Unit 3, Entry 2: Should Canada Export its Water?
Last week, we raised some important questions in class related to water stress and Canada's water issue. We were asked to stand up and move to different parts of the room based on our belief of whether Canada should or should not export its water. Due to this activity, I got inspired to write a blog about this topic.
Now, you might think, Canada is a water rich country, so what's the problem? Well, though Canada may have more than enough water, exporting it, will leave barely enough water for the Canadian population. As, global warming occurs more and more rapidly, and more countries face severe water issues and drought, the question occurs if Canada should export its water or not. Now, it's important to recognize that Canada has the right to its own water and how that water is managed. Currently, if global warming continues at the same rapid rate, threats such as water shortages are possible for Canada in the future.
One of the main issues with exporting water is the cost and Canadian citizens. Canadians believe that water is a human right rather than a "good" that can be exported and sold for money. Even if the government decided to export water, that would cost millions of dollars in order to build several systems to transfer the water. Though, Canada has 80 000 cubic metres of freshwater available for each citizen compared to the United States, which has 9000 cubic metres/per citizen. However, the amount of water available is less in reality; since, most of Canada's population lives on the southern part of the country, the water is not distributed proportionally. In fact, 60% of Canada's water, gets drained from the north, therefore water access is limited.
Source: https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/why-canada-cannot-export-its-water
Now, you might think, Canada is a water rich country, so what's the problem? Well, though Canada may have more than enough water, exporting it, will leave barely enough water for the Canadian population. As, global warming occurs more and more rapidly, and more countries face severe water issues and drought, the question occurs if Canada should export its water or not. Now, it's important to recognize that Canada has the right to its own water and how that water is managed. Currently, if global warming continues at the same rapid rate, threats such as water shortages are possible for Canada in the future.
One of the main issues with exporting water is the cost and Canadian citizens. Canadians believe that water is a human right rather than a "good" that can be exported and sold for money. Even if the government decided to export water, that would cost millions of dollars in order to build several systems to transfer the water. Though, Canada has 80 000 cubic metres of freshwater available for each citizen compared to the United States, which has 9000 cubic metres/per citizen. However, the amount of water available is less in reality; since, most of Canada's population lives on the southern part of the country, the water is not distributed proportionally. In fact, 60% of Canada's water, gets drained from the north, therefore water access is limited.
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| A Visual of "Water Stress" |
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