Just Water: Theology, Ethics, and Fresh Water Crises, Revised Edition by Christiana Zenner (review)

The moral issues that are closely related to our continued degradation of the planet are rapidly evolving. The ownership, use, and distribution of fresh water is one such issue. We are fortunate, therefore, to have a revised edition of Christiana Zenner's rich and insightful 2014 book on the topic only four years later. But the reasons for a new edition go beyond the rapidly changing nature of the problem. In the short time since the release of the first edition, a number of significant events related to the subject have occurred, including the appearance of Laudato Si', the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, and the ongoing struggle over the Dakota Access Pipeline.

The release of Laudato Si', which strengthens and expands Catholic Social Teaching on the issue, would alone justify a new edition. Laudato Si', Zenner writes, "confirmed much of what I hypothesized in the first edition" (ix). Drawing upon the new encyclical allows her to expand and further substantiate the central claims she draws from Catholic Social Teaching: that fresh water is a good of creation meant for everyone; that access to fresh water is a fundamental human right; and that it ought to "top the list of global right-to-life advocacy efforts" (69).

The inclusion of reflection upon recent events also adds a great deal to the book. One of the great strengths of Zenner's approach is the way she integrates her treatment of water with many other major social issues, and the revised edition further enhances this feature. Ethical reflection on the fresh water crisis must be integrated with reflection not only on other ecological crises but also on the continuing legacies and structures of racism, patriarchy, and settler colonialism. Water, Zenner writes, "is never 'just water'" (213). It is a "social-natural liquid" (166).

The most notable change in the revised edition is the addition of a full chapter on the struggle against the Dakota Access Pipeline at Standing Rock. Zenner seeks to apply the teachings of Laudato Si' on the importance of respecting indigenous rights and learning from indigenous knowledges and values about land and water usage. At the same time, she is careful to recognize that this teaching comes from "a centralized patriarchal authority that is historically associated with colonialism and universalism" (157). The result is a nuanced presentation of the promises and potential perils of a more pluralistic approach to reaching judgments in such cases. Zenner's discussion of the issue, however, never moves beyond a relatively high level of abstraction. Given the fact that the revised edition only further heightens the complexity of the ethics of fresh water, Zenner misses an opportunity to model for the reader concrete engagement with the many voices and perspectives already contributing to the struggle over the Dakota Access Pipeline.

On a whole, the new edition strengthens Zenner's aim "to render water visible in complex, nuanced ways, and at the same time to offer tools for adjudicating contemporary ethical problems posed by the looming century of fresh water scarcities" (xiii). Those familiar with the first edition will find the revised edition worth the additional attention. This is especially true of those who use the first edition in the classroom. The book's merits as an educational text—its exemplary use of Catholic Social Teaching, its integration of the fresh water crisis with other issues, and its commitment to strong principles without avoiding the complexity of real situations—are only enhanced and made more relevant to the questions of the moment.