Do you know what's going on in Mexico when sodas are more expensive than plain water?
I'm confused, too, but in fact, it's a real thing in Mexico.
Mexico is the second largest country in the world after Chile in terms of soda water consumption. According to a 2018 Euromonitor International report, the average Mexican drinks 119 liters of soda per year, which is equivalent to 328 milliliters per day.
And that's just counting the soda, not other sweet drinks such as cola, which are also very popular with them. And it's basically cheaper than white water. At first glance, we can all guess that this is the work of the consortium, but in fact, the problem is not so simple.
These drinks are added with various additives, sugar, etc., mainly to make the taste more intense, but in essence, the main ingredient of the drink is water. So why is water more expensive than these drinks?
Seventy-one percent of the Earth's surface is water, and only 29 percent is on land. The moisture content of the human body varies from person to person, but in general, the moisture content of adults is between 60% and 65%. Water is the source of life, this is basic common sense.
In Mexico, the prevalence of obesity and diabetes is one of the highest in the world. One of the main reasons is that people drink too much soda and other sweetened beverages that provide Mexicans with too many calories and sugar.
Soda can be found everywhere in Mexico, and it's pretty reasonable. This is thanks to the strong presence and influence of beverage companies, especially Coca-Cola, which has a 73% share of the market. Coca-Cola and other soda brands have invested heavily in marketing and distribution, making their products in high demand and loyal.
What we found shows that sodas are deeply integrated into Mexican culture and cuisine. It's usually a combination of meals, snacks, and street food, such as tacos, tortillas, and tamales. At the same time, it has also become a seasoning for some traditional dishes, such as corn soup and hot sauce.
But as far as I can see, this seemingly cultural thing is actually a pseudo-culture created by American consumerism. Why? Because sodas didn't start to make their mark in Mexico until the 20th century, it certainly wasn't the same with Mexico's drink culture until then. Such a change must be attributed to the success of the United States in this regard.
Soda is the main sugar and calorie content in the Mexican diet**. A 600ml bottle of regular Coca-Cola contains 63 grams of sugar and 252 calories, which is about 10% higher than the recommended daily intake of added sugars (50 grams) and the recommended daily calorie intake. Consuming too much sugar and calories can lead to weight gain, obesity, and other health problems.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), obesity is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above, while overweight is defined as a BMI of 25 or above. BMI is a measure of body fat calculated based on height and weight. It is estimated that in 2016, there were 28 in Mexico9% of adults are obese, compared to 393% is considered overweight, which means that more than two-thirds of adults in Mexico are overweight.
In children and adolescents, the situation is even more severe. The World Health Organization estimates that in 2016, there were 146% of children aged 5 to 19 are obese, compared to 23Eight percent are overweight, which means that more than a third of young people in Mexico are overweight. Mexico has the highest rate of childhood obesity in the world.
Obesity and overweight are associated with an increased risk of chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and certain cancers. These diseases not only reduce the quality of life and longevity, but also place a heavy burden on health systems and economies. According to the Mexican Diabetes Federation, diabetes is the leading cause of death among Mexicans, causing about 105,000 deaths each year.
The United States has long been the focus of international political attention, and its quest for global hegemony is not limited to oil, but also to the desire for water. In an era of increasingly scarce resources, water has become a more precious strategic resource than oil. America's actions and rhetoric show that its control over the world's water resources is not accidental, but a deliberate, long-term strategy.
Water is the key to human survival and development. As the world's population continues to grow and industry and agriculture flourish, so does the demand for water. Against this background, the ambitions of the United States are gradually becoming apparent.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger once said, "Whoever controls oil controls all countries, and whoever controls food controls humanity." Today, however, it seems that this narrative needs to be expanded further, as the geopolitical position of water becomes more prominent. The United States has been trying to influence other countries' water policies through a variety of means, including economic sanctions and diplomatic pressure. In Latin America, the United States began to acquire and control water resources early.
By promoting water rights auctions and mortgages in Latin American countries, American capital has firmly controlled the water resources of these countries. This makes these countries water vassals of the United States, forced to do what the United States wants. This approach not only reinforces the United States' dominance in the global water market, but also becomes part of its geopolitical strategy.
The role of the United States has become more prominent in our water strategy. The Three Gorges Dam, the largest hydropower project in the world, is built on the Yangtze River and serves a variety of purposes, such as generating electricity, controlling flooding, improving navigation, and water supply.
Since the 1980s, the United States has continued to oppose the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, focusing on environmental, human rights, and security concerns. To influence China's decision-making, the United States has used a variety of tactics, including refusing financial and technical assistance, imposing sanctions and restrictions, lobbying international institutions and allies, and supporting anti-dam activists and organizations.
However, these tactics have not succeeded in stopping or changing China's plans, which firmly views the dam as a symbol of national pride and development. Funding and support also come from multiple sources, including the World Bank, Japan, Germany, and Canada. The dam was completed in 2006 and fully operational in 2012.
The South-to-North Water Transfer Project is an ambitious project that aims to divert the water-rich south to the water-scarce north. The project is divided into three routes: eastern, central and western, with the eastern and central routes already completed and put into use, while the western routes are still being planned. It is estimated that by 2050, the project will divert about 45 billion cubic meters of water per year, benefiting more than 400 million people.
The U.S. has criticized the project as an expensive, risky and unsustainable solution. They fear that the project will lead to more environmental and social problems, such as water pollution, ecological deterioration, population displacement, and regional conflicts. In addition, the United States has expressed concerns about the water security and interests of other countries, especially those that share cross-border rivers with China, such as India, Nepal and Bangladesh.
The Mekong is the longest river in Southeast Asia, flowing through six countries: its source is in China, and then it flows through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The river carries the lives and culture of more than 60 million people and is rich in biodiversity and resources. The United States accuses China of building and planning dozens of dams on rivers, altering the river's flow, sediment and ecology, and affecting the interests of downstream countries. They criticized China for hoarding and manipulating water resources to the detriment of other countries. The United States urges China to share more data and information and to comply with international norms and standards, such as the 1995 Mekong Agreement and the 1997 United Nations Watercourses Convention.
But the criticisms appear to have limited impact on China, which has long asserted sovereignty and dominance over the Mekong River and has resisted U.S. pressure and interference. China through the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation"The Belt and Road Initiative"Platforms such as the Initiative and the China-ASEAN Dialogue have strengthened cooperation and assistance with downstream countries.
In accusing China of building dams on the Mekong, the United States seems to have forgotten the problems caused by its own historic Hoover Dam. The Hoover Dam is a major infrastructure project in the United States, and while it is different in technology and scale from the dams built by China on the Mekong River, it also raises concerns and negative impacts in Mexico. The Hoover Dam was built in the early 20th century across the Colorado River and is located between Arizona and Nevada. This huge dam was built for irrigation, power generation, and water management, but its construction and operation have had a non-negligible impact on Mexico.
In 1922, the United States cut off the Colorado River and launched a series of controlled reservoirs and national irrigation projects, which completely changed the flow pattern of the Colorado River. This move not only increased the storage of 74 billion cubic meters of water in the United States, but also had a direct negative impact on the freshwater resources of northern Mexico, greatly limiting the region's agricultural development and domestic water supply.
The Colorado River's control of water rights in the United States has benefited the United States, but it has also dramatically reduced the amount of fresh water the river has reached Mexico**. In the process, Mexico has felt the scarcity of water resources and directly threatens its sustainable development. It is against this background that the high proportion of drinking water in Mexico has become a remarkable phenomenon.
Although most people may not have personally experienced the problem of water scarcity in our country in their daily lives. However, as of 2022, China's freshwater reserves are only 284 trillion cubic meters, accounting for only 6% of the world's water resources, ranking fifth in the world, but it has not changed the fact that China is one of the 13 water-poor countries in the world.
The country's per capita water resources are only a quarter of the world average, and its global ranking is as low as 109th. The uneven distribution of water resources is evident, with the South having abundant freshwater resources, while the North has only a quarter of the South's water resources.
The main causes of water scarcity include large populations, low water resource utilization, severe water pollution, reduced precipitation due to climate change, and uneven geographical distribution. These problems have made China's water shortage a major challenge, which has brought tremendous pressure to economic and social development and ecological environmental protection.
One wonders why, despite China's water scarcity, most people don't feel the challenge. Although China's precipitation is lower than the world average, it is relatively high, especially in the southern region, which has a certain natural recharge capacity. The level of water resources management has been continuously improved, the efficiency has been gradually improved, and the contradiction between supply and demand has been alleviated to a certain extent.
In order to alleviate the water crisis, China has adopted a series of active water resources management policies and measures. These measures include the implementation of the strictest water management system, controlling the total amount, improving efficiency, and protecting water quality. Strengthen the conservation and recycling of water resources, popularize water-saving technologies and equipment, improve the utilization rate of agricultural irrigation water, and develop unconventional water resources. Strengthen water environment governance, reduce the discharge of water pollutants, restore water ecosystems, and improve the carrying capacity of water resources. Strengthen scientific and technological innovation in water resources, improve water resources monitoring and early warning capabilities, carry out water resources risk assessment and response, and promote the sustainable use of water resources.
The awareness of water resources has been continuously enhanced, social consensus has gradually formed, and progress has been made in the conservation and protection of water resources. The combination of these factors has made water problems less urgent in the short term in some regions. In the longer term, sustained efforts are needed to address water challenges and ensure sustainable use and management.
At a time when global water resources are becoming increasingly strained, America's ambitions are gradually expanding beyond oil to water. Water, as the foundation of survival, will become an important part of the future of geopolitics and international relations. The clouds of the resource war are growing, and China is at the forefront of this war.
U.S. control and penetration of water resources is not limited to economics, but also involves geopolitics and military strategy. By sowing discord on the Mekong River, the United States is trying to manipulate water politics in Southeast Asia to indirectly affect China's water security. This series of actions reveals the complex strategic considerations of the United States on the water issue, and should also arouse our greater alarm.