Continental Water Marketing

Richard G. Kuhn is an assistant professor of geography at the University
of Guelph.

In the aftermath of NAFTA, issues surrounding the trade of natural
resources and the environment have taken on increased importance. This
book challenges the assumption that the removal of restrictions on trade
will result in increased environmental damage. Specifically, the authors
focus on the international marketing of water. They contend that if
subsidies are not involved, and if legal mechanisms are devised to guard
against third-party impairment, water-use efficiency will result from
transborder water trading. Their argument is premised on the notion that
water (and other natural resources) should be treated as a private good.
The key, they maintain, to minimizing potential harm to the environment
within the context of free trade is “free market environmentalism,”
which is based on two fundamental premises: the removal of subsidies,
and the establishment of clear private-property rights. This in turn
demands the removal of “the heavy hand of government.”

As the consequences of NAFTA unfold, the issue of water transfers from
Canada to the United States will become more urgent, particularly as the
demands for water in water-deficient regions increase. This well-written
book provides a timely and serious perspective on the issue.