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Cheap Water, Catastrophic Costs

Identification

Public canonical key
doi:10.5195/jwsr.2026.1356
Authors
Piotr Walewicz
Reported year
2026
Reported language
en
Source type
article
First detected
2026-11-09T19:04:47.777469+00:00
Last metadata observation
2026-11-09T19:04:47.777469+00:00
Last HTTP verification
Not checked

Institutions reported by the source

Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz

Reported affiliation countries

PL

Documentary abstract — original language

This paper examines the 2022 Oder River ecological disaster through a world-ecology lens, arguing it is a localized manifestation of global "Cheap Water" dynamics. It traces the river's transformation across centuries, from its early appropriation in eighteenth-century Prussia to its exploitation under Polish state socialism and its continued devaluation in post-1989 predatory capitalism. The analysis reveals how the state, as an "inherently environmental entity," consistently mediated the relationship between capital accumulation and water flows, treating the river as a "free gift" for energy production, food cultivation, and waste disposal. The concept of "Cheap Water" is introduced as modern water reconfigured and devalued by capitalist world-ecology, interconnecting the concepts of Capitalocene and Wasteocene. The paper demonstrates how historical geo-managerial practices, driven by economic and geopolitical imperatives rather than socio-ecological justice, created a "sacrifice zone" in the Oder basin. The 2022 catastrophe, marked by mass aquatic death, exposed the fragility of this state-capital-science nexus and the inherent water injustice. The paper concludes by advocating for a re-politicization of water crises and a shift from control- and profit-oriented governance towards a more democratic, life-affirming, and justice-oriented approach, acknowledging the limitations of current localized solutions within the sovereign nation-state system.

Identifiers

OPENALEX
W7149257071
DOI
10.5195/jwsr.2026.1356

Documentary context

Documentary family
Scholarship
Source-reported types
article
Natural entities mentioned
River

Entity mentions are not evidence of legal recognition. Jurisdiction studied is separate from author affiliation country.

Sources

OpenAlex · Record 1 · Record 2

Documented bibliographic relations

Source-declared references and links; they do not establish legal support or UGLC qualification. Up to 20 outgoing references are displayed.

  • openalex:w2076492875 · CITES
  • openalex:w2342128494 · CITES
  • openalex:w2596511676 · CITES
  • openalex:w2618210589 · CITES
  • openalex:w2912824905 · CITES
  • openalex:w3081349142 · CITES
  • openalex:w3169613051 · CITES
  • openalex:w4313526623 · CITES
  • openalex:w4323063652 · CITES
  • openalex:w4366198863 · CITES
  • One Haunted River: Histories and Spectres of the Odra · CITES
  • openalex:w6910496549 · CITES
  • openalex:w6928907614 · CITES

0 incoming references within the detected corpus

Documentary field provenance

Source-backed values and values with unresolved provenance are kept separately. Bibliographic provenance validates no legal claim.

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Authors
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Amendment / repeal
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Cite this reference

Piotr Walewicz. Cheap Water, Catastrophic Costs. 2026. https://doi.org/10.5195/jwsr.2026.1356

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APA, Chicago, ISO 690: bibliographic formats using available fields. OSCOLA / Bluebook: structured data only; full legal citation compliance is not claimed without verification of required elements.

APA
Piotr Walewicz. (2026). Cheap Water, Catastrophic Costs. https://doi.org/10.5195/jwsr.2026.1356
Chicago
Piotr Walewicz. Cheap Water, Catastrophic Costs. 2026. https://doi.org/10.5195/jwsr.2026.1356
ISO 690
Piotr Walewicz. Cheap Water, Catastrophic Costs. 2026. https://doi.org/10.5195/jwsr.2026.1356

UDTR Global Rights of Nature Legal Library. Cheap Water, Catastrophic Costs. Documentary record: https://www.declarationuniverselledesdroitsdelarbre.org/global-rights-of-nature-radar/reference/r-e5d2940c70b20178bc106c9c2d39e6d9/ · Last HTTP verification: not performed

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Field provenance and record version

Version 73e7099c7d2d6690 · udtr-reference-1.1.2

Title
OpenAlex · source · 2026-11-09T19:04:47.777469+00:00
Authors
OpenAlex · source · 2026-11-09T19:04:47.777469+00:00
Year
OpenAlex · source · 2026-11-09T19:04:47.777469+00:00
Identifiers
OpenAlex · source · 2026-11-09T19:04:47.777469+00:00
Source URL
OpenAlex · source · 2026-11-09T19:04:47.777469+00:00

History tracks record metadata and does not certify the state of the law.

f4be7212fadc1a07 · 2026-11-09T19:04:47.777469+00:00

f25c908065132276 · 2026-11-09T19:04:47.777469+00:00

f5f80b14f054acd8 · 2026-11-09T19:04:47.777469+00:00

73e7099c7d2d6690 · 2026-11-09T19:04:47.777469+00:00

Frozen-version metadata

Research dossiers and documentary relations

Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz

Piotr Walewicz

Source roles

Discovery source · https://doi.org/10.5195/jwsr.2026.1356

Discovery source · https://openalex.org/W7149257071

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Documentary status

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Library

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