Water, the seemingly simple resource composed of oxygen and hydrogen, is becoming more and more complicated as the years pass. This life-sustaining substance isn't inherently that complex but it's becoming a hot new commodity. Water is facing an economic upswing as freshwater supplies in our world are depleting due to overuse. Big companies are taking matters into their own hands to make water their product. The abundance or lack of water is often overlooked. Large multinational corporations are buying water rights and using it for their own economic advantage through privatization and commodification. A commodity is a service or good that brings economic benefits. For example, commodities such as silver, copper, and oil are commodities. These items can be traded from one country to another and provide an influx of profit into a community or economic system. It is argued that water is a commodity but also a right. When you look at the rights of all human beings declared by the United Nations, there is no right to water but there is a right to food and shelter. The right listed here makes me wonder if water falls into that category. In my opinion food and water go together like bread and butter, so yes, water should be a natural born public right, but some people argue otherwise. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay According to the article privatization and commodification by an unknown author commodification will cause a deficit in the number of people who can receive water. Private companies will raise the price of water, and those who can afford it will receive it, while those who can't will be deprived of the growing good. The question raised by this article is very valid and begs the question or is it right to treat water as a commodity? I'm not sure and personally I don't know what is best, on the one hand people need to understand that water is not unlimited and our amount of usable water is decreasing. On the other hand, if it were too expensive, some people would struggle and that's not fair either. This unknown author also talks about how “debt-ridden” communities may suffer because they will not be able to afford water and will not be able to afford to hire companies to properly clean their water. In Anup Shah's article Water and Development, he describes how the commodification of water is affecting poor communities around the world. Shah references a documentary in his article that gave him new insights. The documentary stated that due to the advertising of water as a commodity, multinational corporations have assumed extensive control. These multinationals only care about profit, so they don't think about the companies and people who are too poor to afford water. The documentary is also said to include how the World Bank has given support around the world to promote countries' privatization of water. The goal is to increase efficiency in water production and filtration. Unfortunately, this has left poor societies excluded due to rising prices. Many issues are therefore forced to be addressed by these communities. Shah talks about real problems facing people, such as poor farmers in Rajasthan, India, who face huge water shortages because the Coca-Cola company took so much water from the wells and aquifers that farmers relied on. The author also mentions a Bolivian family that lives right behind a water plant but not.
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