California's approach to the Colorado River tries to push the burden of climate change onto others, Utton's John Fleck argues in the New York Times

February 23, 2023 - John Fleck

thumbnail_image.png Photo by John Fleck. A declining Lake Mead, on the Arizona Nevada border.

A deadlock in finding a way to reduce Colorado River water use is driven by California's unwillingness to share water with its neighbors, Utton Center writer in Residence argues in a guest essay published Feb. 23 in the New York Times. Fleck, the author of two books about the Colorado, makes the case that, in adapting our water allocation laws in response to climate change, we must consider questions of fundamental fairness, especially in ensuring that Native American communities and the environment are not left behind.