This novel presents the idea of a world where clean and drinkable water becomes a scarce resource. Not only is this novel foretelling a future without water, but one with conflict arising out a lack of resources due to climate change. I think the most impactful thing about this novel is how possible all of this seems. The book also centers on the main character aiming to be a tea master, which was kind of a strange concept for me to grasp that in all of this craziness there are people who want to master making tea. It was definitely a struggle for me to connect to the main character on that front.
Looking at the conflict that arose in Syria due to a lack of resources, it makes me really start to worry about how one of the biggest resources on our planet can be threatened by climate change. In the novel, water becomes a resource that is fought over like oil is today. Looking at the conflict described in the novel, it makes it seem so ridiculous that we fight over oil in the pursuit of money.
Water is something I've grown up with my entire life. Up until I moved to Kalamazoo, I have lived on a two different lakes, a river, and a large pond. It was something that both my parents held a large appreciation for. It's hard for me to imagine what I would have done if I didn't spend my summers swimming, fishing, boating, or having water gun fights in the water with friends. It's something that a lot of people take for granted, and brings a lot of happiness to a lot of people. I would be among the many saddened to see it become a cause of conflict, hatred, and sadness.
Looking at the conflict that arose in Syria due to a lack of resources, it makes me really start to worry about how one of the biggest resources on our planet can be threatened by climate change. In the novel, water becomes a resource that is fought over like oil is today. Looking at the conflict described in the novel, it makes it seem so ridiculous that we fight over oil in the pursuit of money.
I can definitely relate to your connection to water, I think we all can being from the great lakes states. I personally have never lived more than a block or so from Lake Huron my entire life and can't imagine what it would be like to see that water vanish. Today, water is an under appreciated resource that we all take for granted. It seems like this book would teach a great lesson about conservation.
ReplyDeleteI also lived near the water my entire life. I spent summers swimming in the freezing cold water of lake Michigan. It seems strange to me that the water supply could be such a problem when I have no connection to that. There's water everywhere in Traverse City. You can't go more than a mile or two without running into a beautiful freshwater lake. This situation is not true everywhere, however, and dwindling water supply could have a massive impact on millions of people worldwide. This book sounds kind of frightening in how accurate it could be.
ReplyDeleteThis made me think about how somebody who experiences these issues today would think about this book. Bill McKibben spoke about women in other countries who had to walk for miles to obtain waters for their families. They might not think this book is all that terrifying.
DeleteI think this book sounds really interesting because of its emerging relevancy in today's world. And not only is it just emerging in worldwide droughts, it is also projected to continue, as the book depicts. Water is one of our basic survival needs, and it'll be interesting to see where our currently reality with it takes us in the next few decades in social, health, and lifestyle issues.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely with you that people take for granted the clean water that we have and use everyday. This book seems like a good way to show on a large scale what would happen if the entire world stared to fight over water. What is interesting to me is that there are places in our country, like parts of California that are having water shortages. Another interesting take is to look at the people in Africa that are struggling to find sources of clean water to use. Looking at both of these issues that we already face on our planet can really be visualized through this book by the sounds of your description.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to imagine a world where water is that scarce, but after what we have learned in our class it doesn't seem as far-fetched of an idea as it used to. It is strange that the main character wants to be a tea master when there is no spare water to go around. Maybe this fact makes it seem like a prestigious career.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've read so far, that does seem to be most likely. They describe being a tea master as being bonded with water and death. This could be implying that tea masters might have control over water, i'll have to let you know once I finish.
DeleteJust the thought of people fighting over water scares me. Oil is definitely important, but not nearly as important as water is. People have no problem killing and going to war over oil, so I can not imagine what people could possibly do in order to get their hands on water. When life or death is on the line, people will go to extreme measures.
ReplyDeleteIt's strange that you mention the main character's ambition in the midst of all the chaos that seems to happen. Lacking water is certainly one of my biggest concerns, since water is used for most activities, as well as keeping us alive. With lacking water, the human race would be severely crippled, especially the poorer nations. I can certainly see conflicts over water happening if its scarcity increases.
ReplyDeletePeople are so willing to fight over resources (land, oil, ect.) nowadays, it deeply worries me how willing they will be to fight in the future. Things are only going to become scarcer from here on, and resources are only going to keep running out. It doesn't seem like it currently, but we can live without oil. We did in the past and we will again. However we cannot live without water. It's a vital part of every aspect of living (human/animal/plant/you name it). I can't imagine the wars that will break out and the number of emigrants and people that have to flee where they live because there simply aren't any resources there anymore.
ReplyDeleteIt will be fascinating to see the shift from fighting for oil to water in the near future. Water is one of the main elements to support life. Do you think the main character wanting to master making tea is significant for anything?
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