The Water Economics Research Group (WERG) at the University of Waterloo aims to promote the use of economic models, methods and policy instruments in integrated water resources management. Led by Economics Professor Roy Brouwer, the Executive Director of the University of Waterloo's Water Institute, the main research interests of WERG are in water resource economics, in particular water resource valuation, hydro-economic modelling and water policy instruments to support sustainable water resources management in Canada and elsewhere.
News
- Aug. 22, 2023In the Media: Ecuadorians vote to stop oil drilling in the Amazon rainforest
Ecuadorians voted on Sunday to stop an oil-drilling project in the Yasuni region of the Amazon with 59% voting yes on a proposition that will end the practice.
Dr. Roy Brouwer, an environmental economist at the University of Waterloo, who conducted a study on the economic value of the Amazon rainforest, says that Indigenous populations tend to place an extremely high value on the environmental sanctity of the forest.
“They've lived in the Amazon for 11,000 years. How are you going to compensate these people by taking away their livelihood, cutting the forest and having them move out of the area where they live for 11,000 years? There's no monetary compensation for that.”
- Oct. 7, 2022Sustainable Futures initiative launched
On September 19, the University of Waterloo launched the Sustainable Futures initiative; - a collaboration that brings together the Water institute, the Waterloo Climate Institute and the
- Oct. 4, 2022Highlights from the 2022 Water Institute Research Conference
From September 26 until September 28, a diverse group of academics, practitioners and policymakers from around the world attended the biennial Water Institute 2022 Research Conference - Water as a Foundation for Healthy Communities and Sustainable Livelihoods.