To Fetch a Pail of Water: Can the U.S. Help the World Avert a Water Scarcity Tumble

摘要

Quite a few Americans lie awake at night, worried about terrorism, wondering where al-Qaeda might next strike. And they reach for a glass of water on the nightstand, to relieve a dry throat brought on by uncertain fears. But if Osama is a real enough bogeyman, his terror pales in comparison to a scenario that few Americans contemplate: what, if in reaching for that glass of water, there was no water to be had. In going about their daily lives Americans think little about the water they drink, cook with, or use to water their lawns. The occasional story of drought in the West, of shriveled crops, of water rationing in the East make barely a dent on the national consciousness. Water seems a given, flowing from the tap, swirling down the drain. Here then a cold bucket of water to rouse Americans from their complacency: within a generation's time nearly half the world's people could face water scarcity and the U.S. government has no national strategy in place to deal with the readily identifiable causes of this potential crisis. In a series of January 2003 conversations, several key players in the federal bureaucracy charged with formulating U.S. water policy made clear that the inter-agency decision-making process is, to date, focused only on the immediate consequences of water scarcity. Differing bureaucratic preferences and competing priorities, especially between but also within the Departments of Interior and State, was producing only partial, shortsighted policies lacking longterm strategic vision. The issue at hand is how to make and move through the bureaucracy a forward looking and comprehensive policy that balances U.S. domestic interests with foreign policy goals, while seriously addressing the causes of water scarcity. All agreed that it is in the national interest to focus on water scarcity as a strategic necessity and looked to the White House to provide the call to action.