The documentary emphasized the importance of water to both human society and natural ecosystems, outlined the normal water cycle, absent human interference, and went on to describe the ways governments and private companies try to control water, as well as the ways grassroots activists organize in defense of water rights. All of these components of the video offered context for the overarching theme, which was water scarcity. I found the ecology of overcompensation interesting, as the video explained that overpumping of groundwater supplies leads to desertification of the surrounding area, and that when the land can no longer absorb moisture, precipitation runs off into the ocean, contributing to more severe storms. In regards to water management policy, I was somewhat surprised to learn that international organizations like the UN defined water as a commodity, not a right. The example offered of the World Bank refusing to finance a water co-op in Bolivia, and subsequently trying to force Bolivia to privatize their national water system, leading to an actual civil war, was shocking. Furthermore, the way the private sector unsustainably exploits water supplies elsewhere around the world for short-term profits, even going so far as to bribe government officials, was frustrating to hear about.
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