Archbishop Bernardito Ausa, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the UN, made a speech at the UN Security Council, the central theme of which was the problem of shortage of drinking water.
In particular, Ausa, quoted by Radio Vatican, drew the attention of the audience to the paradox: despite the fact that water covers a third of the earth's surface, access to it is noticeably reduced. The representative of the Vatican identifies two main reasons for this: the geographical location of some regions and the poor management of water resources, which generates waste. “Environmental degradation” and “climate change”, which disrupt the hydrological cycle, also do not contribute to solving this problem.
According to the high-ranking prelate, it is the control over water by the largest international companies that risks becoming one of the causes of the military conflict.
The Vatican spokesman also focused on “the quality of water available to the poor,” noting that the growing trend to privatize water and turn it into a commodity “could seriously jeopardize the poor's access to drinking water.”
As "Vatican Radio" reminds, Pope Francis said that it was water that would cause the Third World War back in November 2014. In particular, speaking at the Rome office of FAO, he said that "this serious problem could lead to war."
Niva Mirakyan