Great memories of playing Monopoly & thoughts about messages it sends in the context of global water resources.

This summer I have as some other people around Europe and around the world have had the privilege to have some time off and spend time with my children, friends and family in a “staycation” or a stay at home vacation. Living in Sweden the summer months are precious, and because of Covid-19 many people who usually travel abroad have had to cancel their plans, and so we have been very fortunate to have a number of friends visit us in our modest summer cabin. As the cabin is remotely located in the forest near the Stockholm Archipelago, services are few, and although we have electricity all of the year round, we only have access to water or as we call it “summer water” from a communal well that gets turned-on only after the freezing temperatures stop, usually around late April to late early October. When the communal water is turned-on, I feel like summer life begins, and we appreciate the incredible value of being able to be in the cabin with the possibility to do daily basic chores with ease such cooking, cleaning, having drinking water from the tap, as well as access for personal hygiene with some decency. Aspects of hygiene have been always extremely appreciated, and more than ever this year due to the ongoing risks of infection spread during the C-19 Pandemic. As many know or have heard, Swedish summers can be amazing with long days, sometimes lots of sun but most often these long days are accompanied by lots of rain –which fortunately I love. This means that although we spend a lot of time outside in the summer, most rainy days or evenings we are inside either reading, fixing something, baking, cooking, etc., and in our house when my sons and friends are here, playing board-games has become almost mandatory. There are many to choose from but one of my favorites is Monopoly which is a game that I have been playing since childhood in Ecuador and later in New York often surrounded by very competitive family members especially my sons, nieces and nephews. Lots of concentration, competition, laughter, fun memories and even heartfelt discussions have been a classic. I can laugh-out-loud thinking about the many times that I have been banned from playing for various reasons such as from questioning rules, or for having too big of a heart so as to help some players so that they do not go broke during the games. Some have said I am a really bad player but for me it has always been about the fun of enjoying time together although I really like to win. I am sure many people who have played Monopoly have these kind of stories in mind, and that even if discussions can be heated it has been worth it to go from the table and with these memories. Earlier this week during the last rainy cold summer afternoon while playing Monopoly I had a stark reaction to a comment made by one of the players which really got me thinking about the need to suggest the possibility to update the game to make it more relevant to today’s global situation, and specifically with regards to the extremely low-value that the designers of “Monopoly” have assigned to water utilities / water services / water infrastructure in the game, so to the card called “Water Works”. This reflection came about as one of the players almost mocked the ownership of “Water Works”, and about how most of the players in our gatherings look towards the “Water Works” card with almost discuss, and often no one is interested in acquiring it. To quote one of the adult players earlier this week, “no one wants to buy the water works or water utility because it pays nothing and it is just so boring.” Being someone who is passionate about Water global security and WASH issues, this statement really got to my heart and I started to wonder about the message this undervalued card send to millions of players around the world. My gut reaction immediately was to say that the game is antiquated and needs to be changed to reflect the reality of today’s world, where access to safe water and water services for the public, public health, the economy, agriculture, climate, preservation of biodiversity, etc. are more relevant than ever. I will not go into specific details about the currently global situation and relevance of access to safe water, water quality, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in this commentary, but in the context of the concerns that I currently have about the Monopoly “Water-Works” card, which has made question the game, it is worth highlighting some aspects that are of tremendous importance globally and which currently gaining some attention in the context of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Some of these include the clear messages that have been emphasized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF even before the pandemic which indicate that hand hygiene is a critical element in disease prevention, including preventing the spreading of Covid-19. And although this message is for many of us something that needs no convincing, the reality is that the latest global estimates indicate that today approximately “3 billion people lacked soap and water at home, 900 million children lacked soap and water at their school (of high importance when children return to school from closures), and 40% of health care facilities were not equipped to practice hand hygiene at points of care.” (See: WHO-UNICEF JMP WASH Data). Also, without going into details, but important to keep in mind also in terms of my Monopoly dilemma, it is important to point out that global water-resources are critically in danger in terms of accessibility, quality, and investments, and although there are large inequalities between and within countries with some populations having severely low coverage of this basic services, the 2019 World Bank report “Quality Unknown, The Invisible Water Crisis” presents evidence that all segments of the global population are at risk. “Water quality challenges are universal across rich and poor countries alike.” i And as these thoughts develop during my staycation, I cannot help but wonder if anyone can continue to play Monopoly without thinking about this message, and the fact that Water has indeed a tremendous global value that has been undervalued. Globally water pricing is a tremendously complex aspect, and the fact that access to water is a human right, there is often a common misunderstanding of the value of water and about what and why we need to pay for the costs of sustainable infrastructure and proper management of water resources and sanitation, and its efficient delivery. It is a fact that investments in many countries around the world are tremendously low and with over “2.4 billion people living without access to improved sanitation facilities, and nearly 700 million people not receiving their drinking-water from improved water sources” ii this situation is of high relevance. Hence, the need to somehow address this reality by communicating these facts in as many ways as possible including perhaps via a board-game to children and adults who might come across the game. It is time to change the value of that card so that going forward hopefully more people might learn more about the real value of water, and can continue to carry on the message to policy and decision makers. It is not possible to continue to ignore these global realities even in a board game which is played by millions. It is essential I think to share knowledge and get across research and evidence such as that which clearly indicates that water scarcity, exacerbated by climate change, could hinder economic growth, spur migration, and spark conflict. ”Unless action is taken soon, water will become scarce in regions where it is currently abundant – such as Central Africa and East Asia – and scarcity will greatly worsen in regions where water is already in short supply – such as the Middle East and the Sahel in Africa. These regions could see their growth rates decline by as much as 6% of GDP by 2050 due to water-related impacts on agriculture, health, and incomes.” iii The fact that the game of Monopoly which has been traced to be developed in the early 1900s in the United States is something that clearly indicates that there is a need for an update, at least in terms of the pricing of the “Water Works” or water resources card. iv I am certain that access to public services and even to water were relevant when the game was initially developed, but it is obvious that the challenges we have to face today were not even dreamt about back then. Hence, as the low value of the “Water Works” card sends a terrible and misrepresented message it is something that ought to be considered to be changed. This might seem mundane, but the reality is that the world in which we live today is not at all like the world of the 1900s, and as natural resources and biodiversity loss have greatly been impacted by globalization, climate change, over production and extreme consumption, by continuing to have a “Water Works” card with such low value is erroneous and it sends the wrong message, especially as the global population has more than doubled since the development of the game. These trends will continue to be an issue of concern as global demand for water will continue to be of severe stress globally, particularly with projections such as that of “68% of the world population expected to live in urban areas by 2050” v . Hence, again, a tremendous need to reassess the value of water services globally even in mundane and non-academic activities such as when playing a board-game. In closing, the message with this short commentary is to encourage everyone to learn more about Water resources, about Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, and the overall value of water, and to respectfully request and suggest to the owners and publishers of Monopoly (Hasbro) to change the value of the “Water Works” card to reflect the global reality of the value of “Water” water services globally and the reality of the world today. To make things simple, I would suggest increasing the value of the card so that it is as valuable as the high-end properties and rent should be increased by at least 200% or more. This way a more realistic and clear message might be conveyed to children and adults around the world playing such a fun game, without having people like me cringe when I see this precious resource so undervalued and under-appreciated. Respectfully, Ana Gren

Västanvik, Stockholm Archipelago

25 July 2020

Note: I realize the “Electric Utility” also has a low value, but aspects of energy have a different modality and pricing globally which have followed a different trajectory around the world. Please note that in the context of this short commentary I am focusing specifically on Water as it is a precious natural resource that we need to protect globally, and which we need to hopefully teach children around the world and adults for that matter that these previous resources have to cherished and valued.

Ana is a Senior Program Specialist working with global water and sanitation issues and international development. She has an undergraduate in economics and a Ph.D in infrastructure and Planning. She is a member of Homeward Bound Team 5 (a more detailed bio is available if required.) i There is a depth of tremendously interesting research, valuable data and information published such as: UNICEF and WHO Joint Monitoring Program, JMP, UN-Water, the World Bank Water Global Practice, the REACH Global Water Security Program at Oxford, the Stockholm Environment Institute. I also highly encourage you to read about aspects related gender in water in the report “The Rising Tide: A new look at Water and Gender” as well as about the Agenda 2030 objectives on Sustainable Development Goal 6 – “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all( SDG 6).” ii See: Global Analysis of UN-Water Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water (GLAAS) https://www.unwater.org/publication_categories/glaas/ iii World Bank. 2016. High and Dry, Climate Change, Water and the Economy. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/23665 iv The game of Monopoly is derived from The Landlord’s Game created by Lizzie Magie in the United States in 1903 as a way to demonstrate that an economy which rewards wealth creation is better than one where monopolists work under few constraints…” (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monopoly_(game)#Early_history) v https://www.un.org/development/desa/en/news/population/2018-revision-of-world-urbanization-prospects.html