Abstract
This chapter presents some central moral theories and differing worldviews as they relate to a particular case study in the authors’ home country – Canada’s boil water advisories. It may appear shocking to readers that a highly developed country still supports communities that rely on unsafe water that must be boiled before use. The chapter describes how this is the case and presents multiple perspectives – including the utilitarian, deontological, Indigenous, postmodern, and ecofeminist – relating to the ethics of boil water advisories. The argument is made that environmental decision making proceeds on the strength of both explicit as well as implicit value judgments. A new role for philosophers is proposed, requiring them to work in interdisciplinary settings with multiple communities as the water crisis advances and as conflicting, taken-for-granted assumptions and moral values require resolution.
Ensuring that everyone has the clean water they need to live and thrive has to be a high priority for all of us.
Hillary Rodman Clinton, US Secretary of State, World Water Day 2012
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Notes
- 1.
Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada has been reorganized, with Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, and Indigenous Services Canada, taking its place.
- 2.
See Indigenous Services Canada, https://www.sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1506514143353/1533317130660. Accessed 20 August 2019. Once long-term water treatment systems are installed, the declared boil water advisory is lifted, despite the fact that some systems break down within a year. In those cases, they are no longer deemed to be a government priority for repairs, since they do not constitute a “long-term” boil water advisory. Statistics do not reveal some of the complexities of the real story here.
- 3.
We are grateful to Jack Satzewich, master’s student in the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University, for providing some of the background research regarding boil water advisories in Canada.
- 4.
This is also connected to the Mni Wiconi, Water is Life movement, whose mission is “To create a global water protection action group that will support communities worldwide where the peaceful actions against the fossil fuel and related industries are happening. Encouraging people to support organizations, events and peaceful actions in their community. As Water is central to life and connected to all living things we are a group of concerned human beings intent upon bringing connection to communities from across the world in order to stand up to protect water for the benefit of present and future generations world wide.” www.waterislifemovement.com. Accessed 22 May 2019 [site is now defunct].
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Stefanovic, I.L., Atleo, C. (2021). Valuing Water. In: Stefanovic, I.L., Adeel, Z. (eds) Ethical Water Stewardship . Water Security in a New World. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49540-4_1
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