Miranda, M. Hordijk, and R. K. Torres Molina. Literature Review No 4 – September 2011
Different actors have different approaches to water, governance, and water governance. In this document we present working definitions of water, as well as some insights regarding water conflicts and how different actors value water. We also present the four main approaches to water governance in an attempt to contribute to a greater understanding of the perspectives, interests and main concerns of the various actors in the water sector. An increased understanding of underlying values and approaches can foster consensus building for the reconfiguration of water governance to equip it to tackle the expected effects of climate change. Download the report here.
Improving Irrigation in Asia: Sustainable Performance of an Innovative Intervention in Nepal, by Elinor Ostrom, Wai Fung Lam, Prachanda Pradhan, and Ganesh P. Shivakoti. The 2009 Nobel Prize laureate joins forces with long-standing colleagues to explore Nepal’s experience in applying institutional reforms to the irrigation sector. Click here for the book announcement and summary.
Looking for a New Ethic? A UNESCO report, Universalism and Ethical Values for the Environment discusses how different world views deal with human relationships with the environment. This was the first report from the Ethics and Climate Change in Asia and the Pacific (ECCAP) Project, released in 2010. The report discusses the extent to which universal values can be agreed upon, exemplified by an empirical analysis of values contained implicitly and explicitly in UN treaties and international statements on the environment. Click here to go to the download page.
Sustainability Multiplier Effects from Cotton Production in the Aral Sea Basin. The environmental implications of cotton production in the Aral Sea Basin go far beyond the “front line” tragedy of the Sea itself. An ecosystem services Case Study provides an overview of the social, economic, and environmental costs linked to the cotton economy. Click here for the 4-page report. For more information, contact Landen Consulting.
Are You Working on Water Ethics Issues?
Please share your news with interested colleagues. Submit a brief description with a link to the details to network[at]waterculture[dot]org. Submit before 12 October for the next Newsletter to be issued on 15 October.
Welcome to the second monthly issue of the Water Ethics Network Newsletter! The Network's purpose is to raise awareness about ethical dimensions of water, promote collaboration among the members, enhance understanding, and promote the practical application of ethical concepts and perspectives. The Network is an initiative of the Water-Culture Institute in partnership with the individuals and organizations listed in the sidebar below. The content of this Newsletter, as well as past issues, is permanently posted on this Blog. To subscribe to the "home edition" of the Newsletter, (delivered by email) fill out the subscription form here. It's free! To submit news to include in upcoming newsletters, contact me at network[at]waterculture[dot]org. Your news should have some connection to water values/ethics, but other that that we have no strict filter. One of the purposes of the Network is to expand our understanding of how and where ethics play a role in water behaviors. And don't worry about sending in polished prose; it's my job to edit! Thanks in advance for your contributions.
- David Groenfeldt, Editor
Water Ethics News
The biggest water ethics news coming out of North America during the past month was the Tar Sands Action in front of the White House in Washington, DC. Environmental celebrities (Bill McKibben, Gus Speth, Jim Hansen) joined rank and file demonstrators to urge President Obama to not allow construction of a pipeline from Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico, carrying oil extracted from Canada’s tar sands. The central reason given in most of the statements focused on climate change and the extra CO2 contained in tar sands oil, but there is an equally compelling water story. Strip mining of vast areas of tar sands is contaminating the interconnected lakes and rivers which are home to both wildlife and people: First Nations tribes who have co-evolved with this land and water-scape over thousands of years. The environmental justice issues are well documented in a report from the Indigenous Environmental Network. Click here for a video report on the White House demonstration.
Rivers and Wildlife in South Africa
The Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Healthy Rivers Programme was initiated as a response to the poor protection of and intensifying pressures on South Africa’s our freshwater resources. The programme is focusing on the North West Province of South Africa, in the Crocodile (West)-Marico Catchment (the upper reaches of the international Limpopo River basin). The perception of rivers as boundaries, rather than the focus of protected areas, has meant that freshwater resources are often overlooked in national conservation planning initiatives. Only 16 of the 112 main river ecosystems are moderately to well represented within protected areas. We need to start appreciating the value of rivers and wetlands, as immensely biodiverse ecosystems in their own right and this may involve adopting a new approach to the way in which we perceive water. The ecological value of functional springs, watersheds, riverine corridors, wetlands, etc. cannot really be measured. It is only when they have been traded in for short-term economic gain will we begin to understand their true value. For more info visit: www.ewt.org.za.
Can Religion Save India’s Yamuna River?
A workshop held in January 2011, co-organized by Yale University (Forum on Religion and Ecology) and Teri University in New Delhi, explored how religious values might motivate environmental action along the Yamuna River. Click here for the papers and news clippings from that workshop
Donate to the Water Ethics Network!
Please consider making a donation to the Water Ethics Network and help us become financially sustainable. The Network is currently run entirely through pro-bono contributions of staff time. We are working to change that through grand proposals to various foundations, but we need bridge funds in the meantime. To make an on-line donation, click the "Donate Now" button on the Water-Culture Institute's homepage and type "Water Ethics Network" in the "Designation" box. On-line donations are processed through Network for Good, which adds a 5% processing fee, but they are also a worthy NGO providing financial services to groups like ours.
Ethics of Water Planning
This month we feature several reports dealing with the complex issues of planning water infrastructure, and how values and ethical perspectives makes a difference in how planning is done.
1. Ethics and Unintended Consequences
We routinely hear development horror stories about well-intentioned projects making things worse, but rarely do we get the details. Senior scholar, Prachanda Pradhan has documented how a municipal water and sanitation program in Bhaktapur, Nepal had unintended environmental and health consequences. The local river became an open sewer when the centralized sewage treatment system fell into disrepair, and farmers tapped into drain pipes for irrigation, resulting in further health risks. If we think of ethics as a way of enlarging our arena of concern, e.g., to include neglected rivers and marginalized people, what are the implications for planning? Focusing on a narrow set of intended outcomes (smoothly functioning water and sanitation services) without accounting for the natural environment (pollution from the treatment plant) or local culture (farmers viewing sewer drains as an irrigation source) leads to unintended consequences. You can read Dr. Pradhan’s account here (PDF, 500KB).
2. Who Should Be Involved in Planning?
A new report from UNESCO’s Ethics and Climate Change in Asia and the Pacific (ECCAP) Project, addresses the issue of Representation and Decision-Making in Environment Planning. While the main focus is energy infrastructure, water is usually a central issue (e.g., hydroelectric dams and mining-related water pollution). Click here to go to the download page.
3. Stakeholders in Urban Water Governance
Who should be involved in water planning and governance? How can the diverse views of stakeholders be effectively incorporated into water decisions? A synthesis from the experience of urban water programs is available from the SWITCH program, a just-completed EU initiative to enhance the environmental and social benefits of urban water supply in a dozen cities around the world. This newly released report focuses on stakeholder issues.
New Journal on Water and Gender
wH2O is a new special-issue academic journal on women and water and sanitation from the University of Pennsylvania. Women face disproportionate impacts from a lack of sanitation and clean water, yet in many areas are systematically excluded from water/sanitation decisions. We are aiming to be an academic hub for information, research and thought, to augment work already being done, and to help facilitate more work on the issue across the globe. We are soliciting papers, case studies, opinion pieces, photo journalism, interviews and other research on women/gender dimensions of water or sanitation. Topics can be international or domestic, but must address the nexus of women and water. The first issue will be published online in the spring of 2012. A one-page abstract should be submitted by September 30th, 2011 to wh2ojournal@gmail.com.
New Books and Reports
Blue Revolution: Unmaking America's Water Crisis by Cynthia Barnett exposes the extent to which the nation’s green craze missed water — the No. 1 environmental concern of most Americans, according to Gallup. As a journalist (“I’m not an academic!”) Barnett offer lots of inspiring stories, and presents solutions from across the nation and around the globe. Reporting from San Antonio to Singapore, Barnett shows how local communities and entire nations have come together in a shared ethic to dramatically reduce consumption and live within their water means. Barnett credits the late hydrologist Luna Leopold, son of Aldo Leopold, with having articulated an ideal water ethic for the United States – a set of guiding beliefs for government, large water users and citizens. Barnett says that, having written for many years about the efforts of government and large water users to solve water problems, she wrote this book for citizens. [Cynthia Barnett is a member of the Water Ethics Network advisory committee.]
Water Governance Key Approaches: An Analytical Framework. By L. Miranda, M. Hordijk, and R. K. Torres Molina. Literature Review No 4 – September 2011
Different actors have different approaches to water, governance, and water governance. In this document we present working definitions of water, as well as some insights regarding water conflicts and how different actors value water. We also present the four main approaches to water governance in an attempt to contribute to a greater understanding of the perspectives, interests and main concerns of the various actors in the water sector. An increased understanding of underlying values and approaches can foster consensus building for the reconfiguration of water governance to equip it to tackle the expected effects of climate change. Download the report here.
Improving Irrigation in Asia: Sustainable Performance of an Innovative Intervention in Nepal, by Elinor Ostrom, Wai Fung Lam, Prachanda Pradhan, and Ganesh P. Shivakoti. The 2009 Nobel Prize laureate joins forces with long-standing colleagues to explore Nepal’s experience in applying institutional reforms to the irrigation sector. Click here for the book announcement and summary.
Looking for a New Ethic? A UNESCO report, Universalism and Ethical Values for the Environment discusses how different world views deal with human relationships with the environment. This was the first report from the Ethics and Climate Change in Asia and the Pacific (ECCAP) Project, released in 2010. The report discusses the extent to which universal values can be agreed upon, exemplified by an empirical analysis of values contained implicitly and explicitly in UN treaties and international statements on the environment. Click here to go to the download page.
Sustainability Multiplier Effects from Cotton Production in the Aral Sea Basin. The environmental implications of cotton production in the Aral Sea Basin go far beyond the “front line” tragedy of the Sea itself. An ecosystem services Case Study provides an overview of the social, economic, and environmental costs linked to the cotton economy. Click here for the 4-page report. For more information, contact Landen Consulting.
Are You Working on Water Ethics Issues?
Please share your news with interested colleagues. Submit a brief description with a link to the details to network[at]waterculture[dot]org. Submit before 12 October for the next Newsletter to be issued on 15 October.
August 15, 2011
Water Ethics News
Letter from the Editor
Welcome to the first monthly issue of the Water Ethics Network Newsletter. Here we present updates from Network members as well as news about current issues dealing with ethical dimensions of water policies and practices. The Network's purpose is to raise awareness about ethical dimensions of water, promote collaboration among the members, enhance understanding, and promote the practical application of ethical concepts and perspectives. The Network is an initiative of the Water-Culture Institute (www.waterculture.org) in partnership with the individuals and organizations listed in the sidebar below. Anyone is welcome to subscribe to the Newsletter, and to submit news for upcoming newsletters to dgroenfeldt[at]waterculture.org.
News from Members
Ethics Session at World Water Week
A Side Event on "History, Ethics, Religious Values: Contributions to Water and Food Security" will be held on 22 August at World Water Week in Stockholm. Jointly sponsored by the Global Water System Project (GWSP), UNESCO-IHP, and Fundacion Botin, the session has the distinction of being the only hit for the word, "ethics" or "ethic" in the entire Water Week program! If you are one of the lucky ones to be in Stockholm for this event, please attend and encourage others to join you. We have a big task to popularize ethics as an essential perspective for understanding and improving water policies. Click to download the announcement of the Side Event (PDF, 420 KB). A GWSP background report on Water Secutiry: Challenges for Science and Policy, (PDF, 1.1 MB) is also available.
A Water Ethic for Florida
A Water Ethic for Florida (click for details and free download) by journalist Cynthia Barnett, is the first in a series of reports for the Collins Center’s Our Florida Our Future initiative. Barnett is the author of Mirage: Florida and the Vanishing Water of the Eastern U.S. (University of Michigan Press, 2007) and Blue Revolution: Unmaking America’s Water Crisis (Beacon Press, coming in September 2011).
Sustainable Water Management in a Globalized World
The Potsdam Institute for Climate Change Research and the Institute for Social and Development Studies at the University of Munich are undertaking a project entitled, Sustainable Water Management in a Globalized World, with an emphais on ethical frameworks. The project sponsored a conference on water management options in June 2011, and the proceedings, edited by Martin Kowarsch, were released in July (click to download the conference proceedings, PDF, 9MB). As part of this project, a case study on water ethics in South Sudan will be pursued by a PhD student, Julia Ismar (click for research outline).
New UNESCO Report on Water Ethics
Water Ethics and Water Resource Management, is a report of Ethics and Climate Change in Asia and the Pacific (ECCAP) Project Working Group 14 and is available on for free at: www.unescobkk.org/rushsap. The report systematically discusses how water ethics can make a difference to water related practices and provides a cross-cultural review of the issues. The report reveals gaps in existing knowledge to researchers, policy makers and funders of research, which could be used to examine linkages between research and policy making, and presents areas of policy options to governments.
Mega-Dairies and Water Ethics in Illinois
Eric Landen of Landen Consulting is finlizing a report on the economic, social, and environmental costs of CAFOs (Concentrated Agrcultural Feed Operations in northern Illionois. Along with the economic and social implications are environmental impacts in the form of surface and groundwater pollution. See his blogpost on Environmental Identity, Unsustainable Agriculture, and Nature's Botton-Line.
Religion and Environmental Change
A new book, Religion and Dangerous Environmental Change: Transdisciplinary Perspectives, edited by Sigurd Bergmann and Dieter Gerten explores religious as well as ethical perspectives on climate change. The book is available from the publisher, and can also be browsed through Google Books at this link.
Are You Working on Water Ethics Issues?
Please share your news with interested colleagues. Submit a brief description with a link to the details to info[at]waterculture.org. Submit before 12 September for the September Newsletter.
Featured Programs on Water Ethics
Sweden Textile Water Initiative started in 2010 as a joint project between 23 textile and leather retail companies in Sweden together with Stockholm International Water Institute.
It is a learning process around water issues in the supply chains of textile and leather retailers with the aim of producing guidelines for sustainable water management, from thread and leather to product. During an initial two year process, the STWI companies will form working groups on topics such as production technique, choice of raw material, water treatment, sludge management, and policy engagement, which will serve as platforms for a learning process and the development of guidelines for sustainable water use.
More Info: www.stwi.se.
Ecumenical Water Network (EWN) strives to promote the preservation, responsible management and the equitable distribution of water for all, based on the understanding that water is a gift of God and a fundamental human right. Click for their latest newsletter.
River Life Program, University of Minnesota. Our programs are grounded in a fundamental belief that future river leaders must have knowledge and awareness in three broad areas—river science, river policy and planning, and expressions of river significance—in order to meet the challenges of the future. Beginning in September program coordinator Pat Nunnally will teach an Honors Seminar “Living With the Mississippi,” which will ask students to consider the myriad policy, scientific, and cultural threads involved in living “with” a river rather than “on” it. The River Life web site is at www.riverlife.umn.edu. We are also on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RiverLifeUMN) and Twitter (@RiverLifeUMN).
Viewpoint
What is a water ethic? How can we know when ethics are motivating water policies and how can we identify what those ethics are? Or evaluate whether the ethics are desirable or not or something in-between? What can we do to promote consideration of alternatives?
The Water Ethics Network is intended to promote the study of ethics in relation to water, and water in relation to ethics, and to expand the frame of analysis. The “right to water” is an ethical issue, but so are the rights of water (rights of nature) as well as the rights of communities to ecologically healthy lakes and rivers. And it is not just about the environment. Social justice and economic opportunity are also valued as aspects of human rights and need to be factored into any sustainable water equation.
The central premise of the Water Ethics Network is that ethical values and assumptions play powerful roles in motivating particular water policies and practices. The more we can learn about those dynamics, the better for arriving at sustainable and equitable solutions to the never-ending challenges of water management. We can all benefit from a diversity of considered views, and from learning about who is doing what. Please add your voice to the chorus, and we look forward to some beautiful if complex music as the Water Ethics Network evolves.
Special thanks to all who contributed news and ideas to this first issue of the Newsletter, and to Katey Blumenthal, our dedicated volunteer Intern, for her indispensible help in setting up this blog.
- David Groenfeldt, Editor and Network Coordinator
July 15, 2011
About WEN
The Water Ethics Network facilitates sharing of experience, ideas, and information about events and activities relating to water ethics. The Network will connect academic researchers with water policy makers and business and civil society organizations. The aim is to bring the study of water ethics into the everyday discourse of water policies and management decisions, so that choices about water use and water ecosystem management are consciously informed by values.
Why a Network?
There is a growing list of studies, initiatives, conferences, and books dealing with the ethical dimensions and dilemmas of water, yet consideration of ethical values, whether the “soft path” of stewardship or more dogmatic notions of deep ecology and rights of nature, is rarely a serious component in water negotiations whether at local or global levels. When push comes to shove, ethics tends to fall off the table. Discussions about climate-induced water scarcity, for example, focuses on meeting human demands with little questioning about the ethics underlying that demand (responsible use) or in allocating scarce supplies to meet that demand. What about the needs of rivers and lakes (and fish) to adjust to climate-induced stress? What about the rights of future generations to enjoy the rivers and lakes that we are depleting?
Part of the reason that the ethical dimension is so often ignored in decision-making is
lack of awareness about the role that values already play in setting water policies, and what practical methods could be used to deal with ethics even if we wanted to. There is a growing body of knowledge and experience about both these issues, but that information has not been internalized by the policy-makers. A network linking the good ideas and emerging best practices about water ethics can provide greater exposure to individual studies, stimulate new ideas and approaches, and facilitate alliances and partnerships. The net result would be a higher profile of water ethics-awareness among water professionals, academics, environmental groups, businesses, political leaders, and the public at large.
What Kind of Network?
Given the information overload that we all face, the network will take a minimalistic form. The Network will function at two levels: (1) Information sharing and (2) Sponsored events. A third level to be inspired by the network would be (3) the development of partnerships and alliances among network members.
1. Information-sharing. The basic information strategy would consist of a monthly e-newsletter and a web-page or blog to serve as a central reference point. The e-newsletter could consist of a brief news section on general (not member-specific) events, and a listing of the network members giving 1 or 2 sentence updates and links for more info.
2. Organized Events. The Network would organize an annual event, either a stand-alone conference or a session at a larger conference, e.g., at the World Water Forum in Marseille, France (March 2012).
3. Partnerships. One aim of the network would be to stimulate partnerships and alliances among individual network members. These partnerships could develop into activities inspired by, but not officially linked to, the Water Ethics Network.
Who Will Join the Network?
Individuals and organizations working on water ethics will be invited to join the network as members. Membership implies an interest in being listed as such in the e-newsletter and web-page/blog, and a commitment to participate in the network through providing regular updates. Members who fail to update their activities (for the e-newsletter) for some period of time (3 months?) would be dropped from the active membership list, although they would remain on the email list. Anyone would be welcome to receive the e-newsletter regardless of whether they are members or not, but the membership category would be selective. Members have access to the membership email list and will be able to contact the other members at will (subject to a shared ethic about using the email list sparingly). Members would have the option to be removed from members’ emails but continue to receive the monthly e-newsletter.
Who Will Run the Network?
Initially the Network will be coordinated by the Water-Culture Institute (WCI), and the Acting Coordinator will be David Groenfeldt, the WCI Director. Four other Network members will be recruited to create a 5-person Advisory Committee to set policy, decide on membership conditions, and help with fundraising. The logistical work of networking (sending emails, writing the e-newsletter, maintaining the web-page or blog) will be carried out initially by WCI, with the intention of handing over most of the logistical work to one or more Network volunteers, or (depending on funding) to a part-time paid coordinator.
Who will Fund the Network?
WCI will absorb the initial very modest costs of launching the network with an e-newsletter and web page or blog. If the network proves as popular as we anticipate, however, costs will escalate rapidly in terms of staff time and travel. Early formation of the Advisory Committee will be a priority to recruit in-kind staff support and solicit funds.
Building the Network
The viability of the Network depends on the interest of its members. There are many individuals and organizations involved in water ethics and it is anticipated that many of them will be interested in participating in the network. An incomplete list of potential members is attached. Please suggest additional names to DGroenfeldt[at]waterculture.org.
Why a Network?
There is a growing list of studies, initiatives, conferences, and books dealing with the ethical dimensions and dilemmas of water, yet consideration of ethical values, whether the “soft path” of stewardship or more dogmatic notions of deep ecology and rights of nature, is rarely a serious component in water negotiations whether at local or global levels. When push comes to shove, ethics tends to fall off the table. Discussions about climate-induced water scarcity, for example, focuses on meeting human demands with little questioning about the ethics underlying that demand (responsible use) or in allocating scarce supplies to meet that demand. What about the needs of rivers and lakes (and fish) to adjust to climate-induced stress? What about the rights of future generations to enjoy the rivers and lakes that we are depleting?
Part of the reason that the ethical dimension is so often ignored in decision-making is
lack of awareness about the role that values already play in setting water policies, and what practical methods could be used to deal with ethics even if we wanted to. There is a growing body of knowledge and experience about both these issues, but that information has not been internalized by the policy-makers. A network linking the good ideas and emerging best practices about water ethics can provide greater exposure to individual studies, stimulate new ideas and approaches, and facilitate alliances and partnerships. The net result would be a higher profile of water ethics-awareness among water professionals, academics, environmental groups, businesses, political leaders, and the public at large.
What Kind of Network?
Given the information overload that we all face, the network will take a minimalistic form. The Network will function at two levels: (1) Information sharing and (2) Sponsored events. A third level to be inspired by the network would be (3) the development of partnerships and alliances among network members.
1. Information-sharing. The basic information strategy would consist of a monthly e-newsletter and a web-page or blog to serve as a central reference point. The e-newsletter could consist of a brief news section on general (not member-specific) events, and a listing of the network members giving 1 or 2 sentence updates and links for more info.
2. Organized Events. The Network would organize an annual event, either a stand-alone conference or a session at a larger conference, e.g., at the World Water Forum in Marseille, France (March 2012).
3. Partnerships. One aim of the network would be to stimulate partnerships and alliances among individual network members. These partnerships could develop into activities inspired by, but not officially linked to, the Water Ethics Network.
Who Will Join the Network?
Individuals and organizations working on water ethics will be invited to join the network as members. Membership implies an interest in being listed as such in the e-newsletter and web-page/blog, and a commitment to participate in the network through providing regular updates. Members who fail to update their activities (for the e-newsletter) for some period of time (3 months?) would be dropped from the active membership list, although they would remain on the email list. Anyone would be welcome to receive the e-newsletter regardless of whether they are members or not, but the membership category would be selective. Members have access to the membership email list and will be able to contact the other members at will (subject to a shared ethic about using the email list sparingly). Members would have the option to be removed from members’ emails but continue to receive the monthly e-newsletter.
Who Will Run the Network?
Initially the Network will be coordinated by the Water-Culture Institute (WCI), and the Acting Coordinator will be David Groenfeldt, the WCI Director. Four other Network members will be recruited to create a 5-person Advisory Committee to set policy, decide on membership conditions, and help with fundraising. The logistical work of networking (sending emails, writing the e-newsletter, maintaining the web-page or blog) will be carried out initially by WCI, with the intention of handing over most of the logistical work to one or more Network volunteers, or (depending on funding) to a part-time paid coordinator.
Who will Fund the Network?
WCI will absorb the initial very modest costs of launching the network with an e-newsletter and web page or blog. If the network proves as popular as we anticipate, however, costs will escalate rapidly in terms of staff time and travel. Early formation of the Advisory Committee will be a priority to recruit in-kind staff support and solicit funds.
Building the Network
The viability of the Network depends on the interest of its members. There are many individuals and organizations involved in water ethics and it is anticipated that many of them will be interested in participating in the network. An incomplete list of potential members is attached. Please suggest additional names to DGroenfeldt[at]waterculture.org.
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