Sunday, July 3, 2011

Privatizing the commons: Water privatization proceeding apace


Billions of dollars are being given out to the most ardent promoters of water privatization.
Early last month, pharmaceutical titan Merck became the latest multinational to pledge allegiance to the CEO Water Mandate, the United Nations' public-private initiative "designed to assist companies in the development, implementation and disclosure of water sustainability policies and practices."

But there's darker data beneath that sunny marketing: The CEO Water Mandate has been heavily hammered by the Sierra Club, the Polaris Institute and more for exerting undemocratic corporate control over water resources (PDF) under the banner of the United Nations. It even won a Public Eye Award for flagrant greenwashing from the Swiss non-governmental organization Berne Declaration. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss....

3 comments:

googleheim said...

another related song by the Firm ( with Jimmy Page ) :

"i'm radioactive"

googleheim said...

financial liberalization of water is a big bang thing from the floors of London

just like Carbon credits - the latest asset bubble to CDO and TKO the rest of us

googleheim said...

can anyone bother to find out if the Koch brothers empire is part of the lot that generates and parks most of it's international revenues abroad without repatriating them and / or has sent jobs abroad and / or all that ?