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What does it mean when water is traded as a commodity?
Episode 214

What does it mean when water is traded as a commodity?

It could be a sign of the oncoming resource apocalypse. It could be a useful tool to determine the market value of regional water reserves. It could just be an experiment that goes no further than a small part of California. Or it could be the first domino to fall on the march towards commodifying the basics of life. Either way, water futures are now being traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. And as one of the most water-rich countries on the planet, it's critical that Canada is paying attention.

The Big Story

February 4, 202124m 14s

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Show Notes

It could be a sign of the oncoming resource apocalypse. It could be a useful tool to determine the market value of regional water reserves. It could just be an experiment that goes no further than a small part of California. Or it could be the first domino to fall on the march towards commodifying the basics of life.

Either way, water futures are now being traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. And as one of the most water-rich countries on the planet, it's critical that Canada is paying attention.

GUEST: Diane Dupont, Economics Professor, Brock University; co-author of Running Through Our Fingers: How Canada Fails to Capture the Value of its Top Asset.

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