Nexus - 0803 - New Times Magazine-pages

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The Privatisation of Water Kofi Annan on the occasion of the World Water Environmentalism, published by Third World Forum in March 2000. Annan's media release was Network and APEX Press, 1996. Endnotes titled "UN committed to ensuring world water 9, The mission of Green Cross International is to 1. UN Press Release GA/9259 ENV/DEV/424, 23 __ security and ‘Blue Revolution’, says Secretary- help create the conditions for a sustainable future June 1997. In 1997, a special session of the UN General in message to World Water Forum"; see by cultivating a more harmonious relationship was called to review and appraise the implementa- UN Press Release SG/SM/7334 ENV/DEV/534. between humans and the environment. Green tion of "Agenda 21", the program of action adopted 6. For example, in UN Press Release SG/SM/5931 Cross International's President, Mikhail by the United Nations Conference on Environment of 1996, "International community must act to Gorbachev, was invited to guest-edit a special edi- and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro —_ avert impending water supply catastrophe", the tion of Civilization, the magazine of the US in June 1992. These remarks were made by UN then UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali Library of Congress, on the global water crisis. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in a media release described the impending water crisis as "one worse The edition was launched at a special event in discussing the consequences if Agenda 21 is not than the oil crisis of the 1970s". He was speaking Washington, DC, on 10 October 2000. Green implemented. on the occasion of World Water Day in March Cross International has been granted General . 2. Water is now traded on the Internet. At 1996. Consultative Status with the Economic and Social water2water.com, you can buy, sell, trade or auc- 7. The first draft of World Water Vision was avail. Council (Ecosoc) of the United Nations. Its hon- tion water 24 hours a day. able in 1997. A second draft came in 1999. The orary board members include Dr David Suzuki, 3. Readers will recall that mathematical modelling completed Vision document was presented at the Shimon Perez, Javier Perez de Cuellar, Rudolph was also used by the Club of Rome in its 1972 World Water Forum inMarch 2000. Lubbers and Dr Thor Heyerdahl. Green Cross report, The Limits To Growth, which predicted dis- 8. A "greenwash" is where transnational corpora- International has played a critical role in the devel- aster unless the world's population was capped. tions preserve and expand their markets by posing tomer of Oe Bat hare The Hague, acreed 4. Gleick, Peter H., "Making Every Drop Count", as friends of the environment and enemies of to on Wednesda 9 March 2000 at the Worl Scientific American, February 2001, pp. 29-33. poverty. Greenwash takes many forms: from a Seay Water Forum. 11. Companies participating in the World Water Forum CEO Panel on business and industry and endorsing this statement were: Azurix (USA); Also see Journal of the American Water Resources __ pious concern for the environment, expressed in Association, vol. 25, no. 6, December 1999, which _ expensive advertising campaigns, to the "continu- examines the metadata for almost 900 bibliograph- ous improvement" ballyhooed in voluntary codes ic references on the effects of climate change and of conduct; from the creation of benign-sounding CH2M Hill Companies Ltd (USA); DHV (The variability on US water resources. corporate front groups, to the participation of Netherlands); Heineken NV (The Netherlands); 5. For more details, see "The Last Oasis: Facing TNCs in environmental conferences and events. ITT Industries (USA); Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux Water Scarcity" by Sandra Postel. Her study, All these efforts share the goal of avoiding national (France); Nestlé SA (Switzerland); Nuon (The funded by the Ford Foundation, was published in and international sanctions on dirty TNC opera- Netherlands); Severn Trent PLC (UK); Unilever 1992 and re-released in 1997 as part of the tions, which are at the root of many global environ- Worldwatch Environmental Alert Series. Postel’s mental crises. See Kenny Bruno and Jed Greer's warnings were reiterated by UN Secretary-General book, Greenwash: The Reality Behind Corporate Continued on page 82 Continued from page Endnotes 1. UN Press Release GA/9259 ENV/DEV/424, 23 June 1997. In 1997, a special session of the UN was called to review and appraise the implementa- tion of "Agenda 21", the program of action adopted by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992. These remarks were made by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in a media release discussing the consequences if Agenda 21 is not implemented. 2. Water is now traded on the Internet. At water2water.com, you can buy, sell, trade or auc- tion water 24 hours a day. 3. Readers will recall that mathematical modelling was also used by the Club of Rome in its 1972 report, The Limits To Growth, which predicted dis- aster unless the world's population was capped. 4. Gleick, Peter H., "Making Every Drop Count", Scientific American, February 2001, pp. 29-33. Also see Journal of the American Water Resources Association, vol. 25, no. 6, December 1999, which examines the metadata for almost 900 bibliograph- ic references on the effects of climate change and variability on US water resources. 5. For more details, see "The Last Oasis: Facing Water Scarcity" by Sandra Postel. Her study, funded by the Ford Foundation, was published in 1992 and re-released in 1997 as part of the Worldwatch Environmental Alert Series. Postel's warnings were reiterated by UN Secretary-General APRIL — MAY 2001 NEXUS = 81 Continued on page 82 www.nexusmagazine.com