4 ms·

Desalinated water is expensive compared to "free" water. At current prices for desalinated water and for produce, you cannot profitably run a farm using desalin

• benj111 7y ago
  >"free" water Maybe they (we) should be paying for the externalities of their 'free' water?
  • cjensen 7y ago
    Perhaps. There's two problems: (1) The current system in the West is rights based. First person to make productive use of water gets the right to use that water forever. It's an odd system, but it's basically land-ownership for water resources. It's easy to see the flaws in the system. (2) You have to invent a new system. It's a fun thought exercise, but there are a lot of things to consider. The environment needs water. Should a farm making productive use of water have to pay as much per unit as an urban household using it to water a lawn? Lot's of considerations. Now that you've done that, you have to get the law changes across the entire West. The entrenched interests will lobby energetically against the change. The people who would benefit probably aren't paying enough attention to care. So the change loses.
    • benj111 7y ago
      Id leave households out of such a system, they need water to drink, and pay more than 'free' + externalities anyway. I don't think you need to change ownership of the water, a tax to cover the externalities would suffice. But I agree, it would probably never happen.