The West’s Water Crisis

In a new five-part series, The Indicator tackles the record-breaking water crisis in the West. [View this email online]( [Planet Money]( The Indicator vs The Great Western Drought --------------------------------------------------------------- The American West is grappling with one of its worst water crises in history. Reservoirs are being depleted. Wildfires are raging. And people are praying for rain to end “The Great Western Drought.” In a new five-part series, The Indicator from Planet Money dives deep into the shallow waters of the water crisis. They trace the problem to over a century ago, when Western policymakers wrote laws governing water use with agriculture and mining industries in mind. Despite explosive population growth and the alarming effects of climate change, these laws are mostly intact. It’s an archaic legal landscape that fails to solve what social scientists call “the tragedy of the commons,” a scenario in which people each pursuing their own individual interests end up destroying a common resource. Pixabay But this is all just skimming the surface of some fantastic reporting. We highly recommend you listen to the five-part series: Water In The West: Bankrupt? (Episode 1) — Water is one of the West's most precious resources, but it's drying up. In this episode, The Indicator explores how water rights in the West became so complicated. And it explores one possible solution to the crisis: declaring water bankruptcy. [Listen here]( Liquid Markets (Episode 2) — Economists often say we should put prices on scarce resources. So that's what Australia did with water. The Murray River in Australia has one of the most advanced water trading systems in the world. Farmers can log onto an app to buy or sell water. [Listen here]( Water's Cheap... Should It Be? (Episode 3) — As we grapple with the climate crisis, there's less and less water to go around. But in the U.S. water is cheaper than dirt. In this episode: the reason we're willing to flush something so valuable down the drain. [Listen here]( Should The Lawns In Vegas, Stay In Vegas? (Episode 4) — Despite its chronic problems with water supply, cities like Las Vegas continue to grow faster than most other places in the country. An epic drought and population explosion is draining Lake Mead and the Colorado River, which millions rely on. And then there's the lawns. [Listen here]( When A Drought Boils Over (Episode 5) — In the last episode of The Indicator’s week about water, they go to the heart of the conflict. In this show, the ranchers on the frontlines of the Western drought are caught between a political battle and the climate crisis. [Listen here]( Not subscribed? [Subscribe to this newsletter.]( Want to spread the love? [Share the web-version of this newsletter on social media.]( Craving more content? [Listen to our podcasts.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Subscribe to Planet Money+](. Your support helps make our show possible and unlocks access to our sponsor-free episodes. What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [planetmoney@npr.org](mailto:planetmoney@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Daily News, Politics, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Planet Money emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]