A cement-lined irrigation canal carries water from the Colorado RIver to irrigate the farms in the desert around Yuma, Arizona.Jon G. Fuller / ZUMA

This story was originally published by the Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

With private investors poised to profit from water scarcity in the west, US senator Elizabeth Warren and representative Ro Khanna are pursuing a bill to prohibit the trading of water as a commodity.

The lawmakers will introduce the bill on Thursday afternoon, the Guardian has learned. “Water is not a commodity for the rich and powerful to profit off of,” said Warren, the progressive Democrat from Massachusetts. “Representative Khanna and I are standing up to protect water from Wall Street speculation and ensure one of our most essential resources isn’t auctioned off to the highest bidder.”

Water-futures trading allows investors—including hedge funds, farmers and municipalities—to trade water and water rights as a commodity,........

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