WAC - 2010 - Economics & trade
Lesson Plans
>Is the Price Right? - PBS Kids
Introduces students to a variety of products and the reason for their retail price tags. After students play this game, consider the many reasons why retail prices are so much higher than the manufacturing costs of the items, such as marketing, packaging, shipment of goods and profit margins.
>Thirst – Lesson Plan - PBS
This lesson aims to engage students in an exploration of water privatization issues and the debate between publicly and privately held resources using the film Thirst.
>Waterworks: Public or Private? - Ecology Center
Students will explore the history and present state of water systems in the U.S., and the current global trend towards privatization, as well as the pros and cons to privatization. Students also analyze a variety of water privatization schemes to solve the water system problems at a fictional high school.
>Water, Water Everywhere - Discovery Education
Students will explore the connection between population growth and water scarcity.
Possible Topics
- Water and Econommic Development
- Water and Gender
- Privatization of water – pros and cons
- Global trade on waterways - control of international waters
- Water scarcity – physical (accessibility) and economic (affordability)
- Tap vs. bottled water
Online Resources
- Gender Perpectives in Water Management
- World Business Council for Sustainable Development
- United Nations World Water Development Report
- World Health Organization – Water, Health, and Economics
- World Bank & Water
- USAID & Water
- Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development – Water
- Water & Business News – Circle of Blue
- Water & Business - LifeWater
Current Events and Articles
Bangladesh, Mymensingh: documentary “Troubled Waters: Water Sector Transparency and Accountability”
New 10min film on corruption in the water management systems and the problems of the water services in Mymensingh municipality in Bangladesh
Global Food System ‘Must Change’ - BBC
The BBC reports on the World Bank’s 2007 statement that current world agriculture cannot sustain current food and water demands for long.
The Economics of Water: A Guest Post – New York Times
David Zetland, author of the aguanomics blog that has appeared in Forbes.com, on the basic economic principles behind the business of water.
Clean Water First: Economic Planning in India – New York Times
A Harvard economics professor explains why the Indian government should focus first and foremost on providing its citizens with clean water.
Water and the Economic Crisis - OECD
The OECD’s diagnosis of the 2008 economic crisis and its effect on water issues.
Water Scarcity and the Western Oil Shales – New York Times
The New York Times’ environmental blogger on how water scarcity affects the oil industry.
Beneath Booming Cities, China’s Future Is Drying Up– New York Times
As China’s major cities continue to grow at unprecedented rates, water resources are being depleted even faster.
Inadequate Sanitation Denting GDP – IPS News
Article about the cost of poor sanitation and hygiene costs in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.
Videos
Thirst – 62min
Is water part of a shared "commons," a human right for all people? Or is it a commodity to be bought, sold, and traded in a global marketplace? "Thirst" tells the stories of communities in Bolivia, India, and the United States that are asking these fundamental questions.
Leasing the Rain - 19:58min
A PBS correspondent in Bolivia analyzes the politics and economics of a deal that privatized water in the Bolivian city of Cochabamba and incited riots and deadly protests.
Water Shortages Threaten Industries – 3min
A MarketWatch video that shows how water shortages and sanitation in the U.S., Europe, India, and China significantly affect business in eight different industries.
The Play Pump – 6:48min
In South Africa, where over 5 million people have no access to adequately clean water, one entrepreneur has discovered an ingenious way to solve a town’s water woes.
SecureWater – 24:40min
The recent introduction of demand-based approaches to water supply development marks a major shift in policy. The central challenge for interveners is understanding the nature of demand for water, including the role and importance of water access in different livelihood activities. An understanding of the cost of this access for poor households is key to ensuring a balance between financial sustainability and the achievement of poverty reduction objectives.
Water for People
This video shows the effects of the global water crisis among women and girls in developing countries. The time spent on fetching water deprives them education opportunities.
Women and Water
This video shows how FAO is helping women in Niger in accessing natural water sources and developing methods of localized irrigation. Niger is a poorest country in the world, arid state on the edge of the Saharan desert in Africa.
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