Zombie NAWAPA Project: Why is Trump Concerned About Canada?

Canada's freshwater attracts the attention of the United States again, relaunching an old debate by more than half a century. Donald Trump recently spoke of the idea of ​​resuscitating the gigantic Nawapa project, which aimed in the 1950s to massively divert Canadian waters to the arid agricultural regions of the Southwest American. This old plan, nicknamed “Zombie project”, would require an infrastructure Colossal through the rocky mountains, profoundly modifying the environment and the indigenous territories.

The idea causes strong concern in Canada, where water is not only an abundant natural resource. But it is also a symbol of national sovereignty. The resumption of this discussion reveals the persistent tensions around trade and environmental exchanges between the two neighboring countries, in a context of climate change and exhaustion of drinking water resources in the United States, at a time when the world order is fracture.

The Nawapa project: a disturbing resurgence

Nawapa was originally designed by US military engineers during the 1950s. But it resurfaced periodically despite its initial abandonment. This vast project was to mobilize 369 titanic works to divert the waters of the great Canadian rivers Yukon, Liard and Peace to the United States. Its route notably required to dig a huge trench through the rocky mountains. It would have enabled Alaska water to routing to the Mississippi and River Colorado, and Alberta river to the Great Lakes region. The goal was clear. It was necessary to transfer huge amounts of fresh water from the Canadian Nordic regions, deemed to be abundant, towards the American southwest where intensive agriculture suffered from chronic drought.

The extent of the Nawapa gave vertigo. The estimated cost reached $ 80 billion at the time, a considerable sum even today. In addition, according to the environmentalist Marc Reisner for The Conversationthe operation of these massive transfers would require an amount of energy equivalent to that produced by “six nuclear power plants”. It looks like science fiction, except that it was a real threat to water safety in Canada. Faced with these colossal technical and environmental challenges, the project had finally been put aside, rightly …

But that was without counting on Trump … Like a real “zombie project”, he continues to resuscitate, regularly reappearing in American public debates. The new American president therefore mentioned a possible recovery. This obviously caused a wave of concern on the Canadian side. This new resurgence revives not only the fear of loss of control over national water resources. But above all it leaves irreversible environmental impacts hovering, with a clear threat to the territorial sovereignty of Canada.

Political tensions and commercial issues

Indeed, the Nawapa project directly threatens the most intact and ecologically fragile territories of the North American continent. Concretely, massively divert the water from rivers like the Yukon or the Peace would completely upset the natural balance of protected regions. We are talking in particular of the rocky mountains. These ecosystems depend closely on the natural flow of rivers to maintain their biodiversity, migratory fish to the big mammals such as bear and moose. Reduce or modify these flows would cause the progressive drying up of wetlands. These are essential to absorb floods, naturally purify water and preserve biological diversity.

On a human level, indigenous communities would see their daily life deeply altered. These directly depend on the resources offered by these rivers for fishing, traditional agriculture and hunting. Any modification of the water regime would permanently affect these vital practices. In addition, indigenous peoples emphasize the spiritual importance of rivers and their ancestral landscapes. An artificial diversion would be equivalent to a serious damage to their intangible cultural heritage, threatening their identity and their community cohesion.

Finally, the potential impact on aquatic fauna is particularly worried. The salmon, which carry out spectacular migrations each year to their reproductive places, would be directly threatened. Edit their route would amount to jeopardizing their medium -term survival. At the same time, this would weaken the entire local food chain of which the Aboriginal people are dependent. The implementation of a cross -border business from the water would exacerbate these risks. Politicians would then place economic imperatives above the preservation of sensitive ecosystems and fundamental indigenous rights.

An ancient American ambition supported by certain politicians

It is easy to understand why the North American Water and Power Alliance (NAWAPA) project has aroused contrasting reactions since its conception. In the 1960s, some American political figures of the West supported the idea, seeing it as a solution to the shortage of water in their region. MP Jim Wright, in his book The Coming Water Famine (1966), wrote that ” Nawapa has an almost unlimited potential if we have the courage and the foresight to grasp it ». Likewise, Senator Frank Moss of Utah, in The Water Crisis (1967)called Nawapa as a comprehensive water diversion to solve supply and pollution problems.

However, as early as the 1970s, the project encountered increasing opposition. In particular on the part of environmental movements and Canadian public opinion. The concerns concerned financial and environmental costs, as well as international implications for the export of Canadian water. Environmental writer Marc Reisner described the plan as ” brutal magnificence [ et ] of unprecedented destructiveness ». The historian Ted Steinberg suggested that Nawapa summed up ” pure arrogance and the imperial ambitions of the western modern hydraulic ».

Growing Canada opposition to environmental risks

The issue of Canada's water export to the United States has remained sensitive. Canada has around 7 % of global freshwater renewable resources. Although small -scale exports, such as bottled water, take place, the massive transfers proposals have been controversial. For example, in 1991, the Nova Group Ltd. obtained a permit from the Ontario government to export 600 million liters of water annually from Lake Superior to Asia. However, faced with political controversy in Canada and the United States, the license was canceled.

The concerns about exporting water include potential environmental impacts, such as increased pollution and damage to plant and animal communities. In addition, legal issues arise as for the classification of water as commodity under commercial agreements such as the North American free trade agreement (ALENA). No Alena rule forces Canada to start exporting its water massively. Nevertheless, if Canada voluntarily decided to do so, it would be very difficult to go back.

The reactivation of the Nawapa project is part of a particularly sensitive period for Canada-United States relations. They are already marked by persistent commercial tensions, such as disputes on wood and steel, as well as disagreements on border management and migratory issues. The choices made by Canada will not only determine its ecological balance and respect for indigenous rights, but also its political autonomy in the face of its powerful neighbor.