2 ms·

How can you just ignore the water rights system in the American West? It's half the country and really has allowed abuses.

• rayiner 8y ago
  The article refers to the "traditional Western view" to set up an argument about how the "Western view" has failed and we need to turn to "indigenous views of nature." But it completely mischaracterizes the "traditional Western view." The western U.S.'s system is really neither here nor there, since it does not represent the "traditional western view" of water rights.
• barney54 8y ago
  How has it allowed abuses? In the American west, water rights are property rights and there is clear ownership to water.
  • crawfordcomeaux 8y ago
    The lower Snake River dams were put up on a river held sacred by indigenous tribes, devastating salmon spawning, which the tribes and at least one species of orca relied on for food. I'd say that's abuse stemming from treating water as property.
  • st26 8y ago
    Back in the mid 1800's a mine started polluting a drinking river somewhere above Denver. Suit was brought, and the mine said "yeah we are responsible but it would be too burdensome to not pollute the river". Plantiffs lost. Legal intricacies aside, always seemed like a failure of the system to me, that they could do so with such impunity.