This is no joke people. China is considering, well saying that they will begin to adjust prices on water “to avoid waste.” This may be true- I’m not arguing with government policy per se, and I’m not saying they are lying, and I’m not saying they don’t truly want to avoid waste- all I am saying is:

Water is going to get more expensive and precious everywhere. What has always been taken pretty much for granted wherever I have lived and certainly where I grew up will now be the most precious, sought after and valuable commodity there is. You can see and hear little murmurs of this all over. Watch “Blue Gold: World Water Wars.” Watch “Flow.” Think about it.

So China: According to Reuters, China will be adjusting the cost of its water because the treatment of sewage has become too cheap and they want the water used more efficiently.

Repeat: China is reportedly adjusting the pricing on its water because the treatment of sewage has become too cheap and they want the water used more efficiently.

Really? Yes, I am in favor of the efficient use of water. No, I am not in favor of raising the price of water under the guise of getting people to conserve it more.

The Chinese central planning agency said this week that they will move on this idea. The National Development and Reform Commission said that local governments will need to adjust to the changes and make them happen gradually—they also want subsidies for low-income groups.

WAIT! Wasn’t the water too cheap just, like, 3 sentences ago? Why do you have to charge low-income folks more for something that you are raising the cost of, not because you need the money, but because you want people to use more efficiently. I call stinky.

If there is one thing that should alarm anyone and everyone, it is the government raising the price of something that everyone absolutely needs, must have, and doing it under the banner of helping people do something better. This may be an incredibly clever way to have a green spin on the economic downturn- instead of waiting for new things to be produced that can generate revenue, governments can just start charging more for the stuff we all desperately need and say they are helping us be more sustainable or something.

In China, the fast growth of cities and factories has increased the use of current water resources and chronic shortages have grown. Reuters, I’m sure paraphrasing a Chinese official, says that these shortages may “undermine China’s ability to feed itself and crimp economic growth in the long run.”

Are those really in the same sentence? Again, I ask you to take a long look at a government raising the cost of water and saying it is to help the population manage water better, or that it is for the good of the people. Raising prices on things has its role, sure, but doing it for the good of the people buying it, well, tell it to Copenhagen, China!