Water and Globalization (original) (raw)

2021, Water and Human Societies

Water and globalization cover multiple topics overlapping many of the earlier sections. For purposes of this section, the topic will be limited to two focus areas. First, the phenomena of globalization and its impact upon water supplies and use will be considered. Second, certain aspects, of a global market, such as virtual water, will be reviewed. The first reflects the results of economic, social, and cultural changes upon water use while the second reflects a shift in the commodification of water. Differences between the two focus areas are slight and often intersect but still warrant distinct discussions (Image 8.1). Since the 1980s, globalization, or the integration of markets, culture, and society, has made substantial gains with the liberalization of trade, technological advances in commerce, communications, and transportation, coupled with the rise of multinational organizations empowering these developments. With the acceleration of production and consumption, natural resources, particularly water, have been affected. Paired with the economic growth has been a growing global population. Entering the second decade of the twenty-first century, the earth's population is an estimated 7.7 billion people with projections of 9.7 billion by 2050. (According to United Nations' statistics, this growth will peak in 2100, reaching 11 billion people.) At the same time, water consumption-fueled by population growth and the growth of water-intensive lifestyles-has increased by 1% annually. As discussed in previous chapters, for most of human history, agriculture was the major consumer of water resources. In recent years, however, with the expansion of markets and improved standards of living, more water is being consumed for industrial and domestic use, although agriculture remains the primary water user. 1 For example, eating habits have changed as people are consuming more water-intensive diets. The consumption of beef has increased worldwide as more countries include beef in their diet. Yet, the price of water is high. In data provided by the United States Image 8.2 The global economy and agribusiness: irrigated agriculture in California (USA).