Water prices in Europe need to rise substantially to encourage more sustainable water consumption

Water usage across Europe varies widely, but it is clear that we are using too much to be sustainable in the long-term. But how can Europe’s policy-makers encourage more sustainable water consumption patterns? Citing the examples of Hungary and Germany, Asit Biswas and Julian Kirchherr call upon European policy-makers to drastically increase water prices. They argue that while consumer education campaigns play a role in altering water consumption patterns, incentive pricing would be the only instantaneously effective policy tool.