How can the HQ of the OECD be in Paris and include valedictions like this whene Paris is also as influential as any country in globalisation of water utilities and their consequences

The OECD Observer

http://www.oecdobserver.org/news/fullstory.php/aid/1788

A better place

Donald Johnston, Secretary-General of the OECD

Published: March 2006

This is my last editorial for the OECD Observer before I step down as
secretary-general in May 2006. Nevertheless, I will focus on the future,
rather than dwell on the past. That is not to say that we should ignore John
Maynard Keynes¹ advice that we should examine the present, in light of the
past, for the purposes of the future. But sometimes the present and the
future cannot draw many useful lessons from the past.

This is certainly true of the unprecedented global environmental challenge
we face today. I say unprecedented because although there have been periods
of global warming in the past as evidenced by ice core analysis from
Antarctica, never has the intervention of homo sapiens been a contributory
factor. Today, there is hardly a scientist in the field of climatology who
does not consider the rapid rise of carbon dioxide emissions since the
beginning of the Industrial Age over two centuries ago as a major cause of
the steady rise of CO2 in the atmosphere, which now appears to have reached
above 380 parts per million (ppm) and continues to climb.

Many think we are approaching a threshold, perhaps around 550ppm, when
global warming will become irreversible, causing seas to rise from the flow
of melting glaciers and thermal expansion, causing coastal areas to erode,
flood and become uninhabitable for millions of the world¹s people, with the
poorest regions of the world being particularly vulnerable.

Some crops will flourish, though others will wither away. Tropical diseases
will migrate to once temperate climates. People too will be forcibly
displaced, to access water or escape rising seas. Weather patterns will
become even more erratic than today, and few will be spared from hurricanes,
tornadoes, ice storms, monsoon-style rainfalls and droughts. We may already
be too late to prevent some of this from happening, but we can take measures
to slow the process and give ourselves greater time to adapt.

In March, Mexico hosts the 4th World Water Conference. I attended the last
one in Kyoto in 2003. There is, perhaps, no issue more important than that
being addressed at this event. After all, we can exist without oil; we
cannot exist without water.

There are many questions to be addressed. Freshwater distribution over the
planet is very uneven. As shortages become more acute, are we likely to see
migration to oases? Will countries such as Canada come under pressure to
share their abundant natural wealth? Will technologies bring forth
solutions, such as cheaper desalination techniques? Will we be attracted to
less water-intensive crops? How can genetically modified plants help?

In the OECD area, investment concerns are creeping up the water agenda, in
part because of some rather old and creaking infrastructures, and greater
attention is turning to encouraging more efficient use, particularly in
farming. But in general, those of us who live in water-rich areas tend to
focus on health issues. Can we drink the water? Must the distribution system
be upgraded to make our water safe tomorrow? Is quality being carefully
monitored for nitrates, toxins and pathogens?

Much of the world does not have the luxury of worrying too much about the
quality of its water, but rather its very availability! And it appears that
this worry will increase because of climate change.

Recently in China I had the pleasure of meeting a senior member of
Greenpeace. He described to me the potential challenges of the infamous
Yellow River. Apparently it is nourished by rapidly receding glaciers. If
trends continue, these glaciers will soon be gone. And if they disappear, so
too will the Yellow River as we know it. What then? Will all the world¹s
rivers fed by glaciers go the same route? This portends catastrophic social
upheaval.

Will there be mounting pressure to divert water flowing into the seas to
other purposes? Enormous quantities of fresh water flow daily into the
Arctic Ocean from Russia and Canada. Should they instead be diverted to the
south? If not, why not?

There are many challenges lying ahead which we have not yet begun to
address, perhaps because we are not yet ready to accept the horrendous
consequences of global warming. My generation enjoys in most ways the same
world we knew as children: one of unspoiled natural beauty; of diverse
animal and plant life; of new virgin frontiers to explore above and beneath
the seas. All this may now be in jeopardy.

And time is not on our side. By that, I mean you, the next generation. Take
hold of these challenges and bring the only inhabitable planet we know to a
better place.

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NOTE: All signed articles in the OECD Observer express the opinions of the
authors and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the OECD or its
member countries.

All rights reserved. OECD 2006.