Seawater desalination, the industrial production of drinking water from the ocean, is a practice of increasingly intense interest to thirsty cities across the globe. And why not? It promises the ability to provide a reliable water source that is (seemingly) invulnerable to climate change. What is more, the market is responding, with a global estimated value of roughly $18 billion. And there is significant expected growth, up to $32 billion (that’s about half the estimated size of the wind industry), in the next four years. All of this has occurred amidst discussions of a “Green New Deal.” But, the notion au courant in the water sector is “the blue economy.” For example, the European Union’s Blue Economy Report outlines the need for desalination’s proliferation, because it is “poised to provide a solution to this impending crisis,” i.e. climate change (emphasis added). And so, while the wind turbine has now become the symbol of the “green economy”, desalination is becoming a similarly captivating “blue” bastion. Yet, it’s important to ask: to what extent does desalination present a “revolution” that responds to calls for a socio-ecological transition technology?

O’Neill, Brian F. “Desalination and the Political (Blue) Economy of Climate Adaptation.” EnviroSociety, March 7, 2022. https://www.envirosociety.org/2022/03/desalination-and-the-political-blue-economy-of-climate-adaptation/