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> are governed by very unique hyperlocal conditions Yes, and what happens when 1 area does not have available water, another does, and the area with water does

> are governed by very unique hyperlocal conditions Yes, and what happens when 1 area does not have available water, another does, and the area with water does not want to share?

rsync 7y ago
"Yes, and what happens when 1 area does not have available water, another does, and the area with water does not want to share?" That is a real problem - and should be addressed - but the physics and economics dictate that the sharing need be relatively local. So I would agree that it is a governance issue, but it is not going to be a global governance issue.
- munk-a 7y ago
  It is a global governance issue since, much like your relative who's house was wrecked in a hurricane, the rest of the world will need to pick up the pieces when water availability collapses. I'm not against that sharing personally, but we as a world need to all get together and ensure global stability because otherwise a problem like this will be like falling dominoes where the additional water burden will spread and exacerbate the issue.
- nateburke 7y ago
  When the people without water get up and move, from one country to another, it will become a global governance issue.
bluGill 7y ago
It doesn't matter if they want to share or not. Pumping water is so expensive that sharing won't be economically. Sure we can ship bottled water - for drinking that is cheap enough, but try taking a shower with bottled water. If some areas doesn't have enough water some people need to move out to areas that have enough (this is easy to say and hard to do). Areas that are borderline need to think hard about what gets priority - much of California has been ignoring this question for a long time (climate change may or may not make a difference in the future)
inscionent 7y ago
Usually resource competition in humans leads to organized conflict; insurrection or war.
- gwright 7y ago
  Usually? Sometimes resource competition leads to innovations including more efficient use of the resource, discovery or development of new supplies/sources and so on. Or it might just lead to increased price leading to decreased demand and an incentive for someone to figure out a better way to satisfy the demand.
gwright 7y ago
Perhaps the consumers of the water relocate? Whether you view that as a mundane suggestion or a crazy suggestion depends on more context. Are these areas different neighborhoods, towns, states, countries? Who is consuming the water (golf course, agriculture, residential lawns in a desert, etc.)? Are the pricing models reasonable or are they distorting the water use/consumption? Is the shortage due to increased demand or a problem with supply? Is there a functioning price signal for the water consumption (i.e. does the price goes up if the supply is limited or demand increases)? I think this is a topic where the details matter quite a bit, it is hard to generalize.

> are governed by very unique hyperlocal conditions Yes, and what happens when 1 area does not have available water, another does, and the area with water does not want to share?

rsync 7y ago

"Yes, and what happens when 1 area does not have available water, another does, and the area with water does not want to share?" That is a real problem - and should be addressed - but the physics and economics dictate that the sharing need be relatively local. So I would agree that it is a governance issue, but it is not going to be a global governance issue.

munk-a 7y ago
It is a global governance issue since, much like your relative who's house was wrecked in a hurricane, the rest of the world will need to pick up the pieces when water availability collapses. I'm not against that sharing personally, but we as a world need to all get together and ensure global stability because otherwise a problem like this will be like falling dominoes where the additional water burden will spread and exacerbate the issue.
nateburke 7y ago
When the people without water get up and move, from one country to another, it will become a global governance issue.

bluGill 7y ago

It doesn't matter if they want to share or not. Pumping water is so expensive that sharing won't be economically. Sure we can ship bottled water - for drinking that is cheap enough, but try taking a shower with bottled water. If some areas doesn't have enough water some people need to move out to areas that have enough (this is easy to say and hard to do). Areas that are borderline need to think hard about what gets priority - much of California has been ignoring this question for a long time (climate change may or may not make a difference in the future)

inscionent 7y ago

Usually resource competition in humans leads to organized conflict; insurrection or war.

gwright 7y ago
Usually? Sometimes resource competition leads to innovations including more efficient use of the resource, discovery or development of new supplies/sources and so on. Or it might just lead to increased price leading to decreased demand and an incentive for someone to figure out a better way to satisfy the demand.

gwright 7y ago

Perhaps the consumers of the water relocate? Whether you view that as a mundane suggestion or a crazy suggestion depends on more context. Are these areas different neighborhoods, towns, states, countries? Who is consuming the water (golf course, agriculture, residential lawns in a desert, etc.)? Are the pricing models reasonable or are they distorting the water use/consumption? Is the shortage due to increased demand or a problem with supply? Is there a functioning price signal for the water consumption (i.e. does the price goes up if the supply is limited or demand increases)? I think this is a topic where the details matter quite a bit, it is hard to generalize.