Ep19. Water Wars – myth or reality?

Disorder

In this episode, Jason Pack is joined by Arthur Snell, and they speak to Professor Naho Mirumachi. Naho is a specialist on the politics of the environment. She is particularly interested in ‘the wars that were not fought’ over water usage. The trio discuss: what lessons can be learnt from international governance of water usage and other related collective action challenges, will there actually be ‘Water Wars’ in the future, and the challenges of international coordination over the usage of water.

Expanding outwards from historical and contemporary examples of water conflict and water sharing in the Nile Basin and Mekong Delta, the hosts ask Naho: given climate change and aridification, will there be enough fresh water to sustain a world population of 10 billion humans for the long term future?

In the Ordering the Disorder segment, the trio conclude that major states just tend not to fight over water. Or at least they haven’t as of yet. In fact, water diplomacy has been surprisingly successful over the past few decades and may point to certain lessons concerning how to incentivize optimal compromises in other fields like tax, security, or borders.

Twitter: @DisorderShow

Website: https://natoandtheglobalenduringdisorder.com/subscribe

Producer: George McDonagh

Exec Producer: Neil Fearn

Show Notes Links

Get Naho’s book Water: A Critical Introduction (Wiley) here

Read NAHO’s writing at Valuing water: a difficult but crucial step towards greater water justice here

Listen to Arthur Snell’s podcast, Behind the Lines, here

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