ruth matthews - water week latinoamérica 2015
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www.waterfootprint.org
Geographic Water Footprint Assessment for
Sustainable Water Management
Ruth MathewsExecutive Director
Water Footprint NetworkLatin America Water Week
Vina del Mar, Chile25 March 2015
from awareness to action
Sustainable water management
The aims of sustainable water management
The methods for assessing sustainable water management
The mechanisms for implementing sustainable water management
Aims of sustainable water management
Using water within ecological limits: environmental sustainability
Maximizing the benefits from water use: resource efficiency
Sharing water fairly: equitable allocation of water resources
What is the water footprint?
The ‘water footprint’ is a measure of human’s appropriation of freshwater resources.
[Hoekstra et al., 2011]
► Water footprint is a measurement of the volume of water consumed (evaporated or otherwise not returned) or assimilation capacity used.
► The water footprint is a geographically & temporally explicit indicator.
► The water footprint is an indicator of water use that looks at both direct & indirect water use of a consumer or producer.
► A water footprint can be calculated for a process, a product, a consumer, group of consumers (e.g. municipality, province, state or nation) or a producer (e.g. a private enterprise, public organization).
[Hoekstra et al., 2011]
Water footprint components
Green water footprint► volume of rainwater
evaporatedor incorporated into product
Blue water footprint► volume of surface or
groundwater evaporated or incorporated into product, lost return flow
Grey water footprint► volume of water needed to
assimilate pollutants
Water Footprint Assessment
•Understand the geographic and temporal allocation of water resources for industry, agriculture and domestic water supply
•Assess the sustainability, efficiency and equitability of water use: consumption & pollution
•Identify the most strategic actions to be taken in local, regional, national and global scales, individually and collectively
Water footprint
sustainability assessment
Water footprint
accounting
Water footprint response
formulation
Setting goalsand scope
Sustainable water management: blue water footprint LAC
[Mekonnen et al. 2015]
[Mekonnen et al. 2015]
Sustainable water management: blue water scarcity LAC
Sustainable water management: grey water footprint LAC
[Mekonnen et al. 2015]
Sustainable water management: water pollution levels LAC
[Mekonnen et al. 2015]
Sustainable water management: green water footprint LAC
[Mekonnen et al. 2015]
[Mekonnen et al. 2015]
Sustainable water management: land and green water resources
Sustainable water management: resource efficiency LAC
[Mekonnen et al. 2015]
Water savings of 37% are possible with increased water productivity in LAC
Sustainable water management: virtual water LAC
[Mekonnen et al. 2015]
www.waterfootprint.org
Mechanisms for sustainable water management
Trade policy
Agriculture policy
Water regulations/
policy
Energy policy
Water scarcity
Water pollution
Cause Effect
WFA
Economic development
Mechanisms for achieving sustainable water management
Equitable Allocation Water footprint allocation between users/ consumers
Who is using water/ consuming products?
Resource Efficient Benchmarks Water footprint allocation for specific users
How efficiently is water being used?
Maximum Sustainable Limits Water footprint allocation amongst all usersWhat is the cumulative impact of water use?
Environmental Sustainability
Economic Efficiency
Fair Sharing
Sustainable water management: companies
Sustainable water management: strategic action
WF exceed benchmark?
Is WF in a hotspot?
Reduce WF through improved practices & technologies
Collective action within sector
Not a priority
NO
NO
YESCollective action to reduce basin WF
YES
Is WF in a hotspot?
NO
YES
Large share of basin WF? YES
NOCollective action with other sectors
Water Footprint Network
Fair and smart water use of the world’s freshwater
•INSPIRING ACTION by companies, governments and individuals towards sustainable, efficient and equitable water use
•BUILDING COMMUNITY to escalate change in river basins
•SHARING KNOWLEDGE and training practitioners to solve the world’s water crises
