Dr. Ariel Dinar has spent his life studying how water and the environment affect people’s lives. He recently retired from the University of California, Riverside (UCR), where he still leads and is involved in research in water economics and climate change. Through his work, Dr. Dinar has helped decision-makers and policymakers understand how to use water wisely and study policies that protect both the environment and human needs.
Dr. Dinar’s journey into environmental economics began with his experience as a farmer. He worked on a field with potatoes, a crop highly sensitive to the timing and quantity of applied water. One day, he accidentally broke a main water valve while irrigating a potato field. This caused a significant delay. To fix the problem, he had to call an expert, which took until late at night, forcing him to choose between watering the crops immediately in the middle of the night or waiting until the next day. To save his potato bulbs, he worked through the night under the vehicle headlights he borrowed from his friend.
This experience introduced him to the economic concept of “opportunity cost,” which refers to the trade-offs involved in choosing one option over another. For Dr. Dinar, it meant weighing the immediate action of irrigating the crops late at night against the potential yield loss if he waited until the next day. It was a turning point that inspired him to study agricultural and water economics.
Before becoming a professor, Dr. Dinar had a career that spanned both academic and international policy work. He spent 15 years at the World Bank, where he worked on water management and climate change policies in developing countries. During his time there, he witnessed the realities of water scarcity. Dr. Dinar reflects, “A child in South Africa who was standing with a plastic cup that had a hole in the bottom. She used it to gather water and bring it home, and this was the water for their families. After boiling it, you could still see the sand, and that’s how dirty the water is.” These experiences deeply influenced his commitment to addressing global water challenges and correcting policies and inspired his transition to academia, where he could combine policy research with education.
Dr. Dinar joined UCR as a professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences and later transitioned to the School of Public Policy. During his time at UCR, he addressed complex issues in water management, environmental economics and sustainable policies. “So water is everywhere. When dealing with water, we need to look at the entire picture, not only at the individual farmer or the individual sector … Instead, we need to look at all the sectors because taking water from one sector or region will affect others. This is a big challenge,” said Dr. Dinar.
His research highlighted the importance of understanding water as a critical resource deeply interconnected with systems like soil, air, and ecosystems. By applying tools such as the Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) framework, he could analyze how water policies affect different sectors and regions.
Despite his achievements, Dr. Dinar has faced difficulties in improving water management policies. He identifies one of the most pressing issues as the widespread misconception that conserving water always leads to better outcomes. Dr. Dinar explains that water is not just an isolated resource — it is a “system resource” that interacts with the ecosystem.
For instance, decisions about water use in one area can impact soil quality, plant growth or the surrounding air. This connectivity, explained by Dr. Dinar, means that effective water conservation isn’t simply about using less; it requires a holistic understanding of how water fits into larger natural systems. By recognizing these relationships, Dr. Dinar advocates more sustainable solutions that benefit both people and the environment.
At UCR, Dr. Dinar was not only a researcher but also an educator who saw teaching as an essential part of his career. For him, standing in front of a classroom was more than just delivering a lecture — it was an opportunity to connect with students in an engaging and memorable way. “I like standing in front of the class and performing. It was like performing in the theater,” expressed Dr. Dinar. His energy and enthusiasm brought the material to life, whether he was discussing complex economic models or addressing real-world water management challenges, his class left a lasting impression on his students.
Dr. Dinar’s career reflects a lifelong dedication to understanding and solving complex water and environmental challenges. Through his research and teaching, he has inspired countless students to think critically about water management and sustainable resource use. Reflecting on his approach to teaching, Dr. Dinar shared, “I started feeling that I like it … the interaction with students, their questions, their challenging questions. It made me realize that teaching and engaging with students is something I truly enjoy.”
