HawksleyFilmAnnotation1


 * Erika Hawksley**
 * Annotation #1**
 * Word Count: 1,461**


 * Title:** Blue Gold: World Water Wars
 * Director:** Sam Bozzo
 * Release year:** 2010


 * What is the central argument or narrative of the film?**

The central argument of this film is that we are currently using our fixed supply of fresh water at an unsustainable rate that will lead to desertification of the Earth. We have pushed water to its’ limit by using it for industrial agriculture, bottling it from a natural source and shipping it away, aesthetic purposes, and by developing communities in areas where water is not naturally occurring. These uses have caused pollution in our water sources, which leads to health problems. The privatization of water is also turning this essential natural resource into a commodity that can only be used by consumers who can afford to pay for it. These problems surrounding water have created a lot of tension between corporations, governments, and people all over the world. In some countries people are holding violent protests to fight for their basic right to water because their government gave private companies control over water that everyone needs to survive. If we do not want to fight wars over water, action needs to be taken now to conserve water use, distribution, and control worldwide.


 * How is the argument or narrative made and sustained? How much scientific information is provided, for example? Does the film have emotional appeal?**

The argument is sustained through a matrix of examples from many aspects of our society. Some scientific facts are presented, including that we are mining groundwater at approximately 15 times the rate that it is naturally replenished. We now pump approximately 30 billion gallons of water from the ground every day. Our wetlands, which help purify water, have been diminished by 60 percent in the past 100 years. Facts are presented about how many gallons of water are required in the process of creating products such as oil, microchips, and automobiles. Other evidence that supports this argument is purely observational, such as buildings settling in Mexico City and sinkholes appearing in Florida due to depletion of groundwater. The film has emotional appeal when heart breaking stories are presented about people fighting revolutions for clean water and when sick children from third world countries are shown suffering from lack of adequate and sanitary water supplies.


 * What sustainability problems does the film draw out? Political? Legal? Economic? Technological? Media and Informational? Organizational? Educational? Behavioral? Cultural? Ecological?**

This film draws out political, economic, technological, and cultural sustainability problems. The privatization of water is a selfish economic effort to make money off of a natural resource that should be accessible by all. The push for economic growth itself is not sustainable. Politics play a role in whether government or private companies should control the processing and distribution of water in our communities. Growing technology has enabled us to extract groundwater at astronomical rates and to transport water over very large distances to make desert regions inhabitable. Our culture is unsustainable with water because we use water for so many non-essential purposes, such as having perfectly green lawns and growing industrial sized crops in dry areas. These are only some of the sustainability problems that tie into the water problem matrix.


 * What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why?**

I was most compelled by the part of the film that focused on the revolution for water in Bolivia. It was inspirational to see that the people of Bolivia, led by a factory worker named Oscar Olivera, could rise up against Bechtel and the forces that led to the privatization of their water. Although the country allowed other industries to be privatized, the people agreed that privatization of water crossed the line and action needed to be taken. It was heart wrenching to see people get injured and even die for this cause and it was depressing to think that a government would fight against their own people. Ultimately, all of their efforts paid off when the Bolivian government gave in and kicked Bechtel out of the country. This revolution demonstrated that the people have great power when united together and gives us hope that it’s not too late to gain control over the future of our water.


 * What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by? Why?**

There were several statements made in the film that didn’t seem to be supported by scientific data. Some of the arguments were more towards emotional appeal and the ‘shock and awe’ and could have been more convincing if backed by research findings. I also wasn’t very convinced by the simple solution to desertification that was proposed. The film argued that creating small water catchments or dams will help restore the ground water supply. However, I think that reducing or stopping the extraction of groundwater is the more obvious first step towards solving the problem. The film also argued that building these small dams would give millions of people jobs, which doesn’t seem that probable.


 * What audiences does the film best address? Why?**

This film best addresses an audience of individuals and communities in first world countries who take access to clean water for granted. Blue Gold sheds light on many aspects of our world water crisis that many people are probably not aware of and encourages viewers to take action and promote change.


 * What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental educational value?**

The film touched on so many aspects of the world water problem, which was good to provide an overall picture, but it could have been more environmentally educational if more focus was placed on a few of the largest issues. I would have liked to have seen more data about the water used for industrial agriculture.


 * What kinds of action and points of intervention are suggested by the film? If the film itself does not suggest corrective action, describe actions that you can imagine being effective.**

Blue Gold: World Water Wars suggests many points of intervention that we should take to help solve our water problem. They recognize that you should only have a green lawn if your local climate naturally allows for it and that we should introduce technology like toilets that use reduced amounts of water for liquid waste. The development of a world water convention is proposed in which regulations on transnational corporations would be enforced by the United Nations on an international level. In general, the film proposes that we need to make changes now to ensure the adequate supply of clean fresh water for our future generations and our planet. They also suggest that we all learn the name of the watershed in which we live, where our drinking water supply comes from, and where our waste water goes. I think all of these points of intervention are steps in the right direction and I would like to see positive change on this issue in my lifetime.


 * What additional information has the film compelled you to seek out? (Provide at least two supporting references.)**

This film compelled me to find out more about the impact Poland Springs has on Maine’s natural water supply. The idea of removing large quantities of water from the natural cycle in an area does not seem like a sustainable prospect. I am from Maine and though I was aware that Poland Springs bottled water in Maine, I was concerned when the film mentioned potential problems the process could have. I found that Poland Springs main website is pretty useless when it comes to spring locations and data about their bottling process. However, I did find a sight separate Poland Spring website that focused on Maine and answered questions about other water films and potential issues in local communities. The information presented indicates that the bottled water industry in Maine uses about 700 million gallons per year, which is less than that used for snow making! However, this data is only from sources that are required by law to report their consumption, which makes me wonder how much water is really used by the bottled water industry. Poland Spring effectively brushed off all of the questions presented by emphasizing how much they care about local communities and the environment. I also found an article written by a Maine resident who lives en route to one of the bottling plants and she complains about the increase in traffic. She notes that Poland Spring trucks often pass through her small town at least once every 30 minutes 24 hours per day. This is another aspect of bottling water that is not sustainable and must be considered. Overall, I am not very convinced by Poland Spring’s claims and I plan on trying to eliminate my consumption of bottled water.

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