200947 Water rights and water fights: Resolving conflicts before they boil over - An overview

Tuesday, November 10, 2009: 10:30 AM

Barry S. Levy, MD, MPH , Adjunct Professor of Public Health, Tufts University School of Medicine, Sherborn, MA
Victor W. Sidel, MD , Distinguished University Professor of Social Medicine, Montifiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY
  
As the world's population grows from 6.5 billion people now to 9.0 billion by 2050, as countries modernize, and as climate change evolves, there will be increasing conflicts, including armed conflicts, over the finite supply of fresh water. Already, during the past two decades, there has been a substantial increase in the number of international and intranational conflicts, many of them violent conflicts, over water. This presentation will describe the nature of these conflicts and provide specific examples and also describe the application of international and national laws, diplomacy, mediation and arbitration, and other approaches for resolving these conflicts before they boil over. These approaches may provide a basis for resolution of other issues that might otherwise lead to armed conflict.

Learning Objectives:
Describe the nature and magnitude of conflicts concerning water worldwide. Describe the ways in which these conflicts can be resolved before becoming more serious or violent.

Keywords: Water, War

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have presented at many APHA sessions. I have worked in public health for almost 40 years in government, academic, NGOs; familiar with current issues. Co-editor of 13 books and author of 150 articles and book chapters in public health.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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