Globalization of Water

PRODUCTION of water-intensive goods

TRADE
TRADE

CONSUMPTION of water-intensive goods

www.waterfootprint.org
Globalization of Water
Consumers indirectly contribute to
water depletion and pollution
elsewhere, without covering the
cost.

Water-abundant regions have other

opportunities than water-scarce
regions.

Several nations become

increasingly dependent on external
water resources. Water is a
geopolitical resource.

There is a growing need to

harmonize national water and trade
policies.
Overview Presentation

1. Virtual water and water footprint

2. From concept to practice

3. What is next?
 1
Virtual water and water footprint
 The concept of ‘virtual water’

Virtual water is the water ‘embodied’ in a product, not in

real sense, but in virtual sense. It refers to the water
needed for the production of the product.

Global trade in goods and services brings

along global trade in ‘virtual water’
► The Water Footprint of a product is the same as its ‘virtual
water content’, but includes a temporal and spatial dimension:
when and where was the water used.
► The Water Footprint of a product is the volume of fresh water
used to produce the product, summed over the various steps of
the production chain.
► The Water Footprint consists of three components:
BLUE wf + GREEN wf + GREY wf
 Water footprint of a product

► the volume of fresh water used to produce the product,

summed over the various steps of the production chain.

► when and where the water was used:

a water footprint includes a temporal and spatial dimension.

► type of water use:

green, blue, grey water footprint.
 Water footprint of a product

Green water footprint

► volume of rainwater evaporated.

Blue water footprint

► volume of surface or groundwater evaporated.

Grey water footprint

► volume of polluted water.
 Assessing the water footprint
of crop and animal products

Water footprint of a crop

 Crop water use (m3/ha) / Crop yield (ton/ha)

Water footprint of an animal

 Sum of water for feed, drinking and servicing

Water footprint of a crop or livestock product

 Distribute the water footprint of the root product over its derived products
 Crop water requirement

1. Calculate reference crop evapotranspiration ET0 (mm/day)

e.g. Penman-Monteith equation

2. Calculate crop evapotranspiration Etc (mm/day)

Etc = ET0  Kc where Kc = crop coefficient

3. Calculate crop water requirement CWR (m3/ha)

CWR = Σ Etc [accumulate over growing period]
 Irrigation requirement

Irrigation requirement = crop water requirement – effective rainfall

 Crop water use

Green water use by crop =

min (crop water requirement, effective precipitation)

Blue water use by crop =

min (irrigation requirement, effective irrigation)
► Assessing the Water Footprint of a product requires analysis
of the full production chain.
The water footprint of products
global averages

1 kg wheat 1 m3 water

1 kg rice 3 m3 water

1 kg milk 1 m3 water

1 kg cheese 5 m3 water

1 kg pork 5 m3 water

1 kg beef 15 m3 water

[Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]

► The Water Footprint is spatially explicit. Example for cotton.
2500 litres of water
for 1 cotton shirt
Water footprint of EU’s cotton consumption
blue water

[Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]

Water footprint of EU’s cotton consumption
green water

[Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]

Water footprint of EU’s cotton consumption
gray water

[Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]

Water footprint of EU’s cotton consumption
blue water + green water + gray water

[Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]

 The water footprint:
making a link between
consumption in one place and
impacts on water systems elsewhere

[Photo: Gleick, 1993]

 Water footprint of energy
Primary energy carriers Global average water
footprint (m3/GJ)
Non-renewable Natural gas 0.11

Coal 0.16

Crude oil 1.06

Uranium 0.09

Renewable Wind energy 0.00

Solar thermal energy 0.27

Hydropower 22

Biomass energy 70 (range: 10-250)

[Gerbens-Leenes, Hoekstra & Van der Meer, 2008]

► The Water Footprint of a nation is the total amount of water
that is used to produce the goods and services consumed by
the inhabitants of the nation.
► Consumption is partly related to domestic resource use, and
partly to resource use outside the country borders  Internal &
External Water Footprint.
► National Water Footprint =
national water use
+ virtual water import
– virtual water export
 Water footprint per capita

WFP(m3/cap/yr)
600 - 800
800 - 1000
1000 - 1200
1200 - 1300
1300 - 1500
1500 - 1800
1800 - 2100
2100 - 2500
No Data

[Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]

 Water footprint per capita
3000
Domestic water consumption Industrial goods Agricultural goods

2500
Water footprint (m /cap/yr)

2000
3

1500 Global average water footprint

1000

500

0
Mexico

Russia
Pakistan

Italy

USA
Thailand
Brazil
India

Nigeria
China

Japan

Indonesia

[Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]

below a threshold of 1500 m3/cap/yr, the demand for cereal
import increases exponentially with decreasing water resources

[Yang et al., 2003]

► Country Case Studies
China, Netherlands
Virtual water transfers in China

52
Gm3/yr

[Ma et al., 2006; Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]

Global water footprint of the Netherlands

82% of the Dutch water footprint

is outside its own borders

[Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]

Environmental Water Scarcity Index

Water stress
(withdrawal-to-availability)
< 0.3
0.3 - 0.4
0.4 - 0.5
0.5 - 0.6
0.6 - 0.7
0.7 - 0.8
0.8 - 0.9
0.9 - 1.0
> 1.0

[Smakhtin, Revenga & Doll, 2004]

 The impact of the water footprint
of the Netherlands: hotspots

6 3
External water footprint for agricultural products (10 m ) Main product category in hotspot
0 - 10 Fruit, nuts and wine
10 - 100 Oil crops and oil from oil crops
100 - 1000 Coffee, tea, cocoa and tobacco
> 1000 Livestock and livestock products
Hotspots Cotton products
The impact of the water footprint
of the Netherlands: hotspots
► The Water Footprint of a business is the total volume of
freshwater that is used directly and indirectly to run and support
a business.
Business Water Footprint Accounting

Supply chain Operational End use

grey

blue

green

Business Water Footprint Relationship between footprint

and local availability
determines IMPACT

Water availability in
Hydrological units
 3
What is next?
Next...

 Engage stakeholders to apply WF accounting, impacts

assessment and impact mitigation
 Establish Standardised methodology for WF
accounting, impact assessment and responses
 Building strong partnerships between the Water
Footprint Network, academia, business, government,
NGO and water umbrella bodies
 Further the research agenda on WF accounting
impacts and global to local (policy) responses like
offsetting, public policy, water footprint offsetting, water
credit markets etc
Partner with us ... www.waterfootprint.org

 More pilots on WF accounting, impacts and impact

mitigation
 Standardised methodology for WF accounting, impact
assessment and responses
 Stimulating partnerships between Water Footprint
Network and and others like CEO Water mandate, ISO
others

[Hoekstra, 2008]