Journal Article

TRANSFORMING WATER

Smith, Susan Lea, Sanderson, Darlene

2025

Overview

This Essay calls for a critical transformation in humanity’s relationship with water, shifting away from the dominant western paradigm of sustainable integrated water resources management (IWRM) to water justice ethics, a life-affirming ethical relationship with water. The sustainable IWRM paradigm is superior to earlier twentieth century versions of water resources management because it acknowledges water and aquatic ecosystems are intimately connected to human welfare and utilizes a participatory process for water decisions. Nonetheless, the roots of the paradigm are a fundamentally flawed anthropocentric utilitarian ethical perspective, an even more fatally flawed neoliberal economic model, and an unrealistic sense of human abilities to predict and control nature. Further, that paradigm depends on pluralistic consultation processes to provide sustainable outcomes, which is unrealistic in a world of severe wealth inequality and continuing marginalization of Indigenous peoples and other minorities. Most significantly, the paradigm has failed miserably; it simply does not provide all life with sufficient, high-quality water. Instead, we argue that humanity must transform its relationship with water and adopt a life-affirming ethical relationship with water, which we term water justice ethics. We must collectively learn from secular and faith-based formulations of water justice ethics. We must also learn from the Indigenous values and practices of reverence, respect, and protection of water. At the core, water justice ethics seeks to assure that people, fish, wildlife, and plants have the quintessential requirement of life: water to support their populations, communities, and ecosystems. To embed water justice ethics in our societies, we must make transformative changes in several spheres: individual awareness and conscience; social norms and political expectations; economic incentives; and institutional structure. This Essay suggests strategies in these diverse spheres to accomplish the mission of transforming water. The Essay ends on a note of hope, suggesting that the ascendance of environmental justice in our society is creating conditions that may allow water justice ethics to emerge as the new paradigm for human relationships with water.

• Publisher: Lewis & Clark Law School,Lewis & Clark Northwestern School of Law,Lewis and Clark College, Northwestern School of Law
• Subject: Analysis / Anthropocentrism / Aquatic ecosystems / Climate change / Climatic changes / Drinking water / Economic incentives / Economic models / Ecosystems / Environmental justice / Ethical standards / Ethics / Genetic transformation / Government regulation / Human performance / Humanistic ethics / Indigenous peoples / Laws, regulations and rules / Management / Riparian rights / Sustainability / Water / Water pollution control / Water quality / Water resource management / Water resources / Water resources management / Water rights / Wildlife