Access to water is one of the defining challenges of our time. Due to the effects of
climate change and irrigation farming, rivers, lakes and other fresh water sources are drying up
around the globe. As a result, the climate, vegetation and species composition near these bodies
of water have changed. Water scarcity has also posed immense challenges for human health. As
sources of water disappear, some groups have turned to drinking contaminated water. Others
have turned to migration as a way of mitigating the effects of environmental change. By some
estimates, two-thirds of the world’s population will face water shortages by 2025.
This panel will bring together scholars working on the historical problem of water scarcity
around the globe in the 20th and 21st centuries. The topics to be discussed include water
governance and the politics of water access; the linkages between water scarcity and human
health; and the disproportionate effects of water shortages on the global south, indigenous
peoples and communities of color.