How Can Rain Create Conflict? Precipitation and Water Use: Crash Course Geography #11

If you compare precipitation around the world with population distribution we can understand a simple but powerful pattern of human geography: where there is water, there are people. But it gets a little more complicated because where there are people and limited resources, there is often conflict and bigger geographical questions at stake. So today, we’re going to zoom in and look more closely at how precipitation patterns around the Great Plains and the western United States has led to many conflicts involving the use and distribution of water resources.

***
Watch our videos and review your learning with the Crash Course App!

Thanks to the following patrons for their generous monthly contributions that help keep Crash Course free for everyone forever:

Aziz, Christine Phelan, Nick, DAVID MORTON HUDSON, Perry Joyce, Scott Harrison, Mark & Susan Billian, Junrong Eric Zhu, Alan Bridgeman, Jennifer Smith, Matt Curls, Tim Kwist, Jonathan Zbikowski, Jennifer Killen, Sarah & Nathan Catchings, Brandon Westmoreland, team dorsey, Trevin Beattie, Eric Koslow, Indika Siriwardena, Khaled El Shalakany, Shawn Arnold, Siobhán, Ken Penttinen, Nathan Taylor, William McGraw, Laura Damon, Andrei Krishkevich, Eric Prestemon, Jirat, Brian Thomas Gossett, Ian Dundore, Jason A Saslow, Justin, Jessica Wode, Mark, Caleb Weeks
__

Want to find Crash Course elsewhere on the internet?

[teethompson]

Privatizing water is a horrible idea!
Not everything should be for sale! It's bad enough we have to pay for water but selling control to the highest bidder is one of the scariest things I can think of.

[bastiens]

You missed the opportunity to have a great title: How rain precipitate conflicts

[Adalore]

privatizing water is just going to lead to more food desert situations, which is directly a man made problem to make things horrible for people. It is one of the many problems that cannot be solved with profit motive, well ethically at least, it'll just lead to water barons and exploitation.

[_SilverLynx]

I think you should have mentioned the Aral Sea situation. It would clearly illustrate the impact of mismanaged river water usage.

[thomasrogers]

Because when you live in a desert you become acutely aware of where your water comes from. When this happens it's easy to blame the lack of water on other people. When I lived in arizona I took particular issue with people who had real grass lawns.

[hosseinebrahimi]

I live in Iran and things are getting scary year by year. 4 days ago was our new year Nowruz and just at the minute that i had to be home with my family i had to spare some gallons of water to neighbours.

[johnfodge]

Why is the first reaction to resource scarcity from mismanagement or overuse always “Just give it to private investors” like that hasn't always caused more issues? We treat and sell our Earth like a harlot and someday we will have to pay it all back if we don't change our ways.

[kenatodd]

I'm so used to an abundance of water where I am that sometimes it's hard to think of it as a high conflict resource. I know it, like, intellectually, but sometimes I need the affectation to be revamped. Anyway, I love this crash course series 🧡🧡

[kigas]

Imagine having to ask if water is a human right (I realize that CrashCourse is posing this as a rhetorical question). The commoditization of water will undoubtedly lead to future wars.

[angelg.s.]

Uf, no privatizing natural resources, please!

[sherylb]

Why wouldn't we consider water a basic human right when the human body needs it for survival of life. Why is this still a question in 2021? Oh right LOL humans, money & politics

[LoganT]

I thought this was going to be an econometrics video! I love how this was covered from a geographical view point

[jacobh]

Privatizing water is a terrible idea... Just based on how it doesn't really solve the problem of inequity.

[AntonioKatan]

People: We don’t have enough water to live!
America: STONKS?

[ericgonzales]

Wow the hunger games doesn’t seem so odd to me now

[uurn]

The Glen Canyon dam is a cultural atrocity that destroyed important archeological sites, pristine ecological habitat, unique canyons, and is so far away from any major cities that is provides little, actually useful water. It is a basin used to evaporate the colorado river for the mere folly of man. The colorado river scarcely even reaches the gulf of California, and even when it does it comes much less like a river but rather like a trickle of polluted pee. I think this kind water misuse needs to be discussed and contrasted to what colonizers are doing with the water, especially in settler countries like the US.

[outside]

If they get that new desalination method rolling that would change everything

[HuminBeenz]

This has been the best refresher for my physical geography class!

[thomassourie]

When I saw the title I just thought of One Piece & Alabasta

[outside]

I'm just glad I'm British where we rarely even get a hose pipe ban