As far back as I can remember, water was a right, and right there for the drinking. When I was a kid, I would turn the knob and cool, clear H2O would just come out, as much as I could want.

Water covers 71% of the Earth’s surface and is recognized as one of the absolutely essential elements in the development of life as we know it…meaning without water, we wouldn’t be here. Due to climate change, that staple of human life is becoming a bit harder to come by.

Check this factoid from the EPA:

All regions of the world show an overall net negative impact of climate change on water resources and freshwater ecosystems. Areas in which runoff is projected to decline are likely to face a reduction in the value of the services provided by water resources. The beneficial impacts of increased annual runoff in other areas are likely to be tempered in some areas by negative effects of increased precipitation variability and seasonal runoff shifts on water supply, water quality and flood risks (IPCC, 2007)

This means that due to climate change, water is becoming a precious commodity. While over 90 percent of the world delivers water as a public utility, water privatization is on the rise in poorer countries and now in stressed areas of the US, as the climate of our planet steadily changes.

By 2013, thirty six states will experience some sort of water shortage. And the enterprising businessmen of America would love to step in and charge us to supply fresh water, even though the industrial pollution of our waterways (often by the same businessmen who support privatization) is a primary factor in the climate change that is leading to these water shortages!

The effects of privatization on lower income communities are drastic. Water bills skyrocket and invariably, the city runs dry. Check this real life story, entitled “Water Warriors”:

You’d think that if you’re paying high prices for a substance as fundamental as water that it’d be pristine and non-toxic. According to a recent report by the New York Times, that isn’t always true. Forty percent of community water systems have violated the Safe Drinking Water Act on – at least – one occasion, which is a startling factor.

So, we could look at it this way: we could purchase overpriced, potentially polluted water from multinational corporations or we could urge the administration to rexamine and come down on climate change profiteers, who purchase and poison the water systems of our communities.

Some things are too priceless to sell, and it is an affront to all Americans that we would be required to pay a privately owned company for what is, in affect, the ability to stay alive, if the climate keeps changing. That isn’t consumer choice, that’s piracy, and the question is, what are we going to do about it? Will we stand back and accept corporate control of our very ability to live and breathe?

It’s our call, and it’s about time we make it.

Take Action: the Public Citizen Foundation’s Activists’ Guide to Fight Water Privatization is an introductory guide to organizing against water privatization in your community. Get informed and get involved!

The League of Young Voters Education Fund is a youth run non-profit, organizing in urban and low income communities around green jobs, marriage equality and health care reform. LYVEF makes civic engagement relevant by meeting young people where they are, working on issues that affect their lives, and providing them with tools, training, and support to become viable players in the civic process.

This December, President Obama will join world leaders in Copenhagen to craft an international treaty to reduce global warming emissions. We know that to get a strong treaty, the U.S. will have to be a strong voice for change and lead the way.

President Obama’s started the ball rolling, but he’ll need a solid team behind him. Already, he’s called for strong action from Congress and world leaders. This past month, his administration also proposed new rules to decrease global warming pollution from cars and the biggest factories and power plants.

Now, we need to help by sending him to Copenhagen with victories that show the U.S. is ready to lead the way and the public support to call for bold international action. That’s why, the week leading up to the October 24 International Day of Action, we will be filming thousands of videos to Make it End in 2010!

Join the Student PIRGs for this week of action by creating your own video for Obama, your Senator, and the EPA.

Check out the sample above: then upload your videos to YouTube and tag them with “MakeItEndin2010”. Then, we’ll send them to Obama, the EPA, and the United States Senate.

Both in the U.S. and abroad, 2010 is the year where we have more opportunities than ever to get significant action on global warming. World leaders will begin to implement the next international treaty to reduce emissions; the Obama administration’s proposals to reduce emissions from vehicles, factories and power plants will all be finalized. In addition, if we don’t get a climate bill this fall, the Senate will vote on a climate bill at the beginning of 2010. We have the solutions to this global problem now, it’s high time we put them to work. So, help us “Make it End in 2010!”

The Student PIRGs (Public Interest Research Groups) are a network of nonpartisan student-directed and student-funded organizations working on over 200 college campuses in 25 states to solve public interest problems and increase civic engagement. We work to increase the youth vote, tackle global warming, make education more affordable, address homelessness and more. Over 10,000 students get involved in our projects every year – visit us at www.studentpirgs.org for more on what we do.