Water is essential to all life forms on this planet. It is a very finite and precious substance. As the human population explodes and ecosystems are destroyed, water sources are being contaminated and used beyond their capacities to be replenished. At current rates, the demand for fresh water will exceed supplies by over 50% in 2025. Traders are already transporting water from ares of abundance to areas of depletion. With the market as a guide, will this basic necessity be available only to those able to pay the price? This program features a panel discussion between Maude Barlow, a leading spokesperson in Canada on trade and biotechnology, Vandana Shiva, an internationally renowed environmental activist and scientist, and Tony Clarke, one of Canada's leading anti-globalization activists.

Maude Barlow
Maude Barlow is the National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians, Canada's largest public advocacy organization, and the co-founder of the Blue Planet Project, working internationally for the right to water. She is the recipient of the Lannan Cultural Freedom Fellowship Award, and the Right Livelihood Award, the alternative Nobel Prize. Author of many books, her latest is Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis.