Stratfor’s model of applied geopolitics always starts with geography. In this episode of the podcast, we explore the increasing implications of water scarcity for domestic and foreign policy around the globe.
Chile's market-based approach to water management may promote more sustainable consumption patterns, but it also shows the potential pitfalls of privatization.
Stratfor Science and Technology Analyst Rebecca Keller examines Saudi Arabia's dwindling water supply and the constraints it places on the country.
Riyadh is between a rock and a hard place, and to make matters worse, that rock is drying up.
The country is just as vulnerable as those that have much less water.
In the coming years, debate on how best to manage the Rio Grande's water resources will increase.
South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia are all suffering equally as a persistent drought and low commodity prices put a strain on national resources.
Algeria's inherent lack of water resources, growing urban population, environmental changes and dwindling government funds to spend on water management paint a bleak picture for the country's ability to increase supplies enough to meet demand. However, public-private partnerships will help secure water supplies in the future.
The world is gearing up to deal with El Nino. Last year saw dry conditions in Central America and the Caribbean, and these ongoing weather patterns will likely extend them into 2016.
Public sentiment that water is a common good rather than a commodity will limit the Spanish government's ability to raise water prices and will contribute to overuse in the coming decades. As water becomes scarcer throughout the world, however, demand for Spanish businesses' expertise in desalination technology will rise.
Canada's wealth of resources and small population allow the government to capitalize on the export of a number of goods. But its economic and political constraints will prevent large water transfers to areas of water stress.
