Environmental Ethics of Water Resources Management

Abstract

Scarcity and sustainability of water resources are the most important problem amongst the major problems that human faces in the present and will increasingly face in the future. The current water crisis is complex and a result of several factors. Sustainable management of water resources is imperative as water scarcity is becoming a development constraint, impeding the economic growth of many countries in the globe. Environmental ethics can be a valuable tool for sustainable resource management in any region in the globe. Recognizing water as finite and vulnerable involves a holistic approach, linking social and economic with ecosystem protection, and should be applied across a whole catchments area or groundwater aquifer. This holistic approach is an important implication of the finite nature of water.