Water Wars

One of the less well-known attacks on capitalism and trade that can be expected at the World Trade Organisation Ministerial Meeting in Cancun, Mexico will be on water privatisation. A related concern and inevitable complaint will be directed against excess energy consumption, allegedly leading to a warming planet, which will apparently make water supplies even scarcer.
While these attacks, made by a mixture of green groups, unions and socialist governments, will not make the headlines -- the debates about agricultural subsidies and access to drugs are of more immediate concern -- they will persist and grow over the next decade. Water will be the resource issue of the 21st century and the allegations made about how capitalism and trade exacerbate water wars must be combated today.
A few weeks ago at the Stockholm Water Symposium, the United Nations proclaimed that between 2 billion and 7 billion people will be affected by water scarcity by 2050. Since the low-end projection for the number of people on the planet in 2050 is 7 billion, this should be some indicator of how alarmist the UN has become on water...