Water, too often taken for granted in the West, has recently exploded into mainstream consciousness with a host of new documentaries, books and organizations waking people up to the fact that we have too long ignored the world’s most precious resource. While much of the western world has been wasting gallons and gallons of water each day, halfway around the world individuals are dying for lack of access to clean drinking water. Flow: For Love of Water, directed by Irena Salina reinforces that we can no longer ignore the global threat to our right to access clean drinking water.
Perhaps what makes Flow different than the recent spate of other H20-centric films is that filmmaker Irena Salina attempts to show water as a component of the health and well being of not just humans and animals, but also of the earth itself. There will be no earth without water.
Human carelessness with water (and there is certainly not equal distribution of blame) has resulted in a slew of toxic chemicals permeating just about every source of water on earth. Pesticide residues can be found in the breast milk of Inuit women and in polar bears, whales and seals. Freshwater fish are changing sex, with males of some species gradually disappearing.
Perhaps it has something to do with the 80 million pounds of atrazine used in the US each year – banned in the European Union – this toxic pesticide is linked to both demasculinization and feminization. However, numerous other toxic and harmful substances are now found in water, including antibiotics and countless other medications; residues of Prozac have started appearing in fish. Ocean dead zones are increasing due to chemical fertilizers causing an increase in algae growth. The decaying algae results in hypoxia for all living organisms. There are now believed to be 150 areas of dead zones worldwide. The increase in crop production for biofuel will only see an acceleration of fertilizer and pesticide use.
Water resources are running out. New Mexico has an estimated 10 years of water left; California may have 20 years.
While half of the world is systematically poisoning the water, a small group of multi-nationals are slowing privatizing the world’s fresh water. Even though water is a basic human right, in countless communities around the world companies are making deals with local governments to own the water supplies. Often governments make agreements that communities are forced to revolt against. In North America, many citizens are oblivious to the fact their water is slowly being privatized.
Yet water resources are running out. New Mexico has an estimated 10 years of water left; California may have 20 years. This is in addition to the already estimated 1.1 billion individuals around the world who don’t have access to clean drinking water. We need to ask ourselves who will control the water of the future because whoever controls the water will control every living thing on the planet.
One of the best water films around – educational, well made and inspirational.
Order this film on Amazon.com Flow
Visit: http://flowthefilm.com/
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