Making the Most of the Water We Have: The Soft Path Approach to Water Management

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Based on the 'soft path' approach to the energy sector, a transition is now under way to a soft path for water. This approach starts by ensuring that ecosystem needs for water are satisfied and then undertakes a radical approach to reducing human uses of water by economic and social incentives, including open decision-making, water markets and equitable pricing, and the application of super-efficient technology, all applied in ways that avoid jeopardizing quality of life. The soft path for water is therefore a management strategy that frees up water by curbing water waste. Making the Most of the Water We Have is the first to present and apply the water soft path approach. It has three aims: to bring to a wider audience the concept and the potential of water soft paths to demonstrate that soft path analysis is analytical and practical, and not just 'eco-dreaming' to indicate that soft paths are not only conceptually attractive but that they can be made economically and politically feasible. Includes a tool kit for planners and other practitioners. Published with POLIS Project and Friends of the Earth