H2O

Water has been a major theme throughout all our travels. We have seen lots of lakes, frozen glaciers and even drank from many rivers and waterfalls in Torres del Paine. Last night as we toasted Christmas eve and the beauty of the lake district with the hotel owner, we got into a long discussion about the next limited resource of the world - WATER.

The hotel owner, Anibal, in Bariloche was a bit tipsy when we asked for a cup of wine. Laura actually just wanted one cup. Anibal looked around the bar and could only offer us liquor. When he realized we were interested in wine, in a loud voice, he said VINO and then went ahhhh! He left the bar and headed to the private area of the hotel where he and his family live. He came back with two glasses and a bottle of white wine that he claimed was very good. We only wanted one cup, but he insisted on pouring us two and leaving the bottle. This was not a matter of poor Spanish, but rather his already inebriated state. After pouring the two glasses, we invited him to join us. Little did we know that he would then offer his monologue on the politics of water.

This was not the first time during our Patagonian travels that water was the focus of conversation. In fact, during our tour of the Perrito Moreno glacier in El Calafate, our guide talked about how scientists were measuring the glacier to note if it was receding at a rate faster than it should, due to global warming. Ultimately, we learned that in fact the world is in a glacial period where all glaciers should be receding. Therefore, it is not a concern that they are shrinking. The concern stems from the rate at which it is happening. Still scientists argue over the topic and there is no clear conclusion. Regardless, our guide emphasized, that whether the rate of recession was too high or normal it is important in the world to conserve water. The world is something like 85% water. Of this 85% there is something like 2-3% of fresh water. Much of this fresh water is contained in the various glaciers of the world. The other are in lakes and streams, of which many have been polluted and contaminated. Therefore, simple acts in everyday life, like deciding not to wash your car every week/day or to water the lawn, etc...in the long run can make a difference. His was a message of conservation and the importance of water.

Anibal on the other hand spoke of the politics of water. His discussion focused on the power of the US. His point was that currently we are in a phase of fighting over oil = Iraq. This is no revelation. But, the next wars and power will be fought over fresh water. Argentina is filled with clean fresh water resources, from large deep lakes, to giant systems of glaciers. He also mentioned that the US was talking with Argentina about buying water. He joked about the power of the US. That if the US wanted water all they really needed to do was demand it, and any country would agree. If a country did not agree then he surmised a war would happen and the US would bully its way to the water. Therefore, to avoid the big bully anyone would agree. Not a very favorable view of the US, but most likely a realistic one.

Then he told us something that seemed implausible (mind you the whole time he was drunk and getting drunker). He said that Japan a couple of years ago had bought a chunk of a glacier from Argentina. They brought a huge cargo ship, filled it with the 10,000 year old glacial ice and then shipped it across the ocean. If this is true, this is ridiculous. Who has the right to sell a chunk of a 10,000 year old glacier? I understand that there are millions of people in Japan and that it is a small country with limited resources, but come on...shipping a chuck of a glacier across a salty ocean...WOW. So I researched it and found absolutely nothing on googol and major new sites. So, who knows...this might just be one drunk man's conspiracy theories. Regardless, with the world's need for fresh water, something like this may not be far off.

In my search an interesting site came up: http://www.worldwaterwars.com/

Water is vital and so many of us do not drink enough. It helps us think cleared and our body/organs function properly. Therefore, drink lots, but waste not.

The wine he shared with us was pretty good and regardless of the truth of Anibals words, the conversation was thought provoking.