Middle East Studies

Breaking the Wall to Water Security : How Consumers, Politics, Business and Investors Can Advance Sustainable, Fair and Efficient Water Use / Falling Walls Foundation. [Place of publication not identified] : Falling Walls Foundation, [2015] 

Water is humanity's most valuable resource - every human being on the planet depends on clean water for survival. It is also the key element for economic development: virtually every production process, from agriculture to manufacturing and energy production, relies on vast amounts of water. While many regions on Earth are blessed with plenty of water to provide for life and growth, water scarcity affects over 2.7 billion people for at least one month per year. Regional climate conditions are obviously a key factor behind water scarcity - and climate change may cause even more water security challenges in the future - but in order to understand the complex economy of water consumption, water shortages and pollution, the problem needs to be considered from a global perspective. Arjen Hoekstra, the world's leading expert on international water management, has addressed this by introducing the concept of the water footprint, a way to measure the amount of water used directly or indirectly in producing goods and services from a cup of coffee to the performance of a nuclear power plant. According to Arjen, "Water problems are often closely tied to the structure of the global economy. Many countries have significantly externalized their water footprint, importing water-intensive goods from elsewhere. This puts pressure on the water resources in the exporting regions, where too often mechanisms for wise water governance and conservation are lacking." At Falling Walls, he shows why a fair distribution of fresh water among a growing world population is one of the great challenges of the 21st century and what businesses, civil society and consumers can do to support more sustainable policies 

Cape Town Drought Limits People to 13 Gallons of Water a Day (3/31/18) / MacNeil/Lehrer Productions.  [2018] 

Fearing the complete depletion of their water supply amid an extreme drought, officials in South Africa’s second most populous city have limited water consumption to 13 gallons per resident a day. Police are also fining people for watering their lawns or washing their cars. NewsHour Weekend Special Correspondent Martin Seemungal reports on how people are adjusting 

Diving into the Water Cycle / Video Education America (VEA). [2018] 

The water that we drink today is the same water that the dinosaurs swam in and that people of ancient civilizations drank—and it’s all because of the wonderful water cycle! This Miniclip illustrates the stages involved in the water cycle, how they are reflected in the states of matter, and how we see each phase occurring in our everyday lives. Students will learn about evaporation, condensation, and precipitation, as well as the renewable nature of this natural resource 

EARTH A New Wild: Episode 5 – Water. [San Francisco, California, USA] : Kanopy Streaming, 2016. 

Both humans and wildlife depend on water for survival. This episode explores how a misuse of water can lead to unparalleled destruction; however, sharing our water with wildlife does not only benefit the wild, it may also be a crucial step in our own survival. In Africa, big wildlife including elephants only survive because of the wells that humans dig to bring water to the surface in a parched land. And the Samburu who dig the wells need the wildlife-especially the elephants-to help keep their pastures open for grazing. As an added delight, the Samburu warriors sing to their cattle, and the cows recognize their owner's song, and only drink at his well. Even where water is plentiful humans, wildlife and water are intricately connected. One of the biggest freshwater lakes on Earth, Lake Malawi is a marvel of evolution. A single family of fish called cichlids have evolved to occupy a dizzying number of niches. One actually saves human lives. Placadon is a cichlid that eats the snails that carry bilharzia, a deadly disease that can also lead to HIV. But by overfishing Placadon, people brought about an epidemic, and they are now looking for ways to bring the fish back. Save the fish, save the people. Small creatures can make a big difference. In the Sahel, one man's connection with wildlife has helped him hold onto water even as the mighty Sahara desert was advancing to take his home. Yacuba Sawadogo has no formal education, but he reinvented agriculture in the Sahel, recruiting termites and planting trees to build a living barrier that could hold back the desert. In the process, Sawadogo went on to feed his village and become a hero, and his methods are now being taught across Africa. Our ability to manipulate water is one of our keys to success as a species, but when we manipulate too much we risk causing disasters such as what happened to the Aral Sea. Going undercover in Uzbekistan, Sanjayan explores how the Soviet lust for cotton led them to unleash forces of evaporation, wind, salt poisoning, and local climate change in a cascading spiral of destruction. The Aral Sea, recently the 4th largest lake on Earth, is now less than 10 percent of its original size, and its waters are now poisonous and too salty for anything other than brine shrimp. Sanjayan Surely such destruction could never happen in the wealthiest nation on Earth? As we follow the Colorado River from the Grand Canyon to the Sea of Cortez in Mexico, we discover that because we've used every drop so efficiently the river now dries up 100 miles short of the sea. One of North America's great wetland estuaries has dried up. And yet we can see there is hope, because a small ditch used to get rid of water too poisonous for crops has created a mini wetland rich in wildlife, serving as a shining example of what is possible. In the final section, we discover just what is possible if we divert just a fraction of water for wildlife. In Squaw Creek Missouri, 1.2 million snow geese land in a man-made wetland demonstrating that water can be a point of unity between humans and wildlife 

Fighting For Fresh Water Amid Climate Change In The Marshall Islands / MacNeil/Lehrer Productions. [Place of publication not identified] : MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, [2017] 

President Donald Trump has said he is withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate accords, rejecting that wealthier nations, which have the biggest carbon footprints, should help poorer nations vulnerable to climate changes. One such place is the Marshall Islands, which is affected by these changes and struggling to find fresh water. NewsHour Weekend Special Correspondent Mike Taibbi reports 

Flash Floods and Deadly Moving Water. [San Francisco, California, USA] : Kanopy Streaming, 2017 

Consider the deadly power of moving water. Explore scenarios for extreme flooding in flood-prone regions of the U.S. and consider past cases of extreme coastal floods, river floods, and flash floods. Study the meteorology behind these events, and hear flood safety tips 

How Off-the-Grid Navajo Residents Are Getting Running Water (6/20/18) / MacNeil/Lehrer Productions 

Lack of access to running water is an issue in many developing countries, but it is also a problem in the United States. Nearly 40 percent of the homes in the Navajo Nation lack running water or sanitation, and many are in such remote areas that they will never be able to connect to a water line. Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports on new efforts to bring them basic amenities 

In Our Water. [San Francisco, California, USA] : Kanopy Streaming, 2018 

In this Oscar nominated documentary, a New Jersey family discovers their well is being poisoned by a landfill while local and state officials assure them their water is safe to drink. A 5-year saga of bureaucratic neglect and court inaction reveals the Kaler’s drinking water could have been bottled as paint remover. The landfill is later declared a Superfund site but as of 2018 has yet to be “cleaned up”. As regulations protecting our water are again under attack, IN OUR WATER is both cautionary tale and map to activism. Educators, environmentalists, government bureaucrats, politicians, citizens and water drinkers everywhere can benefit from experiencing this exceptional movie. Nominated for Best Documentary, Features at the **Academy Awards**. Nominated for Best Documentary at the **Chicago International Film Festival**. Winner of the Columbia DuPont Award for Journalistic Excellence 

It's in the Water. [San Francisco, California, USA] : Kanopy Streaming, 2016 

The chemistry of water and its unique physical properties and behavior are studied, as well as the temperature, density, and salinity of the ocean's water. Also considered is the profound impact of the ocean on global temperatures 

Life after water / director, Andrew Michael Ellis ; editor and producer, Andrew Michael Ellis, Eric Maierson, Brian Storm ; MediaStorm. [New York] : [Distributed by] MediaStorm, [2016] 

California's Central Valley produces more than half of America's produce. But the summer of 2015 marked the fourth year of what has become a monumental drought, and if it doesn't rain soon the whole country will be soon feeling the effects 

Living Without Water. [San Francisco, California, USA] : Kanopy Streaming, 2017 

What’s it like to live without running water? In Peru’s sprawling capital, Lima, this is the everyday reality for 1.5 million children and adults, forced to pay up to a week’s salary for just one day’s water. And the problem isn’t confined to the capital, across the country, the shortage of water is putting lives in danger and provoking conflict, as it displaces communities and threatens their agricultural livelihoods...Climate change is partly to blame, but in this film we explore how European consumers are making this crisis worse. The fruit and vegetables - avocados, asparagus, exotic fruit - which end up on our supermarket shelves are literally sucking Peru’s land dry...In Lima we meet some of the families struggling to live without one of life’s basic necessities. With only a few litres of water a week, their children’s health is at risk, and they’re at the mercy of unscrupulous businessmen, whose water trucks sell allegedly contaminated water at inflated prices. For other, the situation is even bleaker - we meet the community without access to any form of water supply - forced to beg their neighbours every day for enough water to wash and cook...Outside of Lima, in the province of Ica, we meet the farmers whose once-fertile land has been turned into a desert by the intensive agriculture of large-scale export growers, whose produce is destined for the European market...The country’s booming agriculture industry is draining water away from local people and farmers, and lowering the underground water levels at an alarming rate. "The question is only whether the situation is critical, or super critical,"says the head of the local water board head..And up in the Andes, we hear stories of how projects to feed water down to this intensive farming have allegedly led to the deaths of a number of indigenous men, women and children - not to mention thousands of their livestock...But there are no easy answers to the deepening crisis. Peru’s industries have brought jobs, wealth and even women’s empowerment to vast areas that used to be desperately poor. The country’s prospering export economy - kickstarted by funding from the World Bank and other international bodies - is held up as a model for other developing nations...This film goes right to the heart of the water crisis - showing how society’s poorest are caught in the middle of a struggle between business, climate change and international politics 

Quest for Water. [San Francisco, California, USA] : Kanopy Streaming, 2018 

How can agriculture use less water and still grow enough food for everyone? Are we finally emerging from the water wars of the west that pitted Native American tribes and environmentalists against farmers and ranchers? FOOD FORWARD dives into solutions that some water users are discovering to protect this most precious resource in the face of drought, politics and environmental conflicts 

Something in the Water. [San Francisco, California, USA] : Kanopy Streaming, 2018 

While most people are aware of the basic contours of the Flint water story, AMERICA DIVIDED goes deeper. Correspondent Rosario Dawson investigates how a government could poison its own citizens, what hidden forces may have been at work, and how specific policies unique to Michigan, led not only to the crisis in Flint but also damaged other poor, largely African American communities around the state 

Starved By Drought, Rome's Water Supply May Not Spring Eternal / MacNeil/Lehrer Productions. [Place of publication not identified] : MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, [2017] 

A serious drought across Europe has wreaked havoc for Italy's agricultural industry, causing over $2 billion in damage. Even Rome, the city of aqueducts, has begun to turn off the spigot at dozens of its iconic fountains, and has warned it may have to ration water for its residents and tourists. Special correspondent Christopher Livesay and videographer Alessandra Pavone report 

States of Water : Ready, Set, Flow! / Video Education America (VEA). [Place of publication not identified] : Video Education America (VEA), [2017] 

Solids, liquids, and gases. These three states of matter surround us every single day. But how does matter change from one state to another? This Miniclip examines the states of matter by looking at water—the only substance that occurs naturally in each of these states—and explains how it transitions between each state through heating and cooling, while introducing the concepts of melting, freezing, condensation, and evaporation 

Sustainable Water Use. The Great Courses, 2015 

Sourcing clean water and using it wisely are key to sustainable living. Consider how systems can be designed to sustainably provide water for drinking, washing, irrigation, and other uses, and find smart ways to get the same or better services using less. Also, examine ecological approaches to handling storm water 

The Cherokee Word for Water. [San Francisco, California, USA] : Kanopy Streaming, 2018 

Based on the true story of the Bell Waterline Project, THE CHEROKEE WORD FOR WATER shares the struggle for, opposition to, and ultimate success of a rural Cherokee community to bring running water to their families by using the traditional concept of “gadugi “– working together to solve a problem.. Set in the early 1980s, the film begins in the homes of a small town in rural Oklahoma where many houses lack running water and others are little more than shacks. Told from the perspective of Wilma Mankiller and full-blood Cherokee organizer Charlie Soap, these leaders join forces to battle opposition and build a 16-mile waterline system using a community of volunteers.. In the process, they inspire the townspeople to trust each other, to trust their way of thinking, and to spark a reawakening of the universal indigenous values of reciprocity and interconnectedness. This project also inspired a self-help movement in Indian Country that continues to this day. The movie is dedicated to Wilma Mankiller's vision, compassion and incredible grace 

 

The Green Economy: Water Systems. [San Francisco, California, USA] : Kanopy Streaming, 2016 

We all need it and its much less common than you might think. The earth has plenty of water but only a small fraction of it is fresh and clean. Our rivers are much dirtier than people think so cleaning water for drinking is becoming the focus of numerous scientists. We take some of the dirtiest and make it clean and drinkable right before your eyes 

The Nature of Matter: Understanding the Physical World: The Strange Behavior of Water. [San Francisco, California, USA] : Kanopy Streaming, 2016 

Analyze one of the weirdest of all substances: water. While we think of water as normal, its boiling, freezing, dissolving, and heat-storing properties are quite extraordinary compared to other molecules. Discover why this is and what water's attributes have to do with the existence of life 

Water and the human spirit. [Program one] / Bullfrog Films presents ; [directed by Robert Peace and David Calderisi] ; script/narration, David Calderisi ; an EIA Environmental, Credit Valley Conservation Authority co-production. [Oley, Pennsylvania] : [Distributed by] Bullfrog Films, [2018] 

This is the first of two programs on the state of our waters. In it we meet people from all walks of life who demonstrate an unstoppable determination to do something to improve the water situation in their communities 

Water and the human spirit. Program two / Bullfrog Films presents ; [directed by Robert Peace and David Calderisi] ; produced by Robert Peace & David Calderisi ; written & narrated by David Calderisi ; an EIA/Water and the Human Spirit production. [Oley, Pennsylvania] : [Distributed by] Bullfrog Films, [2018] 

This second program in the two-part series documents shining examples of community cooperation that have resulted in successful solutions to local water problems 

Water around the World / Video Education America (VEA). [Place of publication not identified] : Video Education America (VEA), [2017] 

Clean water is essential for human existence. However, international requirements are not met by the available supply. This program examines rising global water demand and some of the serious issues with inadequate and/or contaminated water supplies. Incorporating a range of water management case studies from various parts of the world, this video is an ideal resource for students of geography and environmental science 

Water in the U.K. / Video Education America (VEA). [Place of publication not identified] : Video Education America (VEA), [2017] 

The U.K.’s more densely populated and growing urban areas are, for the large part, located in regions of the country where rainfall is lower. Conversely, high rainfall occurs in regions where there is less demand. This program explores British water supply and demand and examples of water management programs across the country, including initiatives incorporated into London’s Olympic Park 

Water Warriors. [San Francisco, California, USA] : Kanopy Streaming, 2018 

WATER WARRIORS is the story of a community’s successful resistance against the oil and gas industry. When an energy company begins searching for natural gas in New Brunswick, Canada, indigenous and white families unite to drive out the company in a campaign to protect their water and way of life.. Official Selection at the Tribeca Film Festival and DOC NYC.. Winner of Best Short Documentary at the Blackstar Film Festival. Winner of Best Documentary at the Austin Under-the-Stars Film Festival ​

World Without Water. [San Francisco, California, USA] : Kanopy Streaming, 2015 

As the highest water bills ever land on doormats across the UK this April, this film investigates the future of the world's water, and paints a disturbing picture of a world running out of the most basic of life's essentials. 8 year old Vanessa and her parents have to walk almost a mile down the cliffs of El Alto in Bolivia to collect water from an unreliable well every day. Yet, they live just a few hundred metres from their city's main water treatment plant and can see millions of gallons just beyond the barbed wire fence. They are victims of waters increasing commodification. In 2000, the members of of the United Nations committed to halving the number of people in the world without access to water, by 2015. But within our lifefime over half of the world's population will be living without access to safe water and sanitation. The struggle for this precious resource and the battle for its ownership is explored through compelling stories of families living in Bolivia, Detroit, Dar Es Salaam and Rajestan. As the background to these stories we explore the conflicts over the future of water and see how even those living in the relatively water-rich UK hold the survival of the planet in our hands.

Water Crisis - A short introduction 

Water Scarcity - explained in a nutshell 

Water Scarcity 

Water Crisis 

The shocking reality of the global water crisis