Conflict and political polarization have negative effects on both the environment and drinking water quality. Even as these sources of life degrade, the public's concern often remains focused on political and legal arenas. However, shared interest in the long term health and viability of sources of water has been shown to transcend the deepest political chasms and to have potential to bring combatants and partisans together. Shared governance of water can foster new political bonds and environmental possibilities.

 

This talk explores environmental peacebuilding through examples from the Jordan River Valley, which is shared and contested by Israelis, Jordanians, and Palestinians.  Efforts to save the Jordan River have also appealed to global religious traditions and rituals. Transborder and bipartisan water diplomacy has a longer tradition in North America, but even benchmark legislation like the US Clean Water Act has fallen prey to partisan politics. How can water protection help American communities to understand stresses on finite resources, advocate for human and ecosystem health, and find ways to co-create mutually beneficial governance systems amidst the extreme events of accelerated climate change?

 

Bio:

Rachel Havrelock is a professor in the Department of English at the University of Illinois at Chicago.  Her book The Joshua Generation: Israeli Occupation and the Bible (Princeton University Press) tells the story of how the Bible became militarized yet still holds lessons for de-escalation and cohabitation.  An earlier book River Jordan: The Mythology of a Dividing Line (University of Chicago Press) explores the formation of contested borders in the Middle East and their impact on transboundary water. While conducting research for River Jordan Rachel became involved in environmental peacebuilding with the Israeli-Palestinian-Jordanian NGO Ecopeace Middle East. Learning how to bring people together to understand and protect shared sources of water inspired her to create The Freshwater Lab in Chicago.  The Freshwater Lab pursues research, teaching, and public events that advocate for justice and ecosystem health around the North American Great Lakes. Its work has received awards from Friends of the Chicago River, the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters, Freshwater Future, and the US Department of State.