Can natural resource rights divide a nation, a world? Unfortunately growing constraints on fresh and potable water are doing just that. And, without more care, courage and commitment from governments, corporations and citizens, our natural resource disputes could be grounds for future conflicts. Already some natural resource debates are being touted as “resource wars” and “civil wars”. Thanks to our democratic society, the resource wars of today are at least being waged in the courtroom. With a growing population and increased drought in
certain regions of the US (and world), demand for water is increasing. Currently a new aged battle is being fought in the South where Georgia and Tennessee are head-to-head in a water dispute dating back to 1818.With drought severely impacting the Southeast US in the past 12-months, particularly the State of Georgia, discussions on water rights have citizens and policy makers boiling. The State of Georgia recently filed a resolution to create the “Georgia-Tennessee Boundary Line Commission” to perform joint surveys of the true boundary line between the adjoining states. Georgia claims that boundary line was erroneously surveyed in 1818 and that the State never fully accepted the survey. Georgia believes the boundary should follow the 35th parallel. If it did, the boundary would move approximately one and a half miles to the north. Not a great distance, however the impact on water rights would be enormous. If the boundary line were changed, millions of gallons of water could be diverted from the Tennessee River into Georgia. It’s amazing the role geography can play in social, environmental and economic issues. In the case of Georgia and Tennessee even few hundred feet makes the difference between resource rich and resource poor.
However, the Georgia-Tennessee water war is not simply about who is resource rich and resource poor or who is right and who is wrong regarding land rights, deed restrictions and old surveys. It’s about society’s use of natural resources and our ability to conserve and protect them. It’s also about responsible resource and land management by government, industry and citizens. One thing we can agree upon is that resources, be them water – fossil fuels – forestland – fisheries – certain ores and materials, are being depleted, damaged and threatened as population growth demands more resources for survival and economic growth. This generation, not future generations, but this generation, is in a position to have a lasting impact on our natural resources, how we use them, how we value them, and how we respect them today and for tomorrow. A band-aid approach to solving natural resource challenges has not worked in the past and will not work today. The complexity of social, environmental and economic challenges that envelop our natural resources requires holistic thinking, balanced governance, smart innovation and sound practices and policies to be put in place.
Many governments and corporations are now working together to identify natural resource challenges and appropriate (and balanced) solutions to those challenges, particularly the availability of clean and potable water. For example, the Business Roundtable’s Society, Environment and Economy (SEE) water initiative is a focused effort on improving the quality and availability of water. In its “Water Brief for Business (WBFB)” the Business Roundtable summarizes three reasons water is a strategic issue for business and society in this new century:
1. Risk - Freshwater scarcity and threats to water quality are increasing dramatically, both in the United States and across the world – making water one of the leading social, environmental, and economic challenges facing humanity in the 21st Century.
2. Responsibility - Water presents both a major business risk and an increasingly important corporate social responsibility issue.
3. Social Response - Businesses can make a big difference in achieving sustainable use of water resources – while simultaneously adding business value.
We commend the Business Roundtable and the SEE water initiative Corporate Leaders that are taking swift care, courage and commitment to affect change with regard to emerging water constraints and resource challenges. Corporate
leaders like Alcoa, Coca-Cola, Dow, DuPont, GM, FPL, GE, HSBC, ITT, Office Depot, Siemens, Weyerhaeuser, Xerox (to name a few) are members of the SEE water initiative seeking, in their own right, social response solutions to cleaner water.As we advance through this new century, an abundance of social and environmental challenges are before us. In some instances these challenges will constrain us, in other instances the challenges will inspire use to be innovative and responsive. While we are eager to solve our natural resource challenges through quick fixes, we ultimately know that there is no silver bullet or no one size fits all approach.
As the caretakers of our natural world need to redefine our values and boundaries that separate our past with our future. In doing so we must be cognizant of the fact that our resources are precious and that it is our generation whose needs must be met, but that it is our generation who are also the stewards for the future. Let’s shed the boundaries of the past and redefine the role of government, industry and citizens to collaboratively engage in a new era of social responsible enlightenment toward natural resource consumption.
What natural resource issues do you see emerging in the US and the World where geography plays a strategic role, like in the Georgia-Tennessee boundary debate?
Mark C. Coleman
Senior Associate & World Inc. Case Leader, AHC Group, Inc.
Mark@ahcgroup.com
Listen to the Georgia-Tennessee Water Debate at NPR.
Watch a video clip of the story at MSN.
Listen to the Georgia-Tennessee Water Debate at NPR.
Watch a video clip of the story at MSN.
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