Presentation on Virtual Water as a Concept for the course of management of resources

1. Virtual Water as a Concept
Chan Ka Nok
MSc candidate in Sustainable Resources Management,
Technische Universität München, Germany

2. What is Virtual Water?

3. Virtual Water
•
Freshwater
•
Origin
•
Reference to product mass
•
Virtual Water Content
Sources: deviantart.net

4. Examples
Sources:http://virtualwater.eu

5. Examples (cont’)
Sources:http://virtualwater.eu

6. Classification of Water Footprint

7. Green Water
•
rainwater stored in the soil
in form of soil moisture
sources: diacarbon.com

8. Blue Water
•
surface water
•
groundwater
sources: wallpaperscraft.com

10. Grey Water
•
pollution related
•
freshwater required to
assimilate the load of
pollutants
•
based on existing
ambient water quality
standards (Hoekstra et
al., 2011)
Sources: ed101.bu.edu

11. Source: Hoekstra AY. (ed) (2003)
Virtual water trade balances
of thirteen world regions
1995-1999

12. Source: Mekonnen and Hoekstra (2011)
Virtual water balance per country
related to trade in agricultural
and industrial products
1996-2005

14. WF Accounting Approach
Water Footprint Assessment Manual

15. WF Accounting
1. setting goals and scope
2. accounting
3. assessing sustainability
4. formulating responses

16. Top-Down Approach
total use of water
resources in the area
+
Net import of Gross
virtual water
(import - export)
Sources: www.tradeandexportme.com

17. Bottom-up Approach
•
ALL goods and services
•
number of inhabitants
•
respective water needs
(Hoekstra and
Mekonnen, 2012a)
Sources: tmemarketing.com

18. WF Accounting Approach
Top-down
or Bottom-up?

19. Top-Down Approach
total use of water
resources in the area
+
Net import of Gross
virtual water
(import - export)
Sources: www.tradeandexportme.com

20. Bottom-up Approach
•
ALL goods and services
•
number of inhabitants
•
respective water needs
(Hoekstra and
Mekonnen, 2012a)
Sources: tmemarketing.com

21. Current Problem
large product WFs in waterabundant areas
• Increase water
productivities (reduce
product WFs) in waterabundant areas traded
internationally
• wise allocation of freshwater
resources to alternative
purposes (Hoekstra, 2011)

22. Sources: dailynewsegypt.com/
Solution?
Like always

23. Policy Responses
• Reduction
• Efficiency
• Offsetting
• Water Neutral
• Water Footprint Cap
• Water Footprint Permits
• Water Labelling

24. Emission Reduction
•
Market Potential
•
Economic Potential
•
Technical Potential

26. “One person can make a difference, and
everyone should try.”
–John Fitzgerald Kennedy

27. Reference
•
Ercin, A. Ertug; Hoekstra, Arjen Y. (2012): Carbon and water footprints.
Concepts, methodologies and policy responses. Paris: UNESCO.
•
Hoekstra AY. (ed) (2003) Virtual water trade: Proceedings of the International
Expert Meeting on Vir- tual Water Trade, Delft, The Neth- erlands, 12-13
December 2002. Value of Water Research Report Series No.12, IHE, Delft,
the Netherlands.
•
Jones, J. A. A (2010): Water sustainability. A global perspective. London:
Hodder Education.
•
Mekonnen, M.M. and Hoekstra, A.Y. (2011) National water footprint accounts:
the green, blue and grey water footprint of production and consumption,
Value of Water Research Report Series No.50, UNESCO-IHE.