For whom the well tolls: Why we must price water

Global Water Crisis and Chilean Case Study

• Scale of Water Stress: Roughly half of humanity faces highly water-stressed conditions for at least one month annually, suffering from either drought or floods.
• Climate Impact: Over the past two decades, approximately 1.5 billion people have been afflicted by flooding, with a similar number affected by drought; climate change is projected to increase the severity and frequency of both.
• Future Projections: The World Bank estimates global freshwater supply per capita will fall by 29% by the end of the century compared to 2000 levels, with African nations facing a potential two-thirds reduction.
• Chile's Specific Situation:
  • Chile is the most water-stressed country in South America, experiencing severe drought and conflict between farmers and "water thieves" stealing from irrigation canals.
  • Santiago's capital water supply is currently adequate but is projected to become insufficient within a decade.
  • Historical policy failures include granting landowners unlimited, free rights to pump groundwater, resulting in sustainable over-extraction and a lack of economic incentives to conserve.
  • Social Unrest: Water scarcity has already triggered massive social riots in Chile and is driving localized conflicts in the African Sahel between herders and farmers over dwindling resources.
  • Geopolitical Tension: The construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile is causing diplomatic friction with Egypt, exacerbated by Egypt's massive water waste due to free pricing for farmers.
• Economic Solutions and Barriers:
  • Australia Model: Australia successfully uses a market-based system where farmers buy and sell water entitlements; the government purchases water to reduce supply and raise prices, incentivizing conservation and technology adoption (e.g., drip irrigation).
  • Political Polarization: Implementing water pricing faces resistance from conservatives who view it as a plot to destroy farming livelihoods and from left-wing groups who frame water as a human right rather than a commodity.
  • Future Outlook: The report predicts that while many countries will delay pricing water, migration will become inevitable as industries (e.g., Chilean wine) relocate to wetter areas and people flee drought or flood zones.

U.S. Immigration Shift to Northern Borders

• Surge Statistics: Border Patrol encounters with migrants crossing between official ports of entry along the U.S.-Canada border have surged to over 19,000 since last October, a significant increase from 900 in the same period of 2021.
• Migration Patterns:
  • The "Swanton Sector" (a 300-mile stretch in northern New York) is a primary crossing point for migrants traveling south from Montreal.
  • Most migrants cross near Champlain, New York, and congregate at bus stops in Plattsburgh to travel to major cities like New York or Boston.
  • Demographics: The majority of individuals crossing illegally at the northern border are from Mexico and India.
  • Fatalities: The route has proven deadly, with at least a dozen migrants dying and their bodies recovered frozen in rivers or fields over the past two years.
• Policy Feedback Loops:
  • Migration flows are fluid; increased enforcement or policy tightening at the southern border (e.g., Biden's June 2023 asylum eligibility changes) has correlated with jumps in northern border apprehensions.
  • Smuggling networks are actively rerouting migrants to the north in response to restrictions in the south.
• Recent Policy Adjustments:
  • Canada tightened the 2002 border agreement in 2023 to return migrants who claim asylum at unofficial entry points, effectively closing the "Roxham Road" loophole and reversing flow direction.
  • Canada implemented a visa requirement for Mexican travelers in February 2024.
  • The Biden administration has recently tightened northern border asylum policies to mirror southern border restrictions.
• Local Impact: The crisis is largely "invisible" due to the vast border area and lack of NGOs, causing friction with local farmers (e.g., in Champlain) and straining bus station infrastructure in Plattsburgh with groups waiting hours in poor conditions.

Obituary: Helen Fisher (1944–2024)

• Scientific Contribution: Biological anthropologist Helen Fisher spent decades researching the evolutionary biology of romantic love, confirming it as a distinct, hardwired brain system rather than a cultural construct.
• Neurological Findings:
  • MRI studies of 17 freshly in-love subjects showed intense activity in the ventral tegmental area (associated with reward and craving) when viewing their partner's photos.
  • Brain activity was even stronger in individuals recently dumped, indicating that the loss of a partner triggers intense longing and reward-seeking behavior.
  • Subjects in the study reported thinking about their partner "all day, all night," and all claimed they would die for them, highlighting the obsession characteristic of romantic love.
• Fisher Temperament Inventory:
  • Collaborating with Match.com, Fisher categorized humans into four distinct personality types based on dominant neurotransmitters/hormones:
    • High Dopamine: Creative, inspiring, risk-taking.
    • High Serotonin: Conservative, traditionalist.
    • High Testosterone: Logical, tough-minded, decisive.
    • High Estrogen: Caring, nurturing, attentive listeners.
  • The resulting inventory is used globally in over 40 countries for relationship management, team building, and workplace dynamics.
• Personal Life: Fisher was married four times; her final marriage at age 75 was to a journalist who had reported on her work. She maintained that scientific knowledge of love's "ingredients" did not diminish the personal joy of experiencing it.