About this episode
This episode discusses the emerging role of water in U.S. economic growth and national security with the co-leads of the Aspen National Water Strategy.
Water is emerging as a defining factor in U.S. economic growth and national security—from where data centers and energy projects can scale to how communities absorb the rising costs of floods, droughts, and insurance risk. In response, a new Aspen National Water Strategy has been released, laying out a plan to rethink how the country manages water. This episode is a conversation with the co-leads for developing the strategy, Martin Doyle of Duke University and Newsha Ajami of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Their central argument is a shift in framing: water is not just an environmental or local utility issue—it’s a core economic input and a strategic asset. The discussion explores how that plays out today, from AI and energy demands tied to water availability to insurers effectively redrawing the map of risk across the country. It also gets into what’s holding the system back, including fragmented governance, outdated infrastructure models, and policies that don’t align with how water actually moves through watersheds. The strategy outlines priorities including governing for outcomes instead of process, investing in rural landscapes that underpin national water supply…
People in this episode
Host: Travis Loop
Guests: Martin Doyle, Newsha Ajami
Topics covered
- water management
- national security
- economic growth
- infrastructure
- climate change
- governance
Keywords
- water strategy
- economic input
- AI
- energy demands
- insurance risk
- infrastructure models
- rural landscapes
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Duke University, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Aspen National Water Strategy
Places: U.S.
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