Water Dialogues

Course Description

Summary

Water is essential for life on this planet. Access to clean water, results of droughts and floods, pollution, and the economics of water have all led to sources of conflict between countries and within countries. Water knows no boundaries, only people have decided whether to cooperate over water sources or fight over ownership. This class addresses the following questions: Is water a human right or a commodity? Can environmental diplomacy and conflict resolution resolve disputes over water? We will look at local, national and international conflicts over water, particularly a new Convention on the River Deltas at the United Nations of which CAPA is a central partner. We will cover a) complex systems analysis to solve problems, 2) the water cycle and water definitions, c) water policy such as the Vermont Clean Water Act, and d) international water treaties, the UN Sustainable Development Goal #6 and how a new Convention is developed and moved forward at the United Nations.