agua para la vida y el sustento

The document outlines a global water crisis driven by overconsumption, pollution, and flawed management models. It strongly opposes the market-based approach to water management promoted by transnational corporations and international financial institutions, arguing that privatization often excludes the poor and ignores ecological health. Instead, it proposes a framework where water is treated as a human right and a public resource, prioritizing basic needs and ecosystem protection over industrial and commercial interests. The briefing calls for democratic, participatory governance, the protection of traditional management systems, and the cancellation of external debts for developing nations to enable investment in public water services.

• Human overconsumption of freshwater for industrial, agricultural, and domestic use, combined with poor wastewater management, is threatening the hydrological cycle and risking the extinction of some living organisms.
• Environmental degradation has led to the loss of approximately 50% of the world's wetlands over the last century and has put roughly 20% of freshwater fish species at risk of extinction.
• The document argues that privatization of water services often results in the disconnection of poor consumers and the sacrifice of long-term ecological and human health for short-term profits.
• Water should be recognized as a fundamental human right, with priority given to basic needs (drinking, cooking, sanitation) and ecosystem protection over commercial crops and industry.
• The briefing opposes the treatment of water as a commodity and its inclusion in the World Trade Organization (WTO) or regional trade agreements like the Free Trade Area of the Americas.
• International financial institutions, including the IMF and World Bank, are criticized for imposing privatization and full cost recovery as conditions for financing in developing countries.
• A successful public-sector model is cited in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, where water companies are publicly owned but financially independent, utilizing citizen control and public participation in investment decisions.

APA

Friends of the Earth International (2003). agua para la vida y el sustento. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/water_briefing_esp.pdf

Chicago

Friends of the Earth International. agua para la vida y el sustento. 2003. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/water_briefing_esp.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Friends of the Earth International |title=agua para la vida y el sustento |date=March 2003 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/water_briefing_esp.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{friendsoftheearthinternational2003agua, author = {{Friends of the Earth International}}, title = {{agua para la vida y el sustento}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2003}, month = mar, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/water_briefing_esp.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }