Water ethics

There is an urgent need for ethically responsive, equitable, and sustainable water governance. Anthropocene times demand attunement to the ecological, social, and economic costs of not having enough water in some places (drought conditions) or having too much in others (floods), along with continuing impacts of water pollution on human beings, nonhuman species, and ecosystems. The worsening effects of climate change, combined with significant disparities in natural resource endowments and persistent global inequities, are strikingly evident in relation to water. Motivating and animating experimentation and innovation in water policy are a plurality of normative frameworks, encompassing utilitarianism, economic analysis, nonconsequentialism, nonanthropocentrism, and human rights. Ethical water policy needs to give proper recognition to the many meanings of water and navigate and negotiate between discourses construing water as a marketable commodity, community resource, and collective public good. The synergy of market forces and the potential for innovation hold promise, as long as market mechanisms are constrained within a robust regulatory framework, aiming at protecting the most vulnerable, ensuring accountability and transparency, and enhancing equity and empowerment. Integrating human rights into water policy ensures focus on meeting basic needs while balancing efficiency, equity, empowerment, and resilience.