This week I was grateful for the opportunity to think and learn about water consumption and preservation. While we all use and need water on a daily basis, it is often taken for granted especially in a place like Vancouver where water quality is great and where we are surrounded by so many beautiful sources of freshwater.
While watching the Netflix show "The World's Water Crisis, Explained" I was really intrigued by the discussion of the price of water and the complexity of putting a price tag on such an essential natural resource. I believe that it is and should be a critical human right to have access to clean drinking water and a safe supply of water for sanitary purposes. I don't think that individuals should pay for this basic necessity as this could lead to massive disparities especially among those of lower income, however I do think that it is important that individuals don't take advantage of water. My vision for the future is a world where individuals use water mindfully and where bigger corporations are held responsible financially for water consumption.
As far as interventions go, I think that it would be helpful to put a price on the water consumption of companies and corporations through policy changes. In the episode of Explained that I watched, one of the women being interviewed mentioned something along the lines of 'if we put a price on water, we won't be building farms in the desert'. I really liked this idea of harnessing the ecological services around us in a way that is smart and in turn reducing the amount of additional natural resources and damage that is needed for a specific farm or business to function. I hope that going forward more of the world, even those of us who may feel "water rich" will take more time to consider the true value of the water we are so fortunate to have flowing through our taps.
Hi Sofie,
I was also so grateful to be learning more about water consumption and preservation, and will be honest, prior to this, I fell into that category of people who take our access to clean water for granted because of how great the water is here in Vancouver. I was also intrigued by how complex of an issue it is to price water more highly, and I agree that charging individuals for water could lead to massive disparities among socio-economic classes/statuses.
Also, I'm so glad that you mentioned the quote "if we put a price on water, we won't be building farms in the desert" - that one really resonated with me as well. I really feel like the big corporations and companies whose water usage is not regulated will be much more thoughtful of their usage should their water consumption be priced accordingly, and I feel that would make a huge difference for us and our planet.
Hi Sofie,
I agree with your point about how individuals should not have to pay for their water consumption as this can lead to disparities between social class and those who are already facing water scarcity may suffer more. However, I do think many people (especially the billionaires and millionaires) in the world may use a lot more water than they should. Whether it is to water their huge lawns etc, I feel as though even if individuals aren't being charged for every ounce of water being used, we could implement a system where after a certain amount of water being used per person, you get charged for the ounces used after this standard level. This would allow for all people to have the same access to free water and those in the upper economic class who really overuse and overconsume water will be charged for the excess of water they use.
Agreed! Water is becoming more and more likely to being traded as a commodity on the global markets, which is just terrifying in general. We already have commodities like oil, sugars, and certain food products being traded, so I suppose the general expectation is: when is water available to be traded? The part that hits hard the most was the quote in lecture around the value of these services, which was "a margin of error to infinity".