Presenter(s): Miles Evans − Music, Humanities
Faculty Mentor(s): Mark Carey
Poster 150
Research Area: Natural Science, Social Science, Political Science
Water and climate change are inextricably linked on numerous levels: ecological, experiential, and political, to name a few. In the Peruvian Andes, climate change has had a profound impact on hydrology, which has in turn threatened the water supply of indigenous agricultural peoples. In the early 1990s, growing water scarcity provoked persistent criticism of the ability of Andean governments to provide water to their people, effectively paving the way for water privatization in the Andes, an effort spearheaded by the World Bank (WB). Although privatization has since been dismantled in countries such as Bolivia and Ecuador, it has more often endured despite various public protests, such as those in Lima and Santiago. These protests decry both the failure of private corporations to provide quality, affordable water and the growing political sway of multinational corporations in the Andes. This paper will analyze WB documents on climate change, water scarcity, water privatization, and Peruvian hydrology alongside academic articles on these same subjects (as well as on indigenous perspectives and political agency) in order to assess and criticize the WB’s arguments for water privatization. The stated rationale and intent of the WB will be compared to its apparent impact on Andean water supplies and to various indigenous criticisms. In particular, this paper will explore the following criticisms of the WB’s efforts in water privatization: they undermines indigenous political agency, have not meaningfully improved water supply, and espouse a free-market fundamentalist approach that is conducive to climate change.