Washington, D.C.- On Tuesday, March 31, 2009, Representative John Linder (GA-07) joined his colleagues on the bi-partisan House Water Caucus to host its very first international water policy briefing with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.  This well-attended event featured a number of notable global water policy analysts and experts.    

“The list of domestic and international policy issues that we will face in the 111th Congress is long, and each issue will be competing for a spot at the top of the agenda.  It is critical that we act to ensure that water resources issues are brought to the forefront of the political agenda.  The United States has a great opportunity to take a global leadership position on this critical issue.  As some of you may know, on March 22, the world participated in World Water Day, and anyone who is keen on water issues had an opportunity to contribute.  I took full advantage and used the occasion to talk about the current challenges our globe faces with respect to water quantity and quality.  Indeed, water scarcity and pollution affects everything from stability and security of communities and nations, human health, education, economic prosperity, humanitarian relief, and stewardship of the physical environment.”   

Linder offered up some shocking numbers.  The world’s population has exceeded 6.7 billion people, all requiring water for survival. However, 97 percent of the Earth’s water is salt water.  Of the remaining three percent, 2/3 is locked in ice leaving just one percent of the world's water supply for all plant and animal life..  According to a report from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Public Health, by 2025, when world population is projected to reach 8 billion people, 48 countries with a total population of 3 billion will face chronic water shortages.  In 25 years, humankind could be using over 90 percent of all available freshwater, leaving just 10 percent for the rest of the world’s plants and animals.  Linder predicts that water scarcity will affect everything from global food security and the growth of cities, to the location of jobs and industries and prospects for peace in the Middle East.  

“The oil crisis of the late 20th century will pale in comparison to the water crisis of the 21st century.  Several years ago, the Sea of Galilee in Israel had been pumped almost to its limit.  It was so low that salt deposits endangered its sweet water.  Israel’s other main sources, aquifers in the mountains along the Mediterranean coast, are now depleted by the worst drought in a century.  Who’s going to get access?  The Palestinians?  Or the Jews?  Peace can never happen in places such as the Middle East until their citizens’ most basic human need—clean water—is met.  Who is to say that won’t happen to us?  When considering humanity’s water predicament—current and future—there is a powerful case to be made that the United States can and should play a far more assertive role.  Such a role could improve conditions across the world while promoting broader U.S. interests—an authentic ‘win-win’ proposition.  For all of these reasons and more, our capacity to manage freshwater is one of the most significant ‘strategic’ challenges and opportunities of our time.  Now is the time for us to address this important global issue before it’s too late.”  

Linder thanked the Center for Strategic and International Studies for its commitment to water resources management, and for all its hard work and enthusiasm in providing an educational forum to discuss the most pressing themes facing the global water community today.  Linder added that he is looking forward to future collaborative efforts between the House Water Caucus and the Center for Strategic and International Studies in the coming months and years ahead.