Referencing from the other class I took this year, "valuation" and "value" differ. The reason for Day Zero to be so effective in catching people's attention as it was introduced, and eventually went from an urgent issue to being on hold in Cape Town (from the Netflix series -The World's Water Crisis, Explained) is because of the change in valuation of people. If we are not told that scarcity of water is happening, we will not see water as something that is worth a lot. We would not treasure water. We simply would not care because why should we if we know well that there is more than enough water source? But the way we see water drastically changes if we know that we might run out of it by a specific date and we actually have to sort that out before this day comes. I value this "valuation of water", and the perception of how one measures the worthiness of clean water. I think this change of perception is necessary to constantly remind us of how wasteful we are with our over-consumption in life. Keeping that in mind, I envision a future where technological innovations are mature enough to allow the agricultural sector to use as little as possible of water. This might sound very hard to accomplish, but given that sanitization and water recycling are now being proposed, I think it will work once the pricing is not blocking the way.
Photo credits: The Washington Post
Description: These two pictures illustrated the area in Northern Mexico which had the most severe water shortage within a year.
These photos that you have posted truly capture the extent of the crisis that we are in. I completely agree with you that the majority of society does not value water as it is abundant for us in first world countries. It would be amazing if we could limit the usage of water in agriculture and perhaps move to a more efficient system such as aquaponics!
I love your accompanying graphic and I can easily visualize the obvious impact in just one year period. I think the idea for innovative technology to use less water is cool but do you think there will be some externalities accompany that?
Hi Jn! I love your point about the distinction between "valuation" and "value". The Day Zero campaign truly was a wake-up call for the urgency of the water crisis. It's crazy how we need such reminders to genuinely appreciate our resources. Do you know of any ongoing campaigns or initiatives that are taking steps towards these types of technological innovations?
Oh, dear! How can one argue with such a dramatic set of comparative photos? Yikes! I also wonder if the same source has photographed the Macondo Incident of April 20, 2010 that saw the deadly explosion of the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico?
I read "Black Tide" by Author Antonia Juhasz and was drawn into her dramatic and sensible educational writing style. She has more books that I would like to explore:
https://webcat.library.ubc.ca/vwebv/holdingsInfo?recCount=100&recPointer=0&searchId=174797&searchType=1
https://www.amazon.ca/Antonia-Juhasz/e/B001JRWIH6/ref=aufs_dp_fta_an_dsk
Does anyone else have any favourite authors, directors, media, and book titles to share with our CoSphere Colleagues? What are your favourites? What are the most compelling reads you have read?
I am not absolutely certain, but I sometimes think that, upon witnessing the Creator's Amazing Good Providence one morning in South Snuneymuxw (Nanaimo), I directly observed the unusual phenomenon of ground water spontaneously welling up from beneath the soil of the strawberry plants and zucchini plants to just the right amount for each plant in the garden of the transition house where I was staying as a guest. Can it be that what we believe or what we are open to learning, sometimes becomes manifest in reality? What is "the power of positive thinking?" What is the power of possibility thinking? How do our thoughts shape our experience? Does a mindset of abundance contradict our sense of responsibility for resource conservation sciences? Or can a mindset of abundance actualize and manifest even more abundance? I am open to the possibilities that experience will teach me, but as of yet, I am not sure.
A sense of responsibility and consideration for others can certainly inspire proactive and responsible solutions to water conservation. I don't know if a sense of panic is good for our collective health in terms of stress levels (yet another aspect of social sustainability), but on the other hand, water conservation consciousness is certainly good and healthy for ourselves and for our neighbours both near and far - so long as it is done with a caring consideration, and a gentle and humane sense of discipline.
I think you bring up a great point about how if we are not told that a scarcity of water is happening, we would not value its worth as much. Sometimes it feels like we need to instill a sense of urgency and panic in order to inspire real change.
Cool idea! How do you think technology could work in tandem with ecosystem services to make this happen?