Establish a Global Watershed Authority (GWA) modeled on the IAEA but governing water as a shared global commons — with three operational mandates: (1) Watershed-Level Governance: Water governance moves from national jurisdiction to watershed-level coordination.

The 263 transboundary river basins are brought into binding international agreements, with a GWA-mediated dispute resolution process. Each major watershed (Amazon, Nile, Yangtze, Mississippi, Danube, etc.) gets a transboundary authority with representation from riparian states and mandatory environmental flows.

(2) Scarcity-Based Pricing: Water moves from subsidy-distorted pricing to a global water value framework. 00/m³; water-stressed regions receive transfer pricing that maintains affordability while eliminating waste incentives. The price differential funds a Global Water Infrastructure Fund ($50B/year) for treatment and distribution in low-income countries.

(3) Groundwater Commons Trust: Shared aquifers (Ogallala, Indo-Gangetic, North China Plain) are managed as transnational commons with extraction limits set by sustainable recharge rates. Enforcement occurs via trade sanctions for countries exceeding quotas — analogous to carbon markets.