Putting a price on water- Analysis of Water Futures Market

Abstract

Human are now shaping planetary trajectories, human societies and ecological systems have long influenced one another, but Anthropocene is accelerating this process. Global water crisis has emerged as a critical issue, affecting internationl water resources and water markets. Due to California past severe droughts, for the first time in world history, in December 2020 water has joined other commodities on the stock market through the launch of water futures contracts. This paper seeks to provide a comprehensive analysis about financial water markets, examining its dynamics and aiming to discern wheter financial interests align with sustainable and ethical water management practices, raising questions about wheter water should be subjected to the speculative market forces or it should be treated as a basic human right.