pacobird wrote:It's less about that (it's about 20 years old and the author leaves it as an implied endgame) than it is about explaining the legal status of water in the US and the ways in which various players operate within that framework. It's still relevant despite its age because the laws haven't changed. Real catastrophe was delayed because desalinization tech exceeded expectations, but that was just, well, a delay.
Here's an example of how the commodification of water would help conservation: mining uses a lot of water - about..15-20% of national consumption? - and it has to be fresh because obviously using salt water to cool your drills and flush the holes will destroy the equipment. Mining companies COULD use reclaimed water rather than potable, but since potable is free, there's no reason to pay even the nominal cost of buying into reclamation efforts, especially when you're talking about the amount of water we are here.
what is the realistic scenario in which quantifying corporate water usage as dollars instead of gallons actually changes any of that, though
people know that they're using a ton of water? okay?
they have to pay people for the water they're taking or polluting? we both know they don't and won't, what are you going to do, sue a corporation in the US, ask Standing Rock how well the courts are working for them