The Global South

There are many existing struggles between the Global North and the Global South, the exploitation of the South for the gain of the North. This week's presentation, film and readings illuminated the deep rooted inequalities, the aspects that are part of our taken for granted daily lives that people in other parts of the world are dying for. As noted in the film, water in the Global North is, for the most part, clean and accessible and populations expect that. However, the Global South is being denied access to their right to clean water.
Why does the Global North get to decide who has the right to clean water? As negative effects of Climate Change increase we see water supplies dwindling and as opposed to changing our behaviour, ensuring equal rights to clean water, corporations have begun to control water. The corporations use water as a commodity because water is a need, not a right, as perceived by the World Bank and United Nations. When something is deemed a need, it is viewed as a commodity.
As opposed to be regarded as a need, water has to be viewed as a basic right for all living beings, it is a part of our survival and it belongs to the nature that we, as humans, are a part of. Unfortunately, this is masked by the notion that humans, with the ability to reason and progress, are seperate from and better than nature, without recognizing our dependency on our environment and the human beings that are exploited. I strongly believe in Article 31, adding the Right to Water into the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Climate Change

The week's presentation and readings on Climate Change outlined the significant arguments, ideologies and approaches. One that particularly stood out, the notion that some believe climate change does not exist, while others simply don't perceive it to be as severe an issue as experts claim. Occupants (or those in power) of developed countries aren't interested in determining and exercising solutions to improve the effects of climate change. Despite the temperature increase, increased loss of species and a multitude of other negative effects, it is easier for people to believe that those are happening for other reasons. Climate change is misunderstood and and it would mean a lifestyle change and financial aid to countries without resources to do so themselves.
The inequality that has been addressed with regard to Climate Change is also a significant issue with little recognition. Locations around the globe are suffering greatly because of frequent disasters putting lives and homes in danger. There is a lack of accountability on the part of the Developed Countries that are largely responsible for the increasing emissions. The opposition to changing our ways means that disasters are going to increase, not only in developing countries that have limited or no access to resources to deal with disasters, and despite the resources available in developed nations we are seeing irreversible environmental damage that will continue to deplete and deteriorate.
The article "Arctic Meltdown: The Economic and Security Implications of Global Warming" provided a great example of where our priorities lie in developed countries - capital. Despite the Arctic Meltdown and the many impacts it has, on species, migration, forestry,etc. Nations are more concerned about exploiting and capitalizing on the resources that exist there. This clearly demonstrates that globally we are not working to "fight" Climate Change.

Understanding Disaster Vulnerability

The notion of natural disasters permits people to be free of responsibility when disasters occur, however Hurricane Katrina undoubtedly demonstrates the multitude of ‘unnatural’ factors that contribute to the outcome of a natural disaster. In the case of New Orleans, there were factors that have contributed to the unfortunate events in the aftermath of Katrina involving human error. The depletion of the wetlands and the levees that could not withstand the Hurricane were the responsibility of humans and had significant consequences for New Orleans when the disaster occurred. The information from the presentation and the film exposed many issues surrounding Hurricane Katrina that I was unaware of and I was astonished to discover. I didn’t realize the severity of the situation with the levees prior to the Hurricane, nor the deliberate attempts to keep the public unaware of the danger. The state of New Orleans post Hurricane appears just as disastrous as Katrina itself. The film ‘The Storm that Drowned the City’ featured a scientist that was brought to tears as he recounted his experience of Hurricane Katrina, that image has been stuck in my mind. The scientist predicted the outcome and felt obligated to communicate his knowledge and when the Hurricane hit and his prediction became a tragic reality he was left powerless, along with every victim. As many others did, he tried to alert proper officials about the severity of the situation with the levees resulting in no action. And now, in the aftermath, the action and the focus are not on the restoration of the city (and levees) and helping citizens rebuild their lives and feel safe but to build tourist attractions. I can’t imagine how powerless and unwanted this makes the citizens feel. This situation truly demonstrates the serious issues in our capitalist, money-grabbing world.