I think we need a discussion thread for the californian drought going on. I would like to compile information in the main post and would like help compiling it. If we really are proud to be effective altruists then this is an area we should really figure out.
- http://ca.gov/drought/
- http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cdecapp/resapp/getResGraphsMain.action
- http://www.californiadrought.org/
- http://pacinst.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/21/2015/04/CA-Ag-Water-Use.pdf
- http://www.californiadrought.org/the-state-of-the-california-drought-still-very-bad/
- Read this: http://pacinst.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/21/2013/02/ca_drought_impacts_full_report3.pdf
Any one have any good ideas on how we can help?
Many libertarians and conservatives have been calling for a free market in water in California. I agree that would likely be the best solution overall. However that solution will have inevitable pushback from farmers, who benefit from their existing usage rights. My understanding is that California farmers have a "use it or lose it" right to water resources. In other words, they can use the water or not use it, but they can't re-sell it. This leads to a lot of waste, including absurdities like planting monsoon crops in a semi-arid region. If the farmers could simply resell the water they don't use (at or near the residential water price), there would be more water to go around, and farmers would probably actually come out ahead of the game. While less beneficial overall, it might be politically easier to implement.
If everybody understood the problem, then allowing farmers to keep their current level of water rights but also allowing them to choose between irrigation and resale would be a Pareto improvement. "Do I grow and export an extra single almond, or do I let Nestle export an extra twenty bottles of water?" is a question which is neutral with respect to water use but which has an obvious consistent answer with respect to profit and utility.
But as is typical, beneficiaries of price controls benefit from not allowing the politicians' electorate to unde... (read more)