Water is a shared and finite common good. Because of the different periods of drought, the importance of a responsible and sustainable management of water has become all too evident and placed society’s relationship to water and the way it is managed at the heart of public debate. Furthermore, on a global scale we are seeing the emergence of various conflicts around management models and their impact on local life in which there is an increasingly more striking relationship between water and the climate emergency. Once water becomes a scarce commodity, we will have to confront the challenges of its governance and social and shared uses to ensure environmental and social sustainability. As a result, the debate around democracy and water has become an unpostponable challenge for the future.

We will discuss the issue with Water Policy Expert Katie Meehan and Environmental Scientist Violeta Cabello in a debate moderated by Hug March, full professor and expert in urban political ecology.