I may post about this project in more detail later, but for now I just want to publicise it. Defra has published its Environment Contract on a wiki, which means that anybody can edit it, and many people already have.
If anybody edits the EnvironmentContract page, please while you're at it rescue my edit, which appears in version 62, inserting text below the water title (additions in italics)
What would an environmental contract for water look like?
Water companies will:
- Not abstract excessively from rivers
This is more or less the only environmental issue related to water. There is some energy used in pumping, but it is not significant, and so long as water is metered, the cost is not externalised, so users need not worry about it further.
What would a social contract intended to let water companies off the hook of doing their job properly look like?
Citizens will:
- think about water usage in their homes
- turn off taps when not using them
- have fewer baths
- use rainwater for watering garden etc
- obey restrictions on water usage in times of water stress.
Unfortunately, probably thanks to Guido, the page is being edited so quickly that changes are being overwritten by other users.
