We’re seeing the film Blue Gold in class. Leave your thoughts, comments, concerns, solutions, and insights here. For the assignment, make sure to add two solid comments by week’s end (Friday) for full credit.
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We’re seeing the film Blue Gold in class. Leave your thoughts, comments, concerns, solutions, and insights here. For the assignment, make sure to add two solid comments by week’s end (Friday) for full credit.
40 replies on “Blue Gold: The Discussion”
It’s hard to believe that most of the Earth is water when you watch this movie. We all know we dont have enough drinking water for the whole world and that is why the movie tells us we need to conserve it and get more somehow. This mostly started after WW2 and in about 50 years, we might not have any clean water left unless we filter it from the ocean which causes droughts and less animal life. So we need cleaner water for everyone and to conserve water.
The movie we are watching is all about the shortage of water around the globe and how so many people are wasting water by polluting it and dumping their waste in it. Something that I learned from that movie is that the earth is becoming more like a desert because the we are losing soil and so the ground can’t soak up any water, therefore it becomes dryer and dryer.
This movie is really interesting, and an eye-opener for me. I never really thought about we’re running out of water. I went into the movie believing that water has a cycle, and we’ll never run out, just like how we’re taught in elementary school. I have never once thought that we’ll run out, or that we’ll be short of water: it’s what we live off of and need to survive. I thought it was really interesting to see that a lot of our world’s water supply is owned by private businesses. I never thought of water being something private businesses would compete for (like how oil companies compete with each other.) It’s just a weird feeling thinking that it’s a possibility we’ll run out of water, seeing as it not only serves a purpose for necessities like showering and hydration, but a lot of foods and mostly all other drinks are made from water. Personally, I drink mainly water, rarely anything else. The thought of never having water again is a really weird feeling.
Some of the facts presented in this movie are very interesting and shocking. It’s hard to believe that over 60% of wetlands have been destroyed in the past 100 years.. that’s so much! Also the fact that we are pumping out 15 times the amount of water that returns to the ground is really causing a huge global issue. The last fact that really caught my attention is how an average bottle of water costs $2, but it costs less than 1 cent from the tap! We waste so much money on something that is practically free! A lot of the information on water presented in this movie I have never even known, it’s quite interesting!
The film stated that we are slowly becoming a desert mainly due to deforestation, growth of cities and privatization on water is also a big issue. disforestation gets rid of the trees who’s roots take in water and regulate water flow, when cities grow the land goes from permeable soil to hard soil (water can’t go back into the ground and follow the water cycle). As for privatization of water, it’s a worldwide problem; the water companies have a lot of power. In 1992 in Dublin the UN considered water as a good. And these water privatization companies provide debt relief to the countries that agree to allow them to own their water in a sense. The film said we don’t adapt to water, so we force water to adapt to us, and we achieve that through making dams. If rivers are like veins in our bodies carried essentials for like than dams are like a heart attack in our water cycle. Our water carries nutrients and minerals that help us to have healthy soil and without this flow we are becoming a desert (desertification). On a side note, after seeing all the Coca-Cola in this film I felt the sudden urge to have a Coca-Cola so I went out and bought some in glass bottles, and relating this to the film the Coca-cola was 10/$10 in the glass bottles but the ones in the plastic were about $1.89, so as the man stated the tax is less on the glass bottles so like in Africa it’s easier and cheaper to get Coca-Cola instead of the bottled water.
I feel like everything we do just causes more problems. No matter what we do. I know sometimes it does but some things we cannot help doing because we need to survive. This is one of those things. We need water to survive. Of course there might be different and better ways but this is all we have right now. Just like “climate change”. I do not believe in it but it’s sorta an example like this. Of course we can ride bikes and walk but we like to drive and if we have to go somewhere far the best thing for us is to drive. I just think that sometimes in society we just over exagerate things. No one will no what will happen until it happens.
In the movie there was one thing that really grabbed my attention. The idea that even when there are large masses of rain sometimes it never actually reaches the plants adn tree’s soil. The idea that it only touches the ground and then flows back to the river and create more clouds is amusing to me. I find it quite ironic that there can be large amounts of rain, but plants can die due to a lack of moisture because the rain actually never touches it.
It is crazy to me how we pump 15 times more water out of the ground than we can actually replace. Cities and ground water pumping are polluting and ruining water. On paved roads, water can’t sink into the soil & help grow trees, instead it runs back down back to sewage and to the ocean to make more clouds. This is heading us toward desertification and is really disappointing to see.
The movie today was about water in the world. Our Earth’s amount of water is limited and soon has a chance of running out. Only 3% of the Earth’s water is fresh and usable. The other 97% is salt water. Earth’s water supplies are being used up or aren’t returning to the dry portions of the Earth. When it rains and the water hits hard things such as pavement, the water doesn’t seep back into the Earth; rather it becomes run-off and continues to travel until it gets back into the ocean. The Earth is starting to become more deserted, as in the land is becoming more and drier and not able to soak up and maintain liquids. When water is siphoned out of the ground, it is at chance of collapsing and creating a pot hole in the Earth. This is how some cities have disappeared many, many years ago, and more recently has happened in Florida. Another problem with water in the world is water privatizing. People have to pay for water and it is causing problems. In less fortunate countries, people can’t pay for water. In one country in the video, it was cheaper for someone to buy a bottle of Coca-Cola, than it was for someone to buy a bottle of Dasani water. Many people are fighting this effort and disagree with water privatizing. Just as many other things we have learned about in economy, the company almost always wins because of their power and money.
The video was very interesting. I find it hard to believe that the earth is running out of usable water. Also I find it weird that we ship water from different places. Why can’t we drink the water we have here in Ohio? I think its a waste of time, money, and water to have it shipped around.
I felt that the movie is not right because people shouldnt have to pay for water and its unfair when big companies take over local water supply when its not theirs its local governments
I think it is horrible that there are so many people that have to go withoit water so much. We should try to fix our water problems and it is crazy that only 3 percent of our water is clean
I agree with Coral. It seems crazy that only 3% of the world is clean water. They can convert the salt water to regular water but then that would take to much time.
So, how do we solve this mess?
What will you do TODAY to reduce your use of water? Give some concrete examples! Make a pledge, live a little longer…
People don’t realize how much water goes into the things they use/eat every day. One of the facts from the video was, a single banana take 107 liters of water to create, which is a lot for a single banana. Ways we can help stop the destruction of water is to stop putting chemicals in it to spray on our crops. Also, the public should stop taking so many baths, and switch to showers, which don’t take as much water. Also, when we are brushing our teeth in the morning, don’t leave the water run unless u are using it. Its cost a lot of money to have fresh, clean water pumped to every Americans house, let’s not take it for granted.
I think it was pretty cool that the kid named Ryan created an organization that helps saves people by giving them clean water. It is great that he started this in 1st grade and he hasnt gave up. He is a great example of what people could do to help others.
To save water, I guess I could take shorter showers and tell my mom not to run the dishwasher every other day.
The movie today was talking a lot more about water privatization. People die all the time because they do not have enough money to buy water. Some use water from streams and such that are infested with diseases and bacteria. Others die from just lack of water in general. One family in the film even had two daughters die because a fire started and they simply did not have money to pay for water to put the fire out, and neither did their neighbors. Many of the historians or experts in the film said that water, just like air, is a human right and is something that we should not have to pay for. I agree one hundred percent. The fact that people are dying makes me feel bad because we use water so frivolously and don’t think twice about it. We solve this mess by helping out in any way possible, such as how the young boy did in the film. Everything will help with a mess this big in the world.
I think what Ryan Hreljac did was really inspiring and showed that anyone can make a difference. He aided so many people and stayed motivated at such a young age. Clean water being so limited has been a problem for a while. It’s exciting to see people taking on problems like this, and it gives me hope for more improvements to come.
I agreee and that if we all took prceedures and steps to help the water crisis then we could seriously revolutionize the distribution of water in the world today. I wish i had the motivation that he had to start something that would help a lot of people like he did. The water crisi effects millions of people just liike poverty and we know what we have to do but no one is stepping up to do it.
If the facts from the video are true, I’m not surprised we are running out of water so fast; like how we pump 15 times more ground water than the environment can replace. Also, we never think of when we put chemicals in water, to help the plants grow better, how we will never be able to get that fresh water back out, and it is totally wasted. The video also tells us that even though hydropower plants have many good sides, they also destroy the water. This is because when the water sits in the reservoir waiting to be flooded out, the heat from the sun warms up the water, killing most of the helpful bacteria, which many people don’t realize is happening; I know I didn’t until now.
I think it is just wronf that so many people have to die because of how our world’s watwr is distrivuted. Most of the world’s water is owned by different companies which makes it extremelly hard for a lot of under developed countries to gain access ro this water. To help try and fix this issue, I don’t leave the water on when im brushing my teeth, I try not to take really long showers and I just try to conserve anyhing that I can. I think it was really great that the kid tried to help people when he was just six years old and was able to give people wells of fresh water.
I Agree i don’t ever leave the water on when I’m brushing my teeth or even shaving. i feel like people are inconsiderate and people are just like I’m using my water and it couldn’t go anywhere else i am happy with what i have and feel bad when people buy me stuff and that like i feel bad if people don’t have the money but they buy it anyway.
I feel like this is more of a problem in other countries. When it finally comes here we will be more worried. But for now alot of us will just ignore it. I really do not believe it until something actually happens. So I really dont care.
I feel bad for all of the people that don’t have access to clean water. The most touching part of this movie was the part about how the mom took the water key thing to work with her and left the kids with no water. Then the house caught on fire and the two girls died because they had no water and none of the neighbors wanted to use their ration of water to stop the house from burning down. Hearing that was very sad and heartbreaking. I have never realized how desperate so many people are for something so simple like water. To save water i turn off the running water while i’m brushing my teeth and take quick showers!
This issue we have with not having enough water is terrible, and that water is considered a good all though it is essential for life. It’s sad that people die over not having water, or like the young girls mentioned in the film died in a fire because their neighbors didn’t have the water to save them. I think we are very fortunate that we don’t have these kinds of problems (to that extent) in the US. Things need to change so that water is available to all and it isn’t owned. This film was very eye opening as many films are in this class and make me want to change the way I go about wasting water in a sense because I really do take it for granted like many people in this country.
It is really sad that people dont have any water and i feel water should be equally distributed amoung everyone. We could have it controlled by population by a certain percentage could go to a certain amount of the population. The control of water is vital so there should be laws and regulations passed limiting the amount of water controll a particular area or government has. In this way there is more even water distributuion and control.
Today when we watched the movie it talked about how in South Africa people have to obviously pay for their water. But the catch is the water gets turned on once a week, without notice. The South African people have to constantly turn their water faucets on and see if there is any water. When there is no water, air just comes out of the faucet. Even air pouring out cost these people money. It’s very expensive for them to get water and it’s not fair. You need water to survive, and especially in the poorer countries, they shouldn’t have to pay for their water; let alone be charged when air is coming out of the faucet. I also really liked how they showed people trying to make a difference, especially the one kid who started when he was just 6 years old. I save water by turning it off when I brush my teeth and I tend to take quick showers. I also think people should cut back on baths; showers are faster and they use less water.
It really surprised me that only 3% of the world’s water is fresh and the rest is salt water. What I don’t understand is if people are able to convert salt water into usable drinking water, why is everyone making a huge deal about the water crisis. I guess control of the water would be an issue. And if everyone found out how to do it, it would slow down the economy. But it would really help the third world countries who get sick because of the dirty water that they drink.
I thought the story of Ryan’s Well Foundation was really nice. He started off as just a little kid who wanted to raise $70 to buy a well to pump clean water for people who need it to drink. That $70 flourished into over $2 million to help the water crisis around the world. If everyone would do what Ryan did, the crisis would decrease by a lot.
I feel like a lot of the things we have learned about through documentaries in economics are issues that are just not being thought through logically, which upsets me because the people that are supposed to be our greatest leaders in the world can’t even logically think through issues that affect millions of people, such as poverty or the water crisis. What we learned today in the documentary was that basically, countries, such as the United States, use water that is both found and needed by other countries in order to produce crops and goods and complete tasks that are only going to be undersold, unappreciated, or unaccomplished. This seems like such a waste. Why waste money on goods and services that are not being used to the fullest potential and apply that excess of water and energy to the people whose lives literally depend on it. Also, they state pretty clearly that the state pays for its citizens health care but will not pay for properly sanitized water. However, the government as a result of this then pays for all citizen’s health care after they suffer some of the many consequences of drinking the polluted water. Why not just use the money to prevent the issue in the first place, as opposed to using the money to solve the problem, just completely exterminate the problem.
I feel like this water crisis is being turned into a much more complex situation than it needs to be. We dissect this issue into a million other issues and dumfound ourselves with having to come up with a million solutions. Really, it’s just one issue. Today in the video i learned that we’re apparently accomplishing some epic winning by forcing poor countries to export and become super dependent on us. Also, I thought it was interesting to learn that in Chinese water and control are the same symbol. It’s obvious that water is an important part of our economiy and society, but I think we’re going about this Water Crisis in the wrong mindset. How can you look at the equil distribution and saving of water economically, when really it should be done scientifically. Water is just hydrogen and oxygen, and law of conservation basically says that there’s a cycle, and i feel like if there was enough water at one point, there is always going to be enough water but we just aren’t taking the right procedures to obtain it.
It’s heartbreaking to know that people have to die because they don’t have clean water. Water is something that Americans have so much of and take advantage of everyday. We use large amounts in our everyday chores like washing clothes, washing dishes, taking showers, brushing our teeth, etc. , so we never think how lucky we are to actually have water to do things like that. There should never be a reason for why anyone should have to sit and watch a house burn down because there is no water to put the fire out with. It makes me want to do something and find a way to help, but I know it is going to be hard.
After watching this video and actually seeing what people are going through to get clean water to drink and that we take advantage of the water we are provided with everyday. Using all of this water on our daily activities around the house uses and wastes water that could be providing someone stuggling to get water to drink.
This video has impacted me on how Americans have it good and other countries sturggling cant not even afford to get a drink of clean fresh water. water is needed for survival and the earth is losing water. we need to replensih the earth with rain water to get some of that water back. the kid who wanted to help with the well project and provieded them with the well and started his own foundation was a really cool way to get involved with this problem, and he started it at a young age to make a big impact in the world today.
I think that we should help more countries get more water in them. What I mean by that is instead of them having no water and just die, we should help them with water. It would help us and hopefully them in return.
I feel pretty bad that alot of people in th world cant afford water. I can turn on the water at my house and i take that for granted alot of the time. I never reliazed alot of people dont have that luxury. I would like to start a fundraiser, sorta like ryan wells and help many people out.
Its horrible that people are treated this way. It kind of feels like I’m torn about the subject. On one hand, I feel so bad for all of those people and wish they could get all the water and food they need and more, but there’s the other side of me that realizes this system helps the United States and many other countries’ economies. It also helps with population control. Morally, I feel very bad when I say something like that, but that’s the way the world and its economy works. I think people haveso many problems with it because it is not morally correct, but business wise… it’s perfect.
Another thing is that we could fix this promble, easily. If some people stop being greeded and actually lend a helping hand we can help people. Its heart breaking people go days at a time without water or food. This is defintly a promble we need to fix.
It is scary to think that the world’s clean and pure water sources are quickly depleteing. I remeber when my dad would tell me about this when I was around five or six and I was too young to understand what he meant. Last year in English I wrote my research paper on desalination, so I know a lot about it. I really like the idea, but when it comes to companies owning water, using desalination may help them. Only rich people/companies would be able to invest in desalination, so they would take it upon themselves to own it and not give it to anyone else. People are very cruel like that, but like I said in my previous comment, that is how business works these days. The answer to the water crisis that I like more than desalination is the one briefly shown on the video. It showed how people would come to volunteer and dig huge holes in the ground to save the water and give more water to the people in their little village. I think this idea is very smart and may very well work. The main issues needing to be fixed is that there needs to be a perfect middle reached between both sides so no one is extremely getting hurt. The sad part is that this probably will never happen. People are too greedy. Once someone gets what they want want, they want more. In other words, “When you give someone an inch, they try to take a mile.”
I think it’s really eye opening that a little kid like Ryan can save so many lives by coming up with a way to give them clean water. And starting at such a young age too. It kinda makes me angry that the government, who has taken control over so many other issues hasn’t stepped in to help take care of the most valuable resource that we have.