ENVS627 - POLITICS OF WATER

Despite decades of scientific research and policy action aimed at managing water resources equitably and sustainably, it remains that the world's water resources continue to be severely polluted, pose grave hazards to lives and infrastructure, and be obstinately unevenly distributed in space and time. Moreover, a growing number of people (currently estimated at over 700 million) lack sufficient quantities of clean water. Although such challenges have long been approached with technical expertise (e.g. hydro-engineering, economic models), this course examines the social and political dynamics that underpin these problems. Organized as a survey of problems and responses, this seminar examines key concepts, major approaches, and current debates regarding water governance in various regions of the world. Course topics include the privatization of water, water as a human right, and human vulnerability to water hazards. In viewing water provision and management as not solely a technical concern but as inherently political, the course seeks to provide a set of analytical tools that is both critical and constructive.