The Politics and Financing of Water

A Conversation with Scott Moore

Recorded in July 2018

Global Futures is a podcast about global politics and how rising powers like China and India are changing it. We discuss foreign policy, economics, war and peace, and how the world is changing with experts from across the world.

The recent water shortage crisis in Cape Town refocused attention on this precious resource, the procurement of which is a serious concern for millions across the globe. The world’s fresh water supplies are unevenly distributed and the scarcity of clean water has already led to tensions within and between countries. Climate change, urbanization and population growth exacerbate the problem.

Since water is so crucial to the existence of all living things on our planet, can these challenges fuel cooperation rather than competition? What can be done to make the delivery and management of water supplies more effective? Are governments doing enough or too much to protect resources?

In this episode of the Global Futures podcast, Joel Sandhu from the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi) is joined by World Bank water policy expert Scott Moore, whose new book Subnational Hydropolitics looks at conflict, cooperation, and institution building around water resources. Scott is an alumnus of the Global Governance Futures program and was previously an environment, science, technology, and health officer in the U.S. Department of State and an international affairs fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

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