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Pitch

Recognize water issues as arguably the most pressing socio-economic-environmental issues facing our planet, taking key steps to address them


Description

Please use the template below as a general guide in preparing your proposal.

 

The world is running out of water. 50 years ago, such a statement would have been unthinkable. Today, the facts are clear. Water issues are among the most critical and pressing socio/economic/environmental issues facing the world to day, and must be addressed with a very high level of urgency. They should without question be taken into account and addressed to some degree within the framework of this conference and the next Kyoto Protocol (or major international climate agreement). If water issues are not addressed as a serious priority over the course of this conference, it will be inexcusable. If water issues are not addressed in the next major international climate agreement, it will likely prove fatal. 

In an attempt to meet a Millenium Development Goal aiming to  reduce
the proportion of those without safe water—some 1.1 billion—by half by 2025,
privatization has been aggressively advocated and relied upon. While
results have been mixed, certain groups have almost invariably been
victimized, including the poor and extreme poor. While we
recognizes the promise of the private sector's role in reacting to
climate change. Nevertheless, it must be recognized that, like other
global commons, water is a public good that offers many social,
economic and environmental benefit for all of humanity. We
maintain that water, as a basic human right, must remain accessible
and affordable for all humanity.

For the sake of our planet and our futures, we must move toward a resolution that monitors and regulates our consumption and control over freshwater. Neither the public nor the private sector, nor PPPs should be ruled out as a part of this endeavor. However, water, as a basic human right, must remain accessible and affordable for all humanity. As such, competent and highly-functional regulatory mechanisms must be put in place to ensure that this is the case. (This is especially important in the case of PPP’s and the private sector, as they are historically and by their nature, less transparent and more difficult to regulate than the public sector.)

 

Team

Individuals and/or organizations that played a key role in developing this proposal and their respective contributions.

What

Description of the actions proposed and their anticipated outcomes.
You will want to refer to the emission and land use target you have chosen using the Actions & Impacts tab.
In addition, you will want to outline the mechanisms by which the world as a whole can transition to the green economy or to an alternative vision of the future you would propose instead.

Why: Rationale for the proposal

Explanation for why these actions and outcomes are desirable.

How: Feasibility of proposal

Explanation of how the proposed actions will be achieved. Teams are encouraged, but not required, to include such issues as:

  • Overall global economic and environmental governance framework
  • Mechanisms for financing required investments
  • Role of new energy technologies and technology transfer
  • Political, educational, or media interventions that can facilitate the transition

If more detailed models or spreadsheets are useful in demonstrating your proposal’s feasibility, please send them to rjl@mit.edu, and they will be reviewed and linked to your proposal.
Teams are also encouraged to note regional/national proposals that are complementary to their global proposal.

Vision of the future under this proposal

Creative depictions what life will be like later in the century if the proposal were to be adopted, using such media as videos, images, or narratives.