POSC 225 Water and Human Rights

Nearly 663 million people in the world lack access to a basic water supply. 1.6 million people (mainly children less than 5 years old) die each year from water-related diseases. While many in the United States have seen access to safe water as a “developing world issue,” recent water crises related to lead contamination, perflourinated chemicals, overuse, and climate change have brought the issue more fully into Americans’ awareness.

This course provides an opportunity to delve into questions related to humans’ need for clean water and the environmental, ethical, technical, and political challenges this raises. Issues to be considered include challenges to access to water posed by a changing environment; water as part of a broader international sustainable development agenda and local, national and international environmental justice work; the economics of water ownership and provision; international law and organization for human rights; and the roles of NGOs, governments and international organizations in this field.