The Water Footprint

[Karl]

Environmental News Network – May 26, 2008 (Read Full Article: ENN: The Other Footprint : The Water Footprint)

The Water footprint of an individual is defined as the total water used for the production of the goods and services consumed by the individual. It can be estimated by multiplying all goods and services consumed by their respective virtual-water content. The water footprint of a nation shows the total volume of water that is used to produce the goods and services consumed by the inhabitants of the nation. The water footprint consists of two parts: Use of domestic water resources and use of water outside the borders of the country. The water footprint includes water withdrawn from surface and groundwater and the use of soil water (in agricultural production).

A Few Facts

- The production of 1 kilogram of beef requires 16,000 liters of water.
- To produce 1 cup of coffee we need 140 liters of water.
- The water footprint of China is about 700 cubic meter per year per capita. Only 7% of the Chinese water footprint falls outside China.
- The USA water footprint is 2500 cubic meter per year per capita.

What’s Your Water Footprint?

If you’re interested in calculating your individual water footprint:
Waterfootprint.org: Water footprint and virtual water

[Karl]

WBCSD Helps Form Water Footprint Network

GreenBiz.com, 20 October 2008 -

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and six other organizations have formed the Water Footprint Network to foster sustainable water management and help individuals and producers accurately measure use. The new group plans to develop standards and tools for water footprint accounting, impact assessment, reduction and offsetting associated negative impacts.

The public launch of the network is scheduled for December. Anyone working in water resources management is welcome to join, including academic institutions, government agencies, NGOs, businesses, public utilities and UN organizations. Other partners include the Netherlands' University of Twente, WWF, UNESCO-IHE Institute of Water Education, Water Neutral Foundation, International Finance Corp., and the Netherlands Water Partnership.

In a statement, Arjen Hoekstra, creator of the water footprint concept and scientific director of the Water Footprint Network, said the structure of the global economy often dictates the degree of local water depletion and pollution. "Many countries have significantly externalized their water footprint, importing water-intensive goods from elsewhere," Hoekstra said. "This puts pressure on the water resources in the exporting regions, where too often mechanisms for wise water governance and conservation are lacking."

Read Full Article: World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)

Related: Water / Carbon Footprint & Life Cycle Assessment: Water Footprint Network Launch