IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecoser/v17y2016icp298-307.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Does the water footprint concept provide relevant information to address the water–food–energy–ecosystem nexus?

Author

Listed:
  • Vanham, D.

Abstract

This paper is a perspective paper, which investigates whether the water footprint (WF) concept addresses the water–food–energy–ecosystem nexus. First, the nexus links between (1) the planetary boundary freshwater resources (green and blue water resources) and (2) food security, energy security, blue water supply security and water for environmental flows/water for other ecosystem services (ES) are analysed and graphically presented. Second, the WF concept is concisely discussed. Third, with respect to the nexus, global water resources (green and blue) availability and use are discussed and graphically presented with an indication of quantities obtained from the literature. It is shown which of these water uses are represented in WF accounting. This evaluation shows that general water management and WF studies only account for the water uses agriculture, industry and domestic water. Important water uses are however generally not identified as separate entities or even included, i.e. green and blue water resources for aquaculture, wild foods, biofuels, hydroelectric cooling, hydropower, recreation/tourism, forestry (for energy and other biomass uses) and navigation. Fourth, therefore a list of essential separate components to be included within WF accounting is presented. The latter would be more coherent with the water–food–energy–ecosystem nexus and provide valuable extra information and statistics.

Suggested Citation

  • Vanham, D., 2016. "Does the water footprint concept provide relevant information to address the water–food–energy–ecosystem nexus?," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 17(C), pages 298-307.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecoser:v:17:y:2016:i:c:p:298-307
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoser.2015.08.003
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221204161530022X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ecoser.2015.08.003?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. P. Oel & A. Hoekstra, 2012. "Towards Quantification of the Water Footprint of Paper: A First Estimate of its Consumptive Component," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 26(3), pages 733-749, February.
    2. Cazcarro, I. & Hoekstra, A.Y. & Sánchez Chóliz, J., 2014. "The water footprint of tourism in Spain," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 90-101.
    3. van Oel, P.R. & Mekonnen, M.M. & Hoekstra, A.Y., 2009. "The external water footprint of the Netherlands: Geographically-explicit quantification and impact assessment," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(1), pages 82-92, November.
    4. Saeed Hadian & Kaveh Madani, 2013. "The Water Demand of Energy: Implications for Sustainable Energy Policy Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 5(11), pages 1-14, November.
    5. de Fraiture, Charlotte & Wichelns, Dennis, 2010. "Satisfying future water demands for agriculture," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 97(4), pages 502-511, April.
    6. Gerbens-Leenes, P.W. & Hoekstra, A.Y. & van der Meer, Th., 2009. "The water footprint of energy from biomass: A quantitative assessment and consequences of an increasing share of bio-energy in energy supply," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(4), pages 1052-1060, February.
    7. A. Hoekstra & A. Chapagain, 2007. "Water footprints of nations: Water use by people as a function of their consumption pattern," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 21(1), pages 35-48, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Chihhao Fan & Chun-Yueh Lin & Ming-Che Hu, 2019. "Empirical Framework for a Relative Sustainability Evaluation of Urbanization on the Water–Energy–Food Nexus Using Simultaneous Equation Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-18, March.
    2. Yeray Hernandez & Gustavo Naumann & Serafin Corral & Paulo Barbosa, 2020. "Water Footprint Expands with Gross Domestic Product," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-6, October.
    3. Owen, Anne & Scott, Kate & Barrett, John, 2018. "Identifying critical supply chains and final products: An input-output approach to exploring the energy-water-food nexus," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 632-642.
    4. Mohammed Shuaibu, 2021. "Impact of Trade Openness and Climate Change on Food Productivity in Nigeria," Foreign Trade Review, , vol. 56(2), pages 165-184, May.
    5. White, David J. & Hubacek, Klaus & Feng, Kuishuang & Sun, Laixiang & Meng, Bo, 2018. "The Water-Energy-Food Nexus in East Asia: A tele-connected value chain analysis using inter-regional input-output analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 550-567.
    6. Ma, Weijing & Meng, Lihong & Wei, Feili & Opp, Christian & Yang, Dewei, 2021. "Spatiotemporal variations of agricultural water footprint and socioeconomic matching evaluation from the perspective of ecological function zone," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 249(C).
    7. Yiding Wang & Yaning Chen & Weili Duan & Li Jiao, 2022. "Evaluation of Sustainable Water Resource Use in the Tarim River Basin Based on Water Footprint," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-18, August.
    8. Mariana Lares-Michel & Fatima Ezzahra Housni & Virginia Gabriela Aguilera Cervantes, 2021. "A quantitative estimation of the water footprint of the Mexican diet, corrected for washing and cooking water," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 13(4), pages 849-874, August.
    9. Adenike K. Opejin & Rimjhim M. Aggarwal & Dave D. White & J. Leah Jones & Ross Maciejewski & Giuseppe Mascaro & Hessam S. Sarjoughian, 2020. "A Bibliometric Analysis of Food-Energy-Water Nexus Literature," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-18, February.
    10. Flavio Lupia & Valerio Baiocchi & Keti Lelo & Giuseppe Pulighe, 2017. "Exploring Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting Potential for Food Production in Urban Areas," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 7(6), pages 1-17, May.
    11. Ahmad Hamidov & Katharina Helming, 2020. "Sustainability Considerations in Water–Energy–Food Nexus Research in Irrigated Agriculture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-20, August.
    12. Mancini, Maria Serena & Galli, Alessandro & Coscieme, Luca & Niccolucci, Valentina & Lin, David & Pulselli, Federico Maria & Bastianoni, Simone & Marchettini, Nadia, 2018. "Exploring ecosystem services assessment through Ecological Footprint accounting," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 30(PB), pages 228-235.
    13. Junfei Chen & Tonghui Ding & Ming Li & Huimin Wang, 2020. "Multi-Objective Optimization of a Regional Water–Energy–Food System Considering Environmental Constraints: A Case Study of Inner Mongolia, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-22, September.
    14. Nina Hagemann & Sabrina Kirschke, 2017. "Key Issues of Interdisciplinary NEXUS Governance Analyses: Lessons Learned from Research on Integrated Water Resources Management," Resources, MDPI, vol. 6(1), pages 1-8, January.
    15. Karabulut, ArmaÄŸan Aloe & Udias, Angel & Vigiak, Olga, 2019. "Assessing the policy scenarios for the Ecosystem Water Food Energy (EWFE) nexus in the Mediterranean region," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 231-240.
    16. Yin, Jieling & Wu, Nan & Engel, Bernie A. & Hua, En & Zhang, Fuyao & Li, Xin & Wang, Yubao, 2022. "Multi-dimensional evaluation of water footprint and implication for crop production: A case study in Hetao Irrigation District, China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 267(C).
    17. Ana Ferreira & Manuel Duarte Pinheiro & Jorge Brito & Ricardo Mateus & Vitor Sousa, 2023. "Water Intensity Indicators in the Global Retail Sector," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 37(1), pages 219-234, January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Arjen Y. Hoekstra, 2017. "Water Footprint Assessment: Evolvement of a New Research Field," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 31(10), pages 3061-3081, August.
    2. Edward S. Spang & Bret D. Stevens, 2018. "Estimating the Blue Water Footprint of In-Field Crop Losses: A Case Study of U.S. Potato Cultivation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-17, August.
    3. Hanjra, Munir A. & Qureshi, M. Ejaz, 2010. "Global water crisis and future food security in an era of climate change," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 365-377, October.
    4. María Jesús Beltrán & Esther Velázquez, 2011. "Del metabolismo social al metabolismo hídrico," Documentos de Trabajo de la Asociación de Economía Ecológica en España 01_2011, Asociación de Economía Ecológica en España.
    5. Yu Zhang & Qing Tian & Huan Hu & Miao Yu, 2019. "Water Footprint of Food Consumption by Chinese Residents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(20), pages 1-15, October.
    6. A. Ercin & Maite Aldaya & Arjen Hoekstra, 2011. "Corporate Water Footprint Accounting and Impact Assessment: The Case of the Water Footprint of a Sugar-Containing Carbonated Beverage," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 25(2), pages 721-741, January.
    7. Sharifzadeh, Mahdi & Hien, Raymond Khoo Teck & Shah, Nilay, 2019. "China’s roadmap to low-carbon electricity and water: Disentangling greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from electricity-water nexus via renewable wind and solar power generation, and carbon capture and sto," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 235(C), pages 31-42.
    8. Yen, Jeff & Bras, Bert, 2012. "A system model for assessing vehicle use-phase water consumption in urban mobility networks," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 474-492.
    9. P. Oel & A. Hoekstra, 2012. "Towards Quantification of the Water Footprint of Paper: A First Estimate of its Consumptive Component," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 26(3), pages 733-749, February.
    10. Xue, Jingyan & Liu, Gengyuan & Casazza, Marco & Ulgiati, Sergio, 2018. "Development of an urban FEW nexus online analyzer to support urban circular economy strategy planning," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 475-495.
    11. Okadera, Tomohiro & Chontanawat, Jaruwan & Gheewala, Shabbir H., 2014. "Water footprint for energy production and supply in Thailand," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 49-56.
    12. Boris Abeli Pekarou Pemi & Donatien Njomo & René Tchinda & Jean Calvin Seutche & Daniel Roméo Kamta Legue & Mahamat Hassane Babikir & Venant Sorel Chara-Dackou, 2023. "Modeling and Quantitative Analysis in the Energy–Food–Water–Waste Nexus (EF2W): Case Study in Cameroon," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-21, May.
    13. Cornelis Leeuwen & Jos Frijns & Annemarie Wezel & Frans Ven, 2012. "City Blueprints: 24 Indicators to Assess the Sustainability of the Urban Water Cycle," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 26(8), pages 2177-2197, June.
    14. Okadera, Tomohiro & Geng, Yong & Fujita, Tsuyoshi & Dong, Huijuan & Liu, Zhu & Yoshida, Noboru & Kanazawa, Takaaki, 2015. "Evaluating the water footprint of the energy supply of Liaoning Province, China: A regional input–output analysis approach," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 148-157.
    15. Sangam Shrestha & Vishnu Pandey & Chawalit Chanamai & Debapi Ghosh, 2013. "Green, Blue and Grey Water Footprints of Primary Crops Production in Nepal," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 27(15), pages 5223-5243, December.
    16. Liqiang Ge & Gaodi Xie & Caixia Zhang & Shimei Li & Yue Qi & Shuyan Cao & Tingting He, 2011. "An Evaluation of China’s Water Footprint," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 25(10), pages 2633-2647, August.
    17. Vasanthakumar Bhat, 2015. "Water and Its Effect on Business Productivity: A Cross-Country Analysis," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 29(11), pages 4007-4020, September.
    18. Zhang, Chao & Anadon, Laura Diaz, 2014. "A multi-regional input–output analysis of domestic virtual water trade and provincial water footprint in China," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 159-172.
    19. Dubreuil, Aurelie & Assoumou, Edi & Bouckaert, Stephanie & Selosse, Sandrine & Maı¨zi, Nadia, 2013. "Water modeling in an energy optimization framework – The water-scarce middle east context," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 268-279.
    20. Meng, Fanxin & Liu, Gengyuan & Liang, Sai & Su, Meirong & Yang, Zhifeng, 2019. "Critical review of the energy-water-carbon nexus in cities," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 1017-1032.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ecoser:v:17:y:2016:i:c:p:298-307. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/ecosystem-services .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.