ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Rob Harmon - Natural resources expert
Rob Harmon is an expert on energy and natural resources policy -- looking at smart ways to manage carbon, water and the energy we use every day.

Why you should listen

Taking the true measure of our environmental footprint is something that Rob Harmon has been doing for years. Starting as an energy auditor in Massachusetts, Harmon went on to manage an international marketing effort in the wind energy industry and, in 2000, develop and launch the first carbon calculator on the Internet.

Harmon joined Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) in 1999, and is credited with developing their Green Tag program. In 2004, he was awarded the national Green Power Pioneer Award for his introduction of the retail Green Tag (Renewable Energy Certificates) and his ongoing efforts to build a thriving and credible Green Tag market in the United States. He also conceptualized and directed the development of BEF's national Solar 4R Schools program. His latest venture is the creation of BEF's Water Restoration Certificate business line, which utilizes voluntary markets to restore critically de-watered ecosystems. He recently contributed chapters to the book Voluntary Carbon Markets: A Business Guide to What They Are and How They Work. Rob left BEF in November 2010 to explore his next venture, ConvenientOpportunities.com.

More profile about the speaker
Rob Harmon | Speaker | TED.com
TEDxRainier

Rob Harmon: How to keep rivers and streams flowing

Rob Harmon: Rob Harmon: Nola mantendu errekak jarioten

Filmed:
665,582 views

Rob Harmon-ek oso merkatu-mekanismo bitxia martxan jarri du ibaien eta erreken uren egoera kaskarra berreskuratzeko, lehorteak eta gain-ustiapenak direla medio. Nekazariek eta garagardo-ekoizleek euren patuak lotzen dituzte Prickly Pear Creek-i buruzko antzinako istorio honetan.
- Natural resources expert
Rob Harmon is an expert on energy and natural resources policy -- looking at smart ways to manage carbon, water and the energy we use every day. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:18
This is a river.
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Hau ibaia da.
00:20
This is a stream.
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Hau erreka da.
00:23
This is a river.
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Hau ibaia da.
00:25
This is happening all over the country.
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Hau herri osoan zehar gertatzen ari da.
00:28
There are tens of thousands of miles
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Dozenaka mila kilometro
00:30
of dewatered streams in the United States.
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daude Estatu Batuetan erreka lehorrez beteta.
00:33
On this map,
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Mapa honetan,
00:35
the colored areas represent water conflicts.
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gune koloratuek ur-gatazkak irudikatzen dituzte.
00:39
Similar problems are emerging in the east as well.
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Antzeko arazoak daude Ekialdean ere.
00:42
The reasons vary state to state,
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Arrazoiak estatu batetik bestera aldatzen dira.
00:44
but mostly in the details.
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batez ere, xehetasunetan.
00:46
There are 4,000 miles of dewatered streams
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Badaude erreka lehorretako 6.400 kilometro
00:49
in Montana alone.
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Montanan soilik.
00:52
They would ordinarily support fish and other wildlife.
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Haiek normalean arrainak eta beste basa-bizitza barne hartuko lituzkete.
00:56
They're the veins of the ecosystem,
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Ekosistemaren zainak dira,
00:58
and they're often empty veins.
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eta, maiz, hutsik daude.
01:02
I want to tell you the story
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Kontatu nahi dizuet
01:04
of just one of these streams
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horiek bezalako erreka baten istorioa
01:06
because it's an archetype for the larger story.
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istorio askoz handiagoko arketipoa delako.
01:09
This is Prickly Pear Creek.
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Hau da Prickly Pear Creek.
01:11
It runs through a populated area
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Biztanle askoko gune baten zehar iragaten da
01:13
from East Helena to Lake Helena.
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East Helena-tik Lake Helena-ra.
01:16
It supports wild fish
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Basa-arrainak mantentzen ditu
01:18
including cutthroat, brown
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amuarrain mota batzuk, arrunta barne
01:20
and rainbow trout.
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baita ortzadar-amuarraina ere.
01:22
Nearly every year
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Ia urte guztietan
01:24
for more than a hundred years,
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orain dela ehun urte baino gehiagotik.
01:27
it's looked like this in the summer.
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errekak hau bezalako itxura hartzen du udan.
01:30
How did we get here?
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Nola heldu ginen egoera hontara?
01:32
Well, it started back in the late 1800s
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Beno, dena XIX. mendearen hondarrean hasi zen
01:35
when people started settling in places like Montana.
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Montana bezalako lekuetara biztanleak heltzean.
01:39
In short, there was a lot of water
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Hitz gutxitan, ur asko zegoen
01:41
and there weren't very many people.
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eta ez zegoen jende gehiegi.
01:44
But as more people showed up wanting water,
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Baina ur bila jende gehiago zetorren heinean,
01:46
the folks who were there first got a little concerned,
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aurretik ailegatu zirenak pixkat kezkatu ziren,
01:49
and in 1865, Montana passed its first water law.
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eta 1865. urtean, Montana-k bere lehenengo ur-legea onartu zuen.
01:53
It basically said, everybody near the stream
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Lege horrek horrela zion, errekaren ondoen dagoenak
01:56
can share in the stream.
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erreka parteka dezake.
01:58
Oddly, a lot of people showed up wanting to share the stream,
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Eta, jende askok erreka partekatu nahian zetozen.
02:01
and the folks who were there first
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eta aurretik ailegatu zirenek
02:03
got concerned enough to bring out their lawyers.
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izugarri kezkatu zirenez, euren abokatuak ekarri zituzten.
02:05
There were precedent-setting suits
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Auzi batzuetan jarraibideak eman ziren
02:07
in 1870 and 1872,
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1870. eta 1872. urteetan,
02:09
both involving Prickly Pear Creek.
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Prickly Pear Creek errekarekin zerikusia zutenak.
02:11
And in 1921,
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Eta 1921. urtean,
02:13
the Montana Supreme Court
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Montanaren Auzitegi Gorena-k
02:15
ruled in a case involving Prickly Pear
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Prickly Pear errekarekin zerikusia zuen auzi batean erabaki zuen
02:18
that the folks who were there first
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aurretik ailegatu zirenek
02:20
had the first, or "senior water rights."
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lehen mailako ur-eskubideak zituztela.
02:24
These senior water rights are key.
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Lehen mailako ur-eskubide hauek gakoak dira.
02:27
The problem is that all over the west now
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Hots, Mendebalde osoan zehar arazo bera pairatzen dela
02:29
it looks like this.
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dirudi.
02:31
Some of these creeks
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Erreka horietako batzuek
02:33
have claims for 50 to 100 times more water
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errekan dagoen urarekin konparatuz
02:35
than is actually in the stream.
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50 edo 100 aldiz gehiagoko ur-eskaerak dituzte.
02:38
And the senior water rights holders,
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Eta lehen mailako ur-eskubide horien jabeek
02:40
if they don't use their water right,
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ur-eskubidea erabiltzen ez badute
02:43
they risk losing their water right,
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ur-eskubideak galtzera arriskatzen dira,
02:45
along with the economic value that goes with it.
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baita uraren erantsitako balio ekonomikoa ere.
02:48
So they have no incentive to conserve.
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Hots, haiek ez dute pizgarririk zaintzeko.
02:52
So it's not just about the number of people;
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Jende-kopurua ez da arazoa,
02:55
the system itself creates a disincentive to conserve
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sistemak berak zaintzeko ardura suntsitzen baitu,
02:58
because you can lose your water right if you don't use it.
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pertsona batek bere ur-eskubideak gal ditzakeelako, erabiltzen ez baditu.
03:03
So after decades of lawsuits
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Beraz, hamarkadak pasa ostean auzitan jartzen
03:05
and 140 years, now, of experience,
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eta 140 urteko eskarmentua eta gero,
03:07
we still have this.
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Oraindik horrela gaude.
03:10
It's a broken system.
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Sistema apurtua daukagu.
03:12
There's a disincentive to conserve,
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Zaintzeko ardura ez dagoelako
03:14
because, if you don't use your water right,
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ur-eskubideak eralbiltzen ez badira
03:16
you can lose your water right.
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ur-eskubideak gal daitezkeelako.
03:18
And I'm sure you all know, this has created significant conflicts
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Eta ziur nago badakizuela, horrek gatazka galantak sortu dituela
03:21
between the agricultural and environmental communities.
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nekazarien eta ekologisten artean.
03:25
Okay. Now I'm going to change gears here.
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Ondo. Orain martxa aldatuko dut zeharo.
03:28
Most of you will be happy to know
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Gela honetako gehienak pozik egongo zarete jakitean
03:30
that the rest of the presentation's free,
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aurkezpenaren gainerakoa doan dela.
03:33
and some of you'll be happy to know that it involves beer.
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Eta zoriontsuak izango zarete garagardoarekin zerikusia duelako.
03:36
(Laughter)
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(Algarak)
03:39
There's another thing happening around the country,
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Beste gauza bat ari da gertatzen gure herrian,
03:41
which is that companies are starting to get concerned
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eta enpresak hortaz kezkatzen hasi dira,
03:43
about their water footprint.
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euren ur-aztarnaz, hain zuzen ere.
03:46
They're concerned about securing an adequate supply of water,
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Ur-hornikuntza egokia ziurtatzeaz kezkatzen dira.
03:49
they're trying to be really efficient with their water use,
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Ur-erabilpen egokia garatzen saiatzen dira,
03:52
and they're concerned about how their water use
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eta kezkatzen dira nola ur-erabilpenak
03:54
affects the image of their brand.
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euren marken irudiari eragiten dion.
03:57
Well, it's a national problem,
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Hau herri osoko arazoa da
03:59
but I'm going to tell you another story from Montana,
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baina Montana-ri buruzko beste istorio bat kontatuko dizuet,
04:01
and it involves beer.
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eta garagardoarekin badu zerikusirik.
04:03
I bet you didn't know, it takes about 5 pints of water
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Ez zenekitela 5 ur-pinta behar direla
04:06
to make a pint of beer.
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garagardo pinta bat ekoizteko.
04:08
If you include all the drain,
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Prozesu osoa kontuan hartzen baduzue,
04:10
it takes more than a hundred pints of water to make a pint of beer.
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100 ur-pinta baino gehiago behar dira garagardo-pinta bat ekoizteko.
04:13
Now the brewers in Montana
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Orain arte Montanan garagardo egileek
04:15
have already done a lot
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lan dexente egin dute
04:17
to reduce their water consumption,
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euren ur-kontsumoa murrizteko.
04:19
but they still use millions of gallons of water.
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Baina oraindik milioika litro ur erabiltzen dituzte.
04:21
I mean, there's water in beer.
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Hau da, ura beharrezkoa da garagardoa ekoizteko.
04:25
So what can they do
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Orduan, zer egin dezakete
04:28
about this remaining water footprint
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gainontzeko ur-aztarna horri buruz
04:31
that can have serious effects
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zeinak ondorio kaltegarriak izan ditzakeen
04:33
on the ecosystem?
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ekosisteman?
04:35
These ecosystems are really important
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Ekositema hauek garrantzi handikoak dira
04:37
to the Montana brewers and their customers.
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Montanako garagardo egileentzat eta euren bezeroentzat.
04:39
After all, there's a strong correlation
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Azken finean, oso erlazio sendoa dago
04:41
between water and fishing,
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uraren eta arrantzaren artean.
04:43
and for some, there's a strong correlation
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Batzuentzat arrantzaren eta garagardoaren artean ere
04:45
between fishing and beer.
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erlazio sendoa dago.
04:47
(Laughter)
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(Algarak)
04:49
So the Montana brewers and their customers are concerned,
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Montanako garagardo egileak eta euren bezeroak kezkatuta daude
04:52
and they're looking for some way to address the problem.
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eta irtenbidearen bat bilatzen ari dira arazoa bideratzeko.
04:55
So how can they address this remaining water footprint?
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Nola bidera dezakete gainontzeko ur-aztarna hori?
04:58
Remember Prickly Pear.
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Gogora ezazue Prickly Pear.
05:00
Up until now,
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Orain arte,
05:02
business water stewardship
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ur-negozioen ustiapena
05:04
has been limited to measuring and reducing,
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murrizten eta kontrolatzen soilik saiatu da,
05:08
and we're suggesting that the next step
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gu hurrengo urratsa iradokitzen ari gara
05:10
is to restore.
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berriztatzea.
05:12
Remember Prickly Pear.
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Gogora ezazue Prickly Pear
05:14
It's a broken system.
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Sistema apurtua.
05:16
You've got a disincentive to conserve,
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Zaintzeko ardura ez dago,
05:18
because if you don't use your water right, you risk losing your water right.
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ur-erabilpena erabiltzen ez bada, ur-eskubidea galtzera arriskatzen delako.
05:21
Well, we decided to connect these two worlds --
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Guk bi mundu horiek elkartzea erabaki genuen --
05:23
the world of the companies
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enpresen mundua
05:25
with their water footprints
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euren ur-aztarnekin
05:27
and the world of the farmers
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eta nekazarien mundua
05:29
with their senior water rights on these creeks.
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erreka horietako lehen mailako ur-eskubideekin.
05:31
In some states,
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Estatu batzuetan,
05:33
senior water rights holders
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lehen mailako ur-eskubideen edukitzaileek
05:35
can leave their water in-stream
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utz dezakete ura errekan bertan
05:38
while legally protecting it from others
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besteenganako babesa legalki zaintzen duten
05:41
and maintaining their water right.
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eta euren ur-eskubideak mantentzen dituzten bitartean.
05:44
After all,
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Azken finean,
05:46
it is their water right,
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euren ur-eskubidea da,
05:48
and if they want to use that water right
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eta haiek ur-eskubide hori erabili nahi badute
05:50
to help the fish grow in the stream,
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errekan arrainak hazten laguntzeko
05:52
it's their right to do so.
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bere eskubidea da hau egitea.
05:55
But they have no incentive to do so.
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Baina ez daukate pizgarririk hori egiteko.
05:59
So, working with local water trusts,
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Bertako ur-hornitzaileekin lanean,
06:02
we created an incentive to do so.
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pizgarria sortu genuen hori egiteko.
06:05
We pay them to leave their water in-stream.
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Haiei ordaintzen diegu ura errekan bertan utz dezaten.
06:08
That's what's happening here.
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Hori da argazki honetan gertatzen ari dena.
06:10
This individual has made the choice
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Pertsona horrek bere erabakia hartu du
06:13
and is closing this water diversion,
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eta bere atea ixten ari da,
06:15
leaving the water in the stream.
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ura errekan bertan uzten.
06:17
He doesn't lose the water right,
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Ez du ur-eskubidea galtzen,
06:19
he just chooses to apply that right,
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baina eskubide hori erabiltzea aukeratzen du,
06:22
or some portion of it,
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edo eskubide osoaren zatia,
06:24
to the stream, instead of to the land.
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errekarako eta ez lurretarako.
06:27
Because he's the senior water rights holder,
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Lehen mailako ur-eskubideen edukitzailea delako,
06:29
he can protect the water from other users in the stream.
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errekaren ura beste erabiltzaileengandik zain dezake.
06:33
Okay?
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Ados?
06:35
He gets paid to leave the water in the stream.
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Dirua irabazten du ura errekan bertan uzteagatik.
06:38
This guy's measuring the water
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Pertsona hau uraren maila neurtzen ari da
06:40
that this leaves in the stream.
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errekan bertan uzten duen ura.
06:43
We then take the measured water,
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Guk ur-neurtua hartzen dugu
06:46
we divide it into thousand-gallon increments.
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mila-litroko gehikuntzetan zatitzen dugu.
06:49
Each increment gets a serial number and a certificate,
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Gehikuntza bakoitzak serie-zenbaki bat eta egiaztagiri bat du,
06:52
and then the brewers and others
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eta garagardo egileek eta besteek
06:54
buy those certificates
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egiaztagiri horiek erosten dituzte
06:56
as a way to return water
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ura itzultzeko era balitz bezala
06:58
to these degraded ecosystems.
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ekosistema degradatu horietara.
07:00
The brewers pay
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Garagardo egileek ordaintzen dute
07:02
to restore water to the stream.
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errekako ura berriztatzeko.
07:05
It provides a simple, inexpensive
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Hau oso era erraza, merkea
07:07
and measurable way
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eta neurgarria da
07:09
to return water to these degraded ecosystems,
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ura berriztatzeko ekosistema degradatu horietara.
07:12
while giving farmers an economic choice
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Aldi beran, nekazariei aukera ekonomikoa ematen zaie
07:15
and giving businesses concerned about their water footprints
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eta ur-aztarnaz kezkatuta dauden enpreseei laguntzen zaie
07:18
an easy way to deal with them.
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euren arazoa modu sinplean konpontzen.
07:20
After 140 years of conflict
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140 urte gatazkaz beteta pasa ostean
07:23
and 100 years of dry streams,
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eta erreka lehorrekin 100 urte pasa eta gero
07:27
a circumstance that litigation and regulation
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auzitegiek eta arauketek
07:29
has not solved,
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ez dute egoera konpondu,
horregatik, merkatu-mekanismo bat martxan jarri dugu
07:32
we put together a market-based,
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07:34
willing buyer, willing seller solution --
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erosle eta saltzaile prestuen irtenbidea
07:36
a solution that does not require litigation.
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auzitegirik eskatzen ez duen irtenbidea.
07:41
It's about giving
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Gakoa
07:43
folks concerned about their water footprints
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euren ur-aztarnaz kezkatzen direnei
07:46
a real opportunity
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erantzukizuna ematea da,
07:48
to put water where it's critically needed,
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ura behar den lekuetan jartzeko,
07:50
into these degraded ecosystems,
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ekosistema degradatu horietan,
07:53
while at the same time
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eta, aldi berean
07:55
providing farmers
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nekazariei aukera ematea,
07:57
a meaningful economic choice
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aukera ekonomiko adierazgarria,
07:59
about how their water is used.
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euren ur-erabilpenari buruz.
08:01
These transactions create allies, not enemies.
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Transakzio horiei esker lagun bihurtzen dira eta ez etsai.
08:04
They connect people rather than dividing them.
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Transakzio horiek jendea lotzen dute eta ez banandu.
08:06
And they provide needed economic support for rural communities.
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Eta landa-komunitateentzako beharrezko euskarri ekonomikoa ematen dute.
08:09
And most importantly, it's working.
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Eta askoz garrantzitsuagoa, ibili badabil.
08:12
We've returned more than four billion gallons of water
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15.000 mila milioi litro erreketara bueltatu ditugu
08:14
to degraded ecosystems.
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ekosistema degradatuetara.
08:16
We've connected senior water rights holders
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Lehen mailako ur-eskubideen edukitzaileen
08:18
with brewers in Montana,
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eta Montanako garagardo egileen lotura lortu dugu
08:20
with hotels and tea companies in Oregon
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baita Oregon-go hotelena eta te-enpresena ere
08:23
and with high-tech companies that use a lot of water in the Southwest.
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eta Hego-mendebaleko goi-mailako teknologia enpresena, zeintzuk ur asko erabiltzen duten.
08:26
And when we make these connections,
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Eta lotura horiek egiten ditugunean
08:29
we can and we do
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hau bezalako egoera
08:31
turn this into this.
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HAU bilaka dezakegu.
08:35
Thank you very much.
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Mila esker.
08:37
(Applause)
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(Txaloak)
Translated by Alvaro Moya
Reviewed by Jone Aliri

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Rob Harmon - Natural resources expert
Rob Harmon is an expert on energy and natural resources policy -- looking at smart ways to manage carbon, water and the energy we use every day.

Why you should listen

Taking the true measure of our environmental footprint is something that Rob Harmon has been doing for years. Starting as an energy auditor in Massachusetts, Harmon went on to manage an international marketing effort in the wind energy industry and, in 2000, develop and launch the first carbon calculator on the Internet.

Harmon joined Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) in 1999, and is credited with developing their Green Tag program. In 2004, he was awarded the national Green Power Pioneer Award for his introduction of the retail Green Tag (Renewable Energy Certificates) and his ongoing efforts to build a thriving and credible Green Tag market in the United States. He also conceptualized and directed the development of BEF's national Solar 4R Schools program. His latest venture is the creation of BEF's Water Restoration Certificate business line, which utilizes voluntary markets to restore critically de-watered ecosystems. He recently contributed chapters to the book Voluntary Carbon Markets: A Business Guide to What They Are and How They Work. Rob left BEF in November 2010 to explore his next venture, ConvenientOpportunities.com.

More profile about the speaker
Rob Harmon | Speaker | TED.com