When I think about water security and overall consumption of water there are a lot of things that come to mind. Water is a basic human need and I think that everyone should have easy access to safe, clean, and healthy drinking water. However, the main thing that resonates with me in regards to this topic is the idea of putting a price on water and the potential ramifications that can arise from this action. I definitely believe that major corporations that use hundreds of gallons upon hundreds of gallons should be charged and taxed significantly for this careless use of something that is not of infinite commodity #water. But, I think it is very hard to assign water as a “free” resource for regular individuals using water for drinking and cleaning purposes. The argument for having “free water” access for every individual (except large corporations) is somewhat faulty because I believe it would not necessarily reduce the over consumption and conservation of water that we need to focus on in order to increase longevity of our future, as a society. I think it is necessary to provide a sufficient amount of clean and healthy water to where it is needed, but to go to the extent of saying water should be valued as a free resource is the wrong approach. Furthermore, I think drastically increasing the prices we pay on drinking water, hydro bills, and water in general is not the solution either, as we would likely see a major influx in cost of other basic needs such as cost of food. As we can probably guess, that would significantly depreciate our quality of life. So what is the happy medium? How can this imbalance be intervened? These are difficult questions to answer, but i think it comes down to governments and major corporations working together to not only increase the price of water in wasteful situations (such as for production purposes) but also allow access to clean and healthy water for individuals at an efficient cost for the individual but at a sufficient cost that values water effectively so that we are conscious that water is not an endless commodity.
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Hi Hunter, I liked that your post touches how ideally, yes it would be nice to put a price on water to reduce water consumption, but realistically, this can have many downsides to an individual. You raised a point then to combat this by saying that the key is to not just overall increase the price of water but to increase the price of water in situations where water is being wasted. I definately think this is something feasible that the government can implement even immediately.
Hi Hunter,
Thank you for an amazing post! I 100% agree with many of the points you have raised. Water is a basic need and ethically every human to should have access to clean and healthy water. Since the amount of water on earth is not infinite, large corporations should definitely be taxed for overconsumption. However, it is indeed difficult to make water a "free" resource as making water free for everyone will not necessarily reduce overconsumption. It is definitely tricky to solve this problem, but your vision of governments increasing the price of water in wasteful solutions while allowing access to clean water efficiently is just and could be a future possibility!
Hi Hunter Norminton, I like the thoughtfulness of your post in that you evaluate the benefits versus costs to different issues. I agree, a top-down approach is absolutely necessary to make steps toward long-term change. There definitely needs to be higher regulation water allocated to agriculture which takes up the vast majority of our fresh water supply. Are there any solutions in particular that you would like to see implemented either on the corporation or individual front?
I think water will always be the ultimate paradox, a priceless resource that's somehow treated as if its free :"( you bring up a really good point on the repercussions of increasing water prices as it may lead to increases in food and other necessities. It's tough because you can't really take a Day Zero approach as it would further disadvantage already struggling populations but how else will you get people to listen (governments systems like you mentioned should regulate that)
good points, hunter! in addition, pricing water would worsen an already huge issue of water insecurity, even in very wealthy and water rich places like the US and Canada. Something that was noticeable during COVID was a lack of access to hygiene - would it not be a huge threat to human rights to make securing clean water even more dangerous? In this case, I think we see where the role of government should come in .
Thanks for sharing Hunter! I love the part of your post about assigning water as "free" being faulty. Yes, having free water to access for everyone is good, but being advertised as "free", water is being wasted around the world and people may interpret that as an infinite resource when it really isn't. Educating these people that water is not infinite and free should be a main priority of ours!
I agree with your thoughts! Water scarcity has a huge negative impact on economic development and people's lives, especially in some developing countries, as most of them have a large population and industry clustered in a small spatial area.
This topic is definitely a tricky one in terms of finding viable solutions. I think a great first step would be to price water based on income, where the wealthiest people pay the largest tax on water because they can afford to do so. I also agree that industries should bare a lot of responsibility for reducing their water consumption, but in a way that will not increase the prices of all the commodities that they produce for consumers (e.g., food, building materials etc.).
Thanks for sharing these points! I would agree that it is a very difficult line to draw on what water use should be free and what should be charged. I think part of the issue of luxury water use lies in the lack of collective spaces society has, how it has shifted to individual private property instead. For example, individual lawns and individual swimming pools over community ones that would take up much less overall space and water.
Hey Hunter!
I appreciate your frankness here! I agree with you that having "free water" access for every individual would not reduce consumption and conservation. I also agree with your suggestion that governments and corporations should work together to deter wasteful water usage and increase public consciousness of water's value.
While we may not be able to make water "free", we do have the ability to increase water access and limit water losses. Most of the solutions I've seen this week have focused on large scale solutions, but knowing how we can reduce our water usage individually is also valuable! Beyond the usual advice (eat less meat, shower more, only run full loads of laundry), I found this interesting article about using composting toilets. While they may require more upkeep, they can help reduce wastewater usage!