Solving the Border Issues of the USA and Canada in the Field of Joint Use of Water Resources

Abstract

The relevance of the research topic is justified by the fact that the USA and Canada have significant fresh water reserves, but they also experience a shortage of this resource, despite the fact that they are among the top five countries with the richest water resources in the world. In order to ensure the water security of the region and preserve the Great Lakes in a favorable condition, the United States and Canada have worked closely together for many years and share the fresh water resources of the Great Lakes, which is an example for other countries of the world. Based on relevance, the main goal of the article is the analysis of urgent border issues of the USA and Canada in the field of joint use of water resources. It is shown that the USA and Canada have adopted 21 legally binding documents, which recognize that these countries have a responsibility to all people currently living on our planet and to future generations to ensure the safety of this water source in the interests of all mankind, and that a balanced ecosystem approach is used in these countries as part of the climate change adaptation measures. It has been found that since the 1980s, concern has arisen in both countries that the diversion of Great Lakes water outside the basin area may impose negative consequences for the ecosystem and limit the possibilities of using these water reserves in the future. It has been proven that the effectiveness of the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 and the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement has decreased in the conditions of increasing competition for water resources in North America. The fact is substantiated that the current management and control system of the Great Lakes waters under the 1909 Treaty is the best of all existing systems, although it requires improvement. On the one hand, the USA and Canada become increasingly aware of the value of their wealth called the “Great Lakes”, but on the other hand, many trends indicate that the goal of states becomes joint cooperation for the purpose of preserving and enriching water resources as well as privatization and ensuring control over territories, including water, to meet their own needs. Besides the irrational use of water, which is observed both in water-poor regions of the United States and in waterrich regions of Canada, both sides of the border lack of vision for a unified water pricing policy. The article has practical significance for Ukraine, since the experience of the USA and Canada can be useful as an example of solving urgent problems in the field of providing our country with fresh water and preserving water resources