As populations grow and the climate changes, competition for water resources is increasing.
The Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions’ Water Policy Program is an interdisciplinary effort focused on utilizing data to inform effective policy changes in how water is understood and managed. These efforts span understanding to increase water-management flexibility for reservoirs under a changing climate and to develop market-based approaches for water allocation.
The program also partners annually to host the Aspen-Nicholas Water Forum, jointly convened by the Aspen Institute's Energy and Environment Program and Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions. The forum serves as a platform for addressing domestic water challenges in the 21st century—from the drought in California to the need for policy solutions that address water trading opportunities—and to develop forward-thinking pathways to improve our water system, including the Internet of Water Coalition.