Video

This page contains a hand-picked selection of media about water and related topics. All videos embedded on this page are closed captioned and can be expanded for full-screen viewing. For videos not closed captioned, links have been provided to external websites for full viewing.

^{Note: If you would like to suggest media to include on this page, send us a link. (Please, don't send actual video files. Thanks.) We appreciate recommendations that meet web accessibility standards and include closed captioning.}  

Amanpour, Christine, and Robert Kennedy, Jr. Discuss the Growing Global Water Crisis

http://youtu.be/slS_27e5FyU

CC:  Yes

^Description:

^{Journalist Christine Amanpour interviews founder and president of the Waterkeeper Alliance, and one of the world's leading environmentalists, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., on the subject of how the world should deal with the developing water crisis.  Official blog website: http://amanpour.blogs.cnn.com}

 
Beneath the Surface: An Earthfix Special
http://video.kcts9.org/video/2364998783/
http://youtu.be/RarpWRay-3k [CC]

Director/Author: Katie Campbell
Source: PBS KCTS / YouTube
Runtime: 00:26:46
HD:  Yes
CC:  Yes

^Description:

^{Although our treasured Northwest waters appear pristine, they are threatened by a host of concerns. Dive beneath the surface with EarthFix to learn about the unseen dangers and their impacts.}

   
Blue Gold: World Water Wars
http://youtu.be/B1a3tjqQiBI

Director/Author: Sam Bozzo, Mark Achbar, and Si Litvinoff
Source: YouTube; also available Grossmont Library: Streaming
Video [log-in required]
Runtime: 01:29:44
HD:  No
CC:  Yes

^Description:

^{Wars of the future will be fought over water as they are over oil today, as the source of human survival enters the global marketplace and political arena. Corporate giants, private investors, and corrupt governments vie for control of our dwindling supply, prompting protests, lawsuits, and revolutions from citizens fighting for the right to survive. Past civilizations have collapsed from poor water management. Can the human race survive? Award-winning featured documentary narrated by Malcolm McDowell. Global warming is an issue of how we live, while the water crisis is an issue of if we live.  Official website for the film: Director/Author: http://www.bluegold-worldwaterwars.com/}

  
California Dry: Water Crisis in the Golden State

Director/Author: Films For the Humanities and Sciences/CBC Learning (2008)
Source: Grossmont Library: Streaming Video [log-in required]
Runtime: 00:21:39
HD:  No
CC:  No

^Description:

^{As fresh water sources dwindle in the arid American Southwest, California faces growing difficulty in managing and sustaining its irrigation infrastructure. This program analyzes the multifaceted problem, sifting through environmental and political factors and assessing a number of potential solutions. Beginning its fact-finding tour at the Water Education Foundation in Sacramento, the film highlights challenges related to levees, marine tidewaters, and endangered species in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Controversial desalinization projects near Long Beach and San Diego are also studied, along with “toilet to tap” sewage water conversion in Orange County. Original CBC broadcast title: California Dry.}

 
Captured Rain: America’s Thirst for Canadian Water 

Director/Author: Jerry Thompson/Films For the Humanities and Sciences (2000)
Source: Grossmont Library: Streaming Video [log-in required]
Runtime: 00:47:30
HD:  No
CC:  No [transcript available]

^{Description: }

^{As current sources of fresh water become increasingly inadequate to support the needs of North America below the Canadian border, the U.S. and Mexico are looking toward their northern neighbor for relief. This program examines the political and commercial ramifications of NAFTA on the bulk export of water, as well as initiatives to conserve and recycle fresh water in the Sun Belt and in northern Mexico. Former senator Paul Simon, environmentalist Richard Bocking, agronomist Wendy Holm, trade negotiators, lawyers, and others discuss the growing geopolitical tension surrounding the commodification of water.}

 
The Cycle of Insanity: The Real Story of Water 
https://vimeo.com/10328536
http://youtu.be/espNKMCZ1kU [CC]

Director/Author: Surfrider Foundation
Source: Vimeo
Runtime: 00:19:43
HD:  No
CC:  Yes

^Description:

^{A short, animated film made by a collaboration of creative and dedicated volunteers at the Surfrider Foundation. Several local Surfrider Foundation chapters combined their talents and funds to create the film. Actor Zuleikha Robinson (Lost) generously agreed to narrate it. The premise of the film is that the water cycle we all learned about in the 4th grade has been dramatically altered over time, leaving us with a broken system that wastes water and energy, pollutes our natural waterways, harms critical marine life, and poorly deals with flooding and other water management problems. The film serves to take a holistic look at water management, highlight controversial problems, and suggest solutions that integrate multiple economic and environmental benefits.}

 
Defending Democracy and the Water Rights: Maude Barlow

Director/Author: The Green Interview (Silver Donald Cameron, 2013)
Source: Grossmont Library: Streaming Video [log-in required]
Runtime: 01:02:22
HD:  No
CC:  No [transcript available]

^Description:

^{This episode of The Green Interview (2013) features Maude Barlow, a Canadian environmental activist and author who argues that water is the next oil. As chair of the Council of Canadians, Barlow led a public fight against the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in the 1980s and for over a decade, she has focused her boundless energy on a crisis of global proportions: the looming world- wide water shortage, which is accelerated by free-trade deals that privatize water. She says the Canadian government’s new free-trade deal with Europe signs away people’s water rights and gives up local control over provision of water and other provincial-municipal services. In this Green Interview, Barlow discusses the world’s dwindling water supplies and explains the implications of CETA— Canada’s tentative Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with Europe.}

 
Evening Edition: The Battle over San Diego Water Rates
http://youtu.be/zxewC9WPFyY

Director/Author: KPBS San Diego
Source: YouTube
Runtime: 00:28:26
HD:  No
CC:  Yes

^Description:

^{A look at the local water authority's claims about a "secret society" that's fixing water prices and surfers' battle over the perfect wave in Baja.  Original Air Date:  March 5, 2012.}

 
The Fight for California's Fresh Water: America's Water Crisis
Part 3 of 3: 

Director/Author: VICE
Source: YouTube
Runtime: 00:11:41
HD:  Yes
CC:  Yes

^Description:

^{In the Golden State of California, freshwater in the San Joaquin Valley is on the brink of disappearance. Governor Jerry Brown's proposal for a peripheral canal is reigniting centuries-old battles over water rights, and environmentalists, citizens, and billionaires alike are all vying for control over California's water supply. In the final episode of a three part series, Emerson Rosenthal gets his inner Erin Brockovich on as he investigates a water war that could potentially destroy access to California's drinking water for millions. Welcome to California, ground zero of America's water crisis.
Official series website: http://bit.ly/VICE-Documentaries}

 
Fresh Water Scarcity: An Introduction To the Problem
http://youtu.be/otrpxtAmDAk

Director/Author: Christiana Z. Peppard
Source: YouTube
Runtime: 00:19:43
HD:  No
CC:  Yes

^Description:

^{Fresh water is essential for life—and there's not nearly enough of it for the world right now. Why is that, and what could we do? Christiana Z. Peppard lays out the big questions of our global water problem.  And, no, shorter showers are not the answer.  Lesson by Christiana Z. Peppard; animation by Jeremy Collins.}

 
The Last Drop: Is the World Running Out of Water?

Director/Author: Radio Netherlands Television/Films For the Humanities and Sciences (Narrated by Tony Wilkinson, 1997)
Source: Grossmont Library: Streaming Video [log-in required]
Runtime: 00:53:30
HD:  Yes
CC:  No [transcript available]

^Description:

^{Water shortages contribute to many regional conflicts worldwide. Only two-and-a-half percent is fresh, and it is therefore a precious commodity. This documentary illustrates how the worsening problem of global water shortage leads to regional political and social conflicts, destruction of economies, and famine. Beginning in the Middle East, we see how diversion of water to Israel at the expense of Palestinian villages has exacerbated that conflict. In Namibia, in South Africa, cultures are dying and people are starving, as hydro-cops monitor water use and abuse by residents. Experts predict that countries along the Rhine may find themselves in the same dry situation, if water diversion from the river continues at current rates. Throughout the program, experts, those involved in water preservation, and those affected by water shortages examine the situation and suggest solutions.}

 
Liquid Assets: The Big Business of Water

Director/Author: Sanford Cannold/CNBC (2010)
Source: Grossmont Library: Streaming Video [log-in required]
Runtime: 00:42:49
HD:  Yes
CC:  No [transcript available]

^Description:

^{With freshwater making up only 3 percent of the world’s supply, are we looking at a global crisis in the making? Some say it’s already upon us—whether for drinking, growing crops, or proper hygiene, shortages are emerging all over the planet. Studying the impact on our home front, this CNBC Original documentary travels to the American West, where seven states compete for water from the Colorado River Basin, as well as to Alaska and Wisconsin, both of which enjoy an abundance of water and are eager to capitalize on their surplus. The program also visits Chile, a nation with some of the most efficient water markets in the world—in theory, anyway, since the realities of managing a scarce resource inevitably produce tensions. In addition, viewers learn about the bottled water industry, which has posted growth rates of 20 percent for most of the past two decades. Not available in French- speaking Canada.}

 
Open Forum 2012 - Water: Scarcity and Stress
http://youtu.be/86__Pq6sSOE

Director/Author: World Economic Forum
Source: YouTube
Runtime: 02:00:28
HD:  No
CC:  Yes

^Description:

^{Water is tightly connected to the issues of food production, energy, climate change, economic growth and security. Sizable parts of the world already lack an adequate water supply, while population growth and improved living standards are expected to exacerbate the problem. How can governments and industry collaborate to ensure that water is distributed and used as efficiently as possible?  What is the best way to tackle the interlinked issues of water, food, energy and security?  How can consumers play a role in demanding and driving change?  The session includes:  Peter Brabeck Letmathe, Chairman of the Board, Nestlé, Switzerland; Martin Dahinden, Director-General, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Switzerland; John W. Hickenlooper, Governor of Colorado, USA; Sir Mohammad Jaafar, Chairman and Managing Director, Kuwaiti Danish Dairy Company, Kuwait; Jim Leape, Director-General, WWF International, World Wide Fund for Nature, Switzerland; Edna Molewa, Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs of South Africa.  Moderated by Peter Bakker, President, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Switzerland.}

 
The Roots of India's Water Crisis
http://youtu.be/x8kqq1f14vg

Director/Author: Global Oneness Project
Source: YouTube
Runtime: 00:04:15
HD:  No
CC:  Yes

^Description:

^{Environmental leader, Vandana Shiva, explains that the introduction of unsustainable practices and technologies in the last forty years have led to severe water issues in India today. These issues are representative of the larger global water crisis.}

 
Thirst City
http://youtu.be/AcZCSEZ7JV0

Director/Author: Nikhil Sablania
Source: YouTube
Runtime: 00:12:28
HD:  No
CC:  No

^Description:

^{Cities in India like Delhi have failed in providing better lives to the real people who make these virtual portals of luxury. The laborers, the factory workers, the real people behind the dream cities have to struggle endlessly. One of their struggles is water, available for constructions, factories, shops but not for people. The film shows the moment when these poor people get water after five days. This film was selected at "The International Film Festival and Environment of Zaragoza: Ecozine, Spain in 2011" and "6th CMS Vatavaran Environmental and Wildlife Film Festival in Delhi" in 2011.  Born in New Delhi, Nikhil Sablania did his graduation in Psychology from Delhi University. He was an active member of theater groups in Delhi and in his college, and he joined "Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute" to study Film and TV Direction and Screenplay Writing.}

 
Water
http://vimeo.com/16909783
Director/Author: Corrie Jones
Source: Vimeo
Runtime: 00:17:29
HD:  Yes
CC:  No

^Description:

^{Winner 2010 Milan International Film Festival Award for Best Short Film (15-30 mins); Winner 2010 SHORTini International Short Film Festival Award for Best Short Film; Winner 2010 Australian Directors Guild Award for Best Direction in a Short Film; Winner 2009 AFI Award for Outstanding Achievement in Short Film Screen Craft - Cinematography; Nominated 2009 AFI Award for Best Short Fiction Film and Best Screenplay in a Short Film.}

 
Water: Lifeblood of Energy
http://youtu.be/kkqf3WRwquI

Director/Author: charity: Prairie Public Broadcasting, in
collaboration with the EERC's Northern Great Plains Water
Consortium®
Source: YouTube
Runtime: 00:26:46
HD:  Yes
CC:  Yes

^Description:

^{The half-hour documentary "Water: The Lifeblood of Energy" describes the connection between water and energy and how cities and utilities across the western United States are using combinations of collaboration, conservation, and new technology to squeeze more use out of every precious drop of water.}

 
Water: Our Thirsty World
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/video/player#/?titleID=water-thirsty-world&catID=1

Director/Author:  National Geographic, Special Issue
Source:  http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/04/table-of-contents
Clip 1: "Thirsty World" (Runtime: 00:02:58)
Clip 2: "Plumbing California" (Runtime: 00:02:09)
Clip 3: "Silent Streams" (Runtime: 00:02:13)
Clip 4: "Sacred Waters" (Runtime: 00:02:26)
Clip 5: "Tibetan Plateau" (Runtime: 00:02:38)
Clip 6: "Burden of Thirst" (Runtime: 00:02:39)
HD:  n/a
CC:  No

 
Water Changes Everything
http://youtu.be/BCHhwxvQqxg

Director/Author: charity: water + Jonathan Jarvi
Source: YouTube
Runtime: 00:03:23
HD:  Yes
CC:  Yes

^Description:

^{Almost a billion people live without clean drinking water. We call this the water crisis. It's a crisis because it only starts with water—but water affects everything in life: health; education; food security; and the lives of women and children, especially.  We can end the water crisis in our lifetime, but first we have to let everyone know it's happening.  Learn how water changes everything—and share this with everyone you know.}

 
Water Conflicts and Diplomacy: Trans-boundary Conflicts
and Interbasin Transfers
http://youtu.be/V2CORxwUNJ0
Director/Author: charity: Dr. Neil S. Grigg for Colorado State
University
Source: YouTube
Runtime: 00:21:15
HD:  No
CC:  Yes

^Description:

^{Lecture by Dr. Neil S. Grigg for Colorado State University's free Massive Open Online Course, "Water, Civilization, and Nature: Addressing 21st Century Water Issues."}

 
Water For Food:  Think Globally, Act Locally
http://youtu.be/uzdipvMm-7w
Director/Author: charity: Prof. Roberto Lenton
Source: YouTube
Runtime: 01:13:41
HD:  No
CC:  Yes

^Description:

^{The title of Lenton's talk, "Water for Food: Think Globally, Act Locally," is a key theme for the University of Nebraska's Water for Food Institute. Lenton said he expects the institute to play a key role in solving the challenges facing a world that will need to feed a population expected to grow from about 7 billion to 9 billion by 2050 on finite resources such as land and water.}

 
Water in the 21st Century: The National Water Census
http://youtu.be/sdQ60IWOEaU

Director/Author: charity: USGS/Eric Evenson
Source: YouTube
Runtime: 00:43:02
HD:  No
CC:  Yes

^Description:

^{Eric Evenson, coordinator of the National Water Census, discusses a new set of water resource challenges brought on by the 21st century. Even in normal water years, water shortages and use conflicts have become commonplace in many areas of the United States—especially competition among crop irrigation, growing cities and communities, and energy production. Over the next 10 years, the USGS plans to conduct a new assessment of water availability and use. This national Water Census will address critical aspects of recent Federal legislation, including the need to establish a national water assessment program.}

 
Watermark [Trailer]
http://youtu.be/Y3lU6YYapAE

Director/Author: Jennifer Baichwal and Edward Burtynsky
Source: YouTube (entertainmentone)
Runtime: 00:01:16
HD:  Yes
CC:  No [transcript available]

^Description:

^{Watermark is a feature documentary film that brings together diverse stories from around the globe about our relationship with water: how we are drawn to it, what we learn from it, how we use it and the consequences of that use. We see massive floating abalone farms off China’s Fujian coast and the construction site of the biggest arch dam in the world – the Xiluodu, six times the size of the Hoover. We visit the barren desert delta where the mighty Colorado River no longer reaches the ocean, and the water-intensive leather tanneries of Dhaka....Watermark is directed by multiple award-winning filmmaker Jennifer Baichwal and renowned photographer Edward Burtynsky, and is the third part of Burtynsky’s Water project, which includes a book Burtynsky: Water and a major photographic exhibition. Filmed and produced by Nicholas de Pencier and three years in the making, it is a logical extension of the trio’s previous collaboration, Manufactured Landscapes. In Watermark, the viewer is immersed in a world defined by a magnificent force of nature that we all too often take for granted- until it’s gone.}

 
Working For Water
http://youtu.be/fNv6XsLRBDo

Director/Author: charity: California State Water Resources
Control Board
Source: YouTube
Runtime: 00:26:19
HD:  No
CC:  Yes

^Description:

^{The California Water Boards have broad responsibilities to protect surface and ground water quality and balance competing demands on our water resources. The complexity of the Water Boards programs are reflected in the number of mandated programs and the regional variation that exists throughout the State. This film tells the stories of a few Water Board employees, what their jobs entail, and why they have chosen to work for the Water Boards.}