Maude Barlow's Movie 'Blue Gold: World Water Wars'

I'm starting to sound like a shill for Maude Barlow. The other day I posted about Maude Barlow's new role as UN Senior Adviser on water. Okay, I'm happy for her. So what else is on her agenda?

Colleague Todd Jarvis told me she has a movie out: Blue Gold: World Water Wars. It is based on the book she co-wrote with Tony Clarke, Blue Gold: The Fight to Stop the Corporate Theft of the World's Water. Barlow and Clarke co-wrote the film, British Actor Malcolm McDowell narrates and Barlow herself appears as a guide throughout the movie.

You can view a trailer here.

I have not seen it yet, but here is a recent review by Sarah Barmak from The Star.

One paragraph in the review caught my attention:

Much of Blue Gold's litany of information may come as a shock. The world collectively pumps 30 billion gallons of groundwater every day – 15 times more water than can safely be replenished by rainfall. As water becomes scarce, companies like Nestlé and Coca-Cola have made aggressive moves to buy local supplies, leading to the situation in many parts of Africa, where rivers are polluted and locals must either pay exorbitant fees for tap water or purchase bottled Dasani. Barlow says the problem is growing in Canada, too. She faults our "myth of abundance" for overuse of the Great Lakes and the destruction of the water table in northern Alberta to mine the tar sands.

The amount of global daily ground water pumpage caught my eye. It's wrong. The number is far too low - fewer than 100,000 acre-feet. Barlow could have made a more dramatic case because the actual amount of daily global ground water pumpage is more like 600 billion gallons per day (rounded). That's based on an estimate of about 800 cubic kilometers per year, which amounts to about 2.2 cubic kilometers per day, which is about 600 billion gallons or around 1.8 million acre-feet. My estimate is based on a number that is almost a decade old [Shah et al. (2000), The global groundwater situation: overview of opportunities and challenges. International Water Management Institute]. I suspect the current number is now higher.

It is possible that the reviewer got the number wrong. I'll give Barlow and Clarke the benefit of the doubt until I see the movie, but I've encountered Barlow errors before. [Note: the comment is made in the movie, but it's Robert Glennon who says it.]

I am looking forward to seeing it.

"Finally, a water film that kicks ass." -- GreenMuze.com, from the film's WWW site

Comments

[groundwaterhegemony]

It is clear that Human Rights does not have a clue what it costs to make a documentary of the caliber of 'Blue Gold'. I purchased an institutional copy for a few hundred dollars. I think it is worth the investment. Few film makers take the risk of making a film for educating the western world about the potential plundering of global water resources and how the lack of access to water affects the poor. Kudos to Mr. Bozzo for at least trying to inform the public about the debate of whether water is an economic good or a human right. Human Rights is clearly uninformed. Invest a couple of bucks and see the movie. You might see that the experts and artists who made 'Blue Gold' are on the same page as Human Rights.

[Human Rights]

Mr. Bozzo,
If you truly cared about water issues you would put your film online for free and not be selling a DVD. From what I have read about you online, you sound like a wannabe Hollywood director looking for money and fame.

[Sam Bozzo]

I am the filmmaker of Blue Gold: World Water Wars. Thank you for posting this and please visit the website and spread the word. The DVD will be released wide in March-April 2009 and there are ongoing limited theatrical and festival screenings. It was an honor to work with Maude Barlow and all the water warriors protecting our most vital resource.

- Sam Bozzo