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                  'Last Call' Sounds Water Alarm in Dry World

   by Penelope Poulou

   Environmental activist Erin Brockovich sounds the alarm on the world's
   water crisis in the documentary "Last Call at the Oasis," by
   Oscar-winning director Jessica Yu. The film highlights water pollution,
   depletion and potential wars over vanishing water resources.
   "You don't have to be a scientist to understand if you take more water
   out of the bathtub than you put into the bathtub, the bathtub will
   eventually go empty," marine biologist Tim Barnett says in the film.
   The Colorado River system is shrinking, according to Barnett. For
   example, the level of Lake Mead, which feeds the Hoover Dam, has been
   dropping more than three meters every year.
   "Today it's only about 40 percent full," he says.
   ''
   If it drops about 10 meters more, the dam won't be able to generate
   electricity for California, Nevada and Arizona.
   Other scientists featured in the documentary warn that, by 2025, half
   of the world's population will have no access to water.
   Brockovich is especially vocal. She was key in the victory against a
   California power plant which leaked toxic chemicals into the ground
   water of a small town, sickening many residents.
   A movie about that battle, starring Julia Roberts, made Brockovich
   famous. Now, Brockovich wants Americans to wake up.
   "I think the moment is here, with documentaries like this, with us
   seeing on a global level, the collapse that is going on," she says.
   "Right here in America, don't think it's not you, it's already you."
   In real life, Brockovich continues to take on politicians, corporations
   and even the US Environmental Protection Agency, which she calls
   indifferent.
   "I always thought the EPA was one of the greatest institutions that we
   ever created and it's failed miserably," she says. "And I'm not sure
   why. Since I began my work in Hinkley, California, in 1991, EPA was
   never involved."
   The EPA declined to comment but said in a statement that the "EPA is
   working to advance the use of green infrastructure to reduce water
   pollution, beautify communities and create jobs."
   However, in the documentary, University of California endocrinologist
   Tyrone Hayes says chemicals that seep into the water supply, such as
   the herbicide atrazine, continue to jeopardize wildlife and humans.
   "We found that the atrazine-exposed animals weren't making testosterone
   properly," Hayes says. "In some cases, the atrazine makes them make
   enough estrogen that they actually turn into females."
   Other films, such as Irena Salina's "Flow," have also focused on water
   pollution and depletion. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a son of the late Sen.
   Robert Kennedy, made a film called "Grand Canyon Adventure, River At
   Risk."
   "As we head for this train wreck, we are still building golf courses in
   Phoenix, in Scottsdale, and communities throughout the West," he said
   when the film was released in 2008, "and we're encouraging people to
   settle there and the water simply does not exist."
   While Kennedy believes legislation can fix the problem, in "Last Call
   at the Oasis," Brockovich has no trust in politicians.
   "I have to tell you, in every community I am involved with, it will be
   a mother whose child is being affected that's going to come out and
   really have something to say," Brockovich says.
   The film says there's still time to turn things around by taking
   responsibility for our actions and speaking up.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/last-call-sounds-water-alarm-in-dry-w
   orld/918284.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/last-call-sounds-water-alarm-in-dry-world/918284.html