August 30, 2002, Water Management?

August 30, 2002

Commentary: Water Management?

By Philippe Cousteau

About two months ago the Philippe Cousteau Foundation was asked to help
school systems in South Florida develop an educational curriculum for over
one million 14 through 18 year old students. Our task was to create an
educational documentary. I gathered my team together and, in the spirit of
my father’s films, we set out on an expedition to explore a very special
part of Florida. Little did I know that what initially seemed a
straightforward investigation of a national treasure unique to South Florida
would eventually lead me to explore issues that are significant to all of
us.

When most people think of Florida they think of roller coasters, golf
courses and Mickey Mouse. Many of them don’t realize that there is something
more precious, more beautiful and more incredible than any theme park. In
fact when people stand under the shadow of Epcot Center, most of them have
no idea that they are standing at the headwaters of one of the most unique
and awe-inspiring environments in the world; the Florida Everglades.

In essence one huge river the Everglades varies in depth from one half to
two feet. Often referred to as the river of grass, the Everglades extends
hundreds of miles from above Lake Okeechobee (the big lake in the middle of
South Florida) south to the bottom of Florida otherwise known as Florida
Bay. At one point in the late 19th century the Everglades covered an area
8.9 million acres in size. Now it is half of that and most of what remains
is rapidly disappearing. The usual suspects are to blame, population growth,
agricultural and industrial pollution, and the concept known as “water
management” or the control of water resources for human consumption. It is
this last aspect that has had the most effect on the Everglades and
countless systems around the world, often because the managers have the
interests of money at heart not the environment or future generations.
Consequently the Everglades are dying, dozens of plants and animals are
either threatened or endangered, including the majestic Florida Panther of
which only 60 remain. In our arrogance we often feel we could do a better
job than nature and as usual we can’t.

“What does this have to do with me” you ask? Well, it’s simple; although the
Everglades may seem far away; there is one thing that brings it close to
home for all of us, one issue which we are struggling to deal with WATER!
The plight of the Everglades highlights an issue that we are dealing with
all over the world. As population increases and water source decreases the
question of what to do is more and more pressing. In the past it the answer
has usually been to ignore the problem and hope it goes away. But this is no
longer a viable solution.

Water is a dwindling resource all over the world; in fact the United Nations
estimates that over 1 billion people do not have access to fresh water and
today there are just over 6 billion people on the planet, what will we do in
50 years when there will be an estimated 10 billion people? Many foreign
policy experts speculate that the next big war in the Middle East will be in
large part due to water rights.

There is hope however; already there are massive restoration efforts
underway to help restore the Everglades and water management agencies are
struggling to learn how to successfully and sustainably manage our
resources. As I have been learning over that last month of filming,
everything is interconnected and challenges which we face in one region may
not be as isolated as we has once thought. We have learned a lot from our
mistakes.

I only hope that we will use such knowledge more wisely than we have in
the past.

As always, I welcome your comments.

Philippe Cousteau is President of the Philippe Cousteau Foundation. For more
information on this article or the Philippe Cousteau Foundation, please
visit our web site at http://www.cousteaufoundation.org

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