To say that water markets are the answer to California’s drought relegates the state’s water crisis to a casino bet. We often see the stark inability of Wall Street speculators to put people before profit, and we must not give them the ability to commodify a human right.
Californians need actual solutions, not red herrings. Markets cannot fix water scarcity. They cannot repair aging infrastructure systems or force water abusers like the oil and gas industry to use less water. Nor can they responsibly manage a public trust.
Only through real solutions like the WATER Act can we repair and renovate leaking systems. We must put people first to ensure no Californian suffers from water insecurity. In the end, Californians will not benefit from Wall Street’s water casino. In order to protect our most precious resource, we must begin by calling water what it is: a human right.
Californians will not benefit from a Wall Street water casino
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In summary
Californians need actual solutions: Water markets cannot fix water scarcity, nor can they responsibly manage a public trust.
By Tomás Rebecchi, Ventura
Tomás Rebecchi is a Food & Water Watch senior organizer based in California.
Re “Water markets in California can reduce the costs of drought”; Commentary, Feb. 1, 2021
To say that water markets are the answer to California’s drought relegates the state’s water crisis to a casino bet. We often see the stark inability of Wall Street speculators to put people before profit, and we must not give them the ability to commodify a human right.
Californians need actual solutions, not red herrings. Markets cannot fix water scarcity. They cannot repair aging infrastructure systems or force water abusers like the oil and gas industry to use less water. Nor can they responsibly manage a public trust.
Only through real solutions like the WATER Act can we repair and renovate leaking systems. We must put people first to ensure no Californian suffers from water insecurity. In the end, Californians will not benefit from Wall Street’s water casino. In order to protect our most precious resource, we must begin by calling water what it is: a human right.
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