News

São Paulo is not only Brazil’s economic engine and financial centre but also the most populous state in the country, with around 44 million inhabitants in big cities, like the state capital of São Paulo, which has faced water security challenges in recent years. These severe water scarcity conditions impact all aspects of life, including human and environmental health. In an effort to identify new, innovative water management approaches that increase water security in both the urban and rural areas in the state of São Paulo, the Water Institute is collaborating with several Brazilian partners on a new five-year, US$1.2M project entitled “SACRE: Integrated water solutions for resilient cities” funded by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP).

Fall 2021

Econ 484/673

Water Economics

Developed and taught by professor Roy Brouwer

Learn more about the economics of major global water management challenges.

This course is for students with a basic understanding of economics.
It will be delivered in person. 
Please contact econugadv@uwaterloo.ca to enroll.

Water Institute executive director Roy Brouwer, professor in the Department of Economics and University of Waterloo Research Chair in Water Resources Economics, appeared on the Al Jazeera nine o’clock news this week to discuss his views on the situation surrounding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Roy Brouwer is one of four recipients of the 2021 Arts Award for Excellence in Research. Started in 2012, these awards recognize exceptional contributions made by faculty and staff at the University of Waterloo. 

Is it possible to calculate the value of water in all its dimensions?

Just before Christmas, the CME Group, the New York-based market operator that takes its name from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange — once described as the biggest financial exchange you've never heard of — began trading water futures.

For the first time, Wall Street traders are now able to take a stake in the future value of water, the way they have with other agricultural and mineral commodities.

PhD student studies how a changing climate and mitigative policies can impact the water economy in the Saskatchewan River Basin.

A changing climate, societal pressures, and increasing water consumption, all challenge water security around the globe and threaten water-dependent economies. While Canada is considered water-rich worldwide, this perceived water abundance is more a myth than a reality. No region in Canada exemplifies future threats to water security more than the semi-arid prairies in Western Canada – home to 80% of Canada’s agriculture.

After four years of transformative research, the Global Water Futures (GWF) program—the world’s largest university-led freshwater research program — is launching the second phase of its seven-year mission with 12 new critically important water security projects. Five of those projects are led by University of Waterloo researchers.

Researchers have developed a new integrated model to evaluate the economic impacts of climate change on the Canadian Great Lakes Basin.

The Great Lakes are the largest freshwater system in the world. But factors like climate change, urbanization, and a growing population are increasing pressure on these valuable resources and may limit their availability for future generations. 

Scientists at the University of Waterloo’s Water Institute developed the new hydro-economic model to make the often unknown and invisible value of water more explicit.