Dive in to Water Justice

As we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we look ahead to a world impacted by climate change and increased water crises. We know that the burden of inadequate access to safe water will continue to fall disproportionately on women, girls, and low-income communities.

Yet in places around the world, people are organizing and taking action to protect the human right to water and safeguard our precious water resources, like in Peru, where activists rally under the slogan, "Water is life."

California's historic water act

In California, where communities are grappling with a growing water crisis, the need for a human-right-to-water policy is urgent.

Over 150,000 Californians lack enough safe, affordable water for their drinking, food, and bathing needs. More than 11.5 million Californians rely on water suppliers that have faced at least one violation of state drinking water standards. The state lacks a statewide lifeline water rate, like those for energy and phone services. When costs become too high, families risk losing their water service entirely.

Under the leadership of Rev. Lindi Ramsden, the UU Legislative Ministry of California (UULMCA) and its working group Climate & Water Justice have created a California Water Justice Curriculum, an adaptation of UUSC's Water Justice Praxis. The UULMCA is one of the UU Statewide Advocacy Networks working at the state level to enact better water laws, supported by UUSC and the Unitarian Universalist Association.

The California Let Justice Flow curriculum is an exciting and informative way to learn about the water crisis and water justice issues affecting local communities in California - and what residents can do about them. Said Carolyn Purcell, UUSC trustee from California, "With one simple question — what happens if someone can't pay for their water? — a person can look into the billing practices of their water utility and understand the heart of the human right to water."

Packed with ideas, stories, and action, the curriculum supports the historic effort to adopt a human-right-to-water law in California, a state that boasts the tenth largest economy in the world and some of the wealthiest cities on the planet.

UUSC, as part of The Water Summit, a statewide network of grassroots environmental, social-justice, and human-rights groups, is pushing for the passage of AB 1242, the Human Right to Water Act of 2009.

If passed, AB 1242 would amend the State Water Code with a clear guarantee:

Every human being has the right to clean, affordable, and accessible water on an equitable basis, that is adequate for the health and well-being of the individual and family.

This legislation would represent a big step toward establishing the human right to water for all Americans, tipping the scale in favor of guaranteed human rights.