Dilemmas of Moral Overload and the Role of Emotions and Values in Decision Making – The Colorado River

With climate change on the rise, bringing with it more frequent extreme weather events, many nations have refocused their attentions on water security, sustainable agriculture and environmental protection. Rivers all around the world have been, or are being, changed directly or indirectly through human activities. Hydroelectric and other types of dams aim to supply a steady amount of renewable energy, while also creating a buffer of stored water for when drought hits. However, the building of dams can affect communities and habitats both human and natural, and often have unforeseen consequences. Moreover, the siphoning of water into canals for irrigation from many of the world’s largest rivers has reduced these to a trickle. In many communities, agriculture is the local employer and, therefore, communities depend on and demand a steady supply of water.

A prime example of a river, on which 30 million people depend to varying extents in seven U.S. states and Mexico, is the Colorado River. It is one of the most controlled rivers on Earth, supplying cities such as Las Vegas with water as well as to the areas immediately around the river. As Las Vegas continues to grow, it becomes very clear that it could not exist without a constant input of water from the Colorado and hydropower from the Hoover Dam, built in 1936 (the largest dam at the time of construction). Over time, cities have grown and technologies have been developed, driving up demand for dwindling water resources. Moreover, over the last decade, the South West of the United States and much of Mexico have seen severe droughts that have caused the river to become depleted at an accelerated rate. Water levels in the two largest artificial reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powel are so low that they threaten supplies for major cities. At this point, the river no longer reaches theGulf of California and many in Mexico are feeling the effects of upriver greed.

However, the issue is not one-sided and many values and factors must be addressed when deciding on next steps. Originally, settlers in both Mexico and the USA were given clear water rights, which were handed down to their children; many exist today in their original form. However,  each U.S. state as well as Mexico have been competing for water rights since then. The result is that the water has been over-allocated. Many farmers are parts of families, which have been in the area for over a century and so, naturally, may respond emotionally in addition to economically, in an attempt to defend their rights. These private landowners, thus, conflict with the public over freshwater. Moreover, politicians are not in favour of curbing water distribution for their own constituents as this would affect jobs, life style and ultimately their popularity among the people. Additionally, communities upriver are not as affected as those further downriver and often suggest the lack of water downriver is not their problem. As one can clearly see, this is a case of moral overload with very real and severe consequences and institutional systems with counterproductive incentive structures.

Water managers are attempting to address growing challenges associated with urban sprawl, climate change and cross-community compromises. Moreover, a collection of affected and interested parties has begun working on the rejuvenation of the Colorado ecosystems by restoring a portion of water to the Colorado, in an attempt to regenerate the dried up delta. Parties on both sides of the border have started to acknowledge that the river’s health plays a critical role. While politicians in California and other U.S. states have imposed restrictions on household water consumption, many persons active in the relatively powerful agribusiness, have been left unrestricted. It seems that, because of lobbying or perceived dangers to local economies, some individuals are made to suffer more than others. It leaves open some very glaring questions: What is the purpose of a river? Who owns it? Who decides how it can be used? And most importantly: Who restricts usage when times are tough? What is clear is that any appropriate solutions cannot rely solely on hard facts, cold numbers and pure economic rationality; emotions and values such as compassion and fairness must play their part.

 

Sources:

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/faultlines/2015/09/colorado-river-lifeline-running-dry-150928152039674.html

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshwater/change-the-course/colorado-river-map/

Images:

http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/752752/24542076/1395066685017/Lake_Mead_after_11_years_of_drought.jpg?token=kW9xxzbatPABkIUdzUpfEemEgkQ%3D

http://www.disputedwaters.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/DW_2010-11-01_MG_1774.jpg

conservationco.org