Water justice: evolving perspectives and dilemmas

This review paper asks: What does the water justice literature reveal about the core elements of water justice in terms of content and at different scalar levels, and what are the key dilemmas? It concludes that, first, despite differing justice perspectives, common ideas emerge (e.g. human right to water, no harm principle) and differing ideas from differing sources contribute to water justice understandings (e.g. priority of use, equitable water distribution). Second, there are persistent dilemmas between the mainstream liberal capitalist approach and the alternative approach(es), such as ontological differences, valuing water, scalar tensions and process versus substantive justice debates. Third, despite longstanding justice ideals, crises persist – breached planetary boundaries, poor water quality, unmet needs and climate impacts. Addressing these complex challenges requires a fundamental, equitable shift in water justice thinking among scholars and policy makers, as well as in governance globally, and finding solutions to the dilemmas mentioned above.