www.waterfootprint.org

The international character of water governance

Arjen Y. Hoekstra

University of Twente

Production

Globalization of water

Water consumption andpollution related to productionfor export; water is not factored intothe price of traded commodities

Consumption

Water saving, but alsowater dependency

TRADETrade

HarvestingCotton plant Seed-cotton

Cotton seed

Cotton lint

Cotton seedcake

Cotton seed oil

Grey fabric

Fabric

Final textile

Cotton linters

Cotton, notcarded or combed

Cotton, carded orcombed (yarn)

Hulling/extraction

Garnetted stock

Carding/Spinning

Yarn waste

Knitting/weaving

Wet processing

Finishing

Cotton seed oil,refined

Ginning

18.0

63.0

82.0

35.0

47.0

16.0

33.0

51.0

20.0

10.0

00.1

07.1

00.1

00.1

99.0

95.0

10.0

05.0

00.1

00.1

00.1

00.1

99.0

95.0

10.0

05.0

82.0

35.0

Legend

Value fraction

Product fraction

Production chaincotton

[Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]

Blue water footprint Million m3/yr

2959Mm3/yr

690 Mm3/yr

421 Mm3/yr

2459 Mm3/yr

803 Mm3/yr

581 Mm3/yr

533 Mm3/yr

450 Mm3/yr

EU25's impact on blue water resources

[Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]

Water footprint of EU’s cotton consumption (blue water)

Former Aral Sea, Central Asia

Cotton for export

19892008

► product labeling?

► an international water pricing protocol?

Water footprint of a 0.5 litre PET-bottle coke

as produced in the Dongen factory, the Netherlands

0.44 litre water content

27.6 litre for sugar

5.3 litre for PET bottle and closure

3.0 litre for other ingredients & overheads

___________________

36 litre total

Water footprint of a Coke

► industry certification?

► water disclosure?

The total water footprint of a consumer in NL

► about 2% of the water footprint is at home.

26 litre/day (32% blue, 68% grey)

► about 98% of the water footprint is ‘invisible’, it is related to the products consumers buy in the supermarket.

3448 litre/day for agricultural products541 litre/day for industrial products

► about 95% of NL’s water footprint lies abroad.

[Mekonnen & Hoekstra, 2011]

Global water footprint of Dutch consumption

95% of the water footprintis outside its own borders

[Mekonnen & Hoekstra, 2011]

soybean

Water footprint of national consumption

[Mekonnen & Hoekstra, 2011]

Global average water footprint

► global water footprint reduction targets?

► a Kyoto protocol for water?

National virtual water balances

[Mekonnen & Hoekstra, 2011]

► WTO trade rules?

Annual average monthly blue water scarcity

Number of months with blue water scarcity > 100%

[Hoekstra & Mekonnen, 2011]

► an international water pricing protocol?

► minimum water rights?

Water footprint of biofuels from different crops [litre/litre]

[Gerbens-Leenes, Hoekstra & Van der Meer, 2009]

► coherent energy-water strategies?

Car driving on bio-ethanol from

sugar beet:40-210 litre/km

► product labeling?► certification of industries?► water disclosure?

► global water footprint reduction targets?► a Kyoto protocol on water?

► WTO trade rules?

► an international water pricing protocol?► minimum water rights?

► coherent energy-water strategies?

International water governance

The water footprint of a product

Green water footprint

► volume of rainwater evaporated or incorporated into product.

Blue water footprint

► volume of surface or groundwater evaporated,

incorporated into product or returned to other catchment or the sea.

Grey water footprint

► volume of polluted water.

Global water footprint by color

[Mekonnen & Hoekstra, 2011]

Global water footprint by sector

[Mekonnen & Hoekstra, 2011]

Consumption

Export

Pro

duct

ion

Impo

rt

Internalwater

footprint

External water

footprint

WF of national

consumpt.

Water usefor export

Virtual water import for re-

export

Virtualwaterexport

+

+

=

=

WFwithinnation

Virtualwaterimport

++

= =

Virtual water

budget

+

+ =

=

National water use accounting framework

The traditionalstatistics on

water use, butthen limited towithdrawals

Water footprint (Gm3/year)

from the perspective of production

from the perspective of consumption

Egypt 69 95

Jordan 1.4 8.3

Japan 42 175

Germany 58 117

Netherlands 5.8 23

UK 29 75

China 1207 1368

India 1182 1145

Australia 137 45

Canada 161 72

USA 1053 821

[Mekonnen & Hoekstra, 2011]

WF of nationalconsumption

WF withina nation

Traditional statisticson water use, butthen restricted towater withdrawal

Virtual water transfers in China

Northwest Northeast

Huang-huai-hai North-central

North China

Yangtze Southeast

Southwest South-central

South China

1410

Import =2

Import =1

Export =2

Import =3

Export =1 Import =8

Export =7

Export =9

Unit: Gm3/yr

52Gm3/yr

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

9

4

2

9

22

10

+4

-8 +34

-46

1

13

5

North India

South India

East India

West India

Virtual water flows India

[Kampman et al., 2008]

[Hoekstra & Mekonnen, 2011]

Blue water footprint Blue water availability

Blue water scarcity