WATER POLITICS

Water, war and peace are inextricably linked; it is literally a life-or-death matter as we cannot survive without water. And against the backdrop of multiple ongoing conflicts and rising tensions around the world, this year’s theme for World Water Day of “Water for Peace” is very timely.

Water is both a threat and an asset – it can be used in war but can also be a source for cooperation and peace. It can be a “weapon”, “casualty” or “trigger” of violence. And in fact, water and water related conflicts have dramatically increased over the last two decades. This needs to stop, we have to refocus water for peace. And this is what the below five points can help us do. It’s not going to be easy and there will still be hostilities but let’s choose peace, choose life, choose water! Happy World Water Day!

1. It’s time to stop using water as a weapon

Water has been weaponised – sometimes called “hydrological warfare” – since ancient times. Be it through destroying infrastructure or denying access or deliberately causing floods or poisoning/ polluting sources. More recently there have been increasing cyber-attacks against water utilities. Water has and continues to be used as a lethal weapon with far reaching and long-term impacts. This needs to stop.

Water has been weaponised in some form since ancient times…

…but principles being drafted could help deter this

Not only is access to water a human right – though we are failing on this – but water challenges have reached crisis levels and are still rising with climate change, there is no water to waste. Given this, why are there no punishments for using water as a weapon?

Some good news here is that principles to protect the environment and water infrastructure during armed conflict are being developed. These principals could feed into UN Security Council resolutions and maybe even into a UN Convention. The parliament of the European Union recently voted to make ecocide part of EU law. These will not be a panacea but are steps in the right direction.

2. Water can be a casualty of war but we our lives, economies and climate can’t afford it to be

There are direct impacts from war on water as described above but there are also indirect impacts including when military operations unintentionally harm/ destroy/ pollute water and the broader environment.

Often this is overlooked or not factored or decided not to be critical enough to change tactics or to remediate, it’s a cost of war; one we cannot afford. This is a dangerous modus operandi with long-term and far-reaching impacts for human health, food supplies, economies, the environment and biodiversity. These impacts can also go across borders through transboundary waters, of which many are already experiencing tense up/downstream riparian relationships. In the past, transboundary water issues have triggered conflict, more on this below.

3. Caution! We know water can be a trigger for conflict so avoid at all costs

“Many of the wars in this century were about oil, but wars of the next century will be over water” said the then-vice-president of the World Bank, Ismail Serageldin, in 1995. And he was correct to some extent as while water hasn’t been the primary trigger for a war it is has and continues to be one of the contributing triggers. More than 1,600 violent water events have been logged in the Water Conflict Chronology.

>1,600 violent water events logged in the Water Conflict Chronology…

“Water wars” typically refer to violence or disputes associated with access to, or control of water resources and/ or systems and can vary from water rights disputes to State level transboundary conflicts and everything water related in between.

Transboundary water management and conflict is what usually makes the most headlines. More than 3 billion people globally depend on water that crosses national borders but only 24 countries have cooperation agreements for all their shared water. This is something that needs urgent work as Professor Wouters, Founding Director of the International Water Law Academy and some of its global affiliates point out. And for more colour on a transboundary river and the workings of that, see what CEO of the Mekong River Commissions Secretariat has to say on their priorities and on future of water cooperation in the region.

…unless we refocus, violent water events are likely to get more frequent & complex with increasing pressures on water incl. climate change

Violent water events are getting more frequent and more complex and will continue to do so with an increasing population, rising urbanisation, surging demand and climate change. Yes, climate change. Extreme rainfall conditions can be causally linked to an increased risk of violence and civil war. Water can be a trigger for violence, we know that, so give it the respect it deserves and avoid at all costs.

4. War emissions worsening water & climate crisis but they “don’t count”

Another “casualty” of war is the climate with considerable emissions from military operations that accelerate warming. We are shooting ourselves in the foot – in some cases literally shooting and in the grander sense contributing to global warming.

Just first 2 months of the Israel-Gaza war emitted annual emissions of >20 climate-vulnerable nations

In just the first two months of the Israel-Gaza war the annual emissions equivalent to more than 20 climate-vulnerable nations was emitted and that doesn’t count any rebuilding.  And for every 100 nautical miles flown by a US F-35 fighter jet, it emits the equivalent emissions of an average UK petrol car in a year. Then there was the deliberate attack on the Nord Stream pipeline, which could be the biggest single methane leak ever recorded with up to 230kt released.

And to top it off, war emissions are not accounted for – see more on this and how it looks like we could be tracking IPCC SSP3 “Regional Rivalry Scenario” of 3.6°C of warming here.

5. Let’s refocus water as a source of peace

Water can be a source for peace and a positive ripple effect for growth or we can continue to wage water wars that will only likely escalate as pressures on water intensify and kill ourselves and the environment in the process. I vote for the first option. It’s not an easy one but there have already been some incidences of cooperation than conflict over water.

Our world’s in a polycrisis & we are all in a battle against global warming…

…water: make peace not war

Our world is in a polycrisis and we are all in a battle against global warming – which we are losing at the moment – we shouldn’t be battling each other over water. Let’s refocus water to for peace, not war.

I leave you to ponder the following and what you want to see in the mirror, “For all its wonderful properties, water is a critical mirror of society. It exposes the extent to which we are led by ideologies and greed, and juxtaposes some of the world’s most inspiring and depraved behaviour”-  Professor Mark Zeitoun of Water Security at the University of East Anglia.

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Further readings

• It’s Time to Hit the Accelerator on SDG 6, and Hard — We are woefully off-course from SDG 6. We have driver-less cars & ChatGPT but not drinking water & sanitation for all… CWR’s McGregor reflects on this World Water Day calling for accelerating change

• Groundwater – Making the Invisible Visible – Happy World Water Day! This year we highlight 5 reasons why groundwater may be out of sight but can never be out of mind. CWR’s Tan, McGregor & Lam expand

• Valuing Water – Looking At It Differently – Happy World Water Day! With this year’s theme of valuing water, China Water Risk’s Dawn McGregor & Debra Tan look at 3 different ways to value water