The End of Abundance: economic solutions to water scarcity [Kindle Edition]

In the "End of Abundance", David Zetland provides a comprehensive overview of the many facets and issues that are being discussed today in the world of water. What's most fascinating about this book is how economics, good public policy and institutions (with progressive leaders) can help shift water practices that are inherently inefficient and inequitable to ones that are just and sustainable.

David's core thesis is that the end of abundance (which means increased water scarcity in our world) requires institutions and leaders that are willing to use economic incentives and pricing to radically change the way we use water. His bottom line is that the solutions to our water crisis must be local in nature because what happens in water area is unique to that area.

I strongly recommend that anyone interested in earth's most precious resource -- the one that keeps us going everyday, provides a natural beauty to our planet and provides a habitat for millions of species -- read this book! The stories, ideas and insights in this book are so valuable whether you are a water manager or someone interested in conserving water. I enjoyed reading the book very much and continue to enjoy Zetland's blog (Aguanomics). I think it's people like David who take the time to write such books, deliver public lectures and write blog posts on this topic that will help shift the way we manage our water in the 21st century.

Thanks for the book, David, it was quite the adventure and I learned a lot.

Here is a clearly written book that will make you think. It is not written for professional economists, or for people who love to read their own version of The Truth. We have tried listening to people who say all natural resources are God's gift to Progress and must be exploited. We have tried listening to people who tell us we are all sinners and must live the way Medieval folk did if we want to save Mother Earth. We have even tried listening to the few remaining Marxist cranks who insist that water is somehow "different".
What we have not tried is using a rational, market based approach to sharing finite (or in the case of water, situationally finite) resources. Instead of the lumbering, expensive, and oppressive command-and-control tactics that have forced us to buy $2,000 washing machines that don't work, toilets that don't flush, and giant government irrigation schemes nobody can afford, we might try turning to some of the institutions that have made us the wealthiest and most creative economy in human history.
Yeah, it's messy if we rely on markets, because Five Year Plans don't work. Get over it. It's way more messy if we cant find a way to water (and by association, feed) the billions of our fellows who are coming, and if we can't find a way to keep our country's fields AND streams healthy.

This is a very timely book, and a very well written and approachable one too. Travelling on (water) business in Tajikistan in 2010, time and time again I and colleagues were told about the important and overlooked ability of water economics to unlock seemingly intractable international water disputes. Time and again the old clichés about Water Wars have been trotted out by lazy journalists, and when water is suddenly "recognised" as a human right by the UN those who are unsure about such recognition feel unsure themselves about voicing their misgivings as to whether this will actually help poor people gain access to clean water that would otherwise have been denied to them.

David Zetland's book explains why water economics matters alongside more established water disciplines, such as engineering, diplomacy and hydrological science. He slices through well-worn platitudes and scary godmother warnings and water and shows how economic analysis and policy making can make a real and positive difference to reaching solutions on water. The End of Abundance is a great starting-off point for anyone thirsty for knowledge on this most vital of subjects.

Daniel Gilbert, Knowledge Exchange Coordinator, IHP-HELP Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science, University of Dundee, Scotland
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