Transcript How can the water footprint contribute to the formulation

How can the water footprint contribute
to the formulation of a national
climate change adaptation strategy?
C. Zoumides1, A. Bruggeman2 and T. Zachariadis1
1 Cyprus University of Technology, Department of Environmental Science & Technology
2 The Cyprus Institute, Energy, Environment and Water Research Center
Adaptation Workshop, 2nd Nov. 2011, Nicosia.
Water & Climate Change
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According to IPCC (2008), the challenges related to
freshwater are:
 having
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too much water;
 having too little water; and
 having too much pollution.
Each of these problems may be exacerbated by climate
change.
Water is vital for human existence and is considered as
one of the primary transmitters of climate change impacts.
Economic use of water
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Agriculture is the dominant water using sector - 74%.
Industrial and domestic water use account for 18%
and 8% respectively (IWMI, 2007).
In Cyprus:
 Agriculture
62.5%
 Industry: 3.0%
 Domestic: 34.5%
(WDD, 2010).
Global (blue) water use. Source: IWMI (2007)
What is the Water Footprint?
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A consumption-based indicator of water use (e.g.
m3/year) introduced by Hoekstra in 2002.
What’s new compare to traditional indicators:
 direct
and indirect use of water; in the case of crop
production, it accounts for the use of irrigation and rain.
 when and where; in the case of national WF, it accounts
for the use of domestic and foreign water.
Water, trade & consumption
Average crop water use in Cyprus
Average crop water use in Cyprus (1996-2005). Data Source: Bruggeman et al (2011)
Average virtual water exports
Average virtual water exports (1996-2005). Data Source: Bruggeman et al (2011)
Crop supply: Internal vs. External
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Cereals
Fruits
Vegetables Starchy
Roots
Imported
Oilcrops
Pulses
Nuts
Sugar
crops
Stimulants
Spices
Domestic Production
Origin of average crop supply in Cyprus (1996-2005). Data Source: FAOSTAT (2011)
Water footprint of food consumption
2000
Water Footprint
m3/yr/cap
1500
1000
500
0
USA
Spain
Israel
Green Int.
Cyprus
Blue Int.
Greece
World
Green Ext.
Germany
UK
India
China
Blue Ext.
Water footprints related to food consumption (1996-2005). Data Source: Mekonnen & Hoekstra (2011)
Why is our WF so high?
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Diet composition
 Cypriots
consume on average 102kg/cap/yr of meat; W.
Europe: 89kg, World Average 37kg (FAOSTAT, 2011)
 Animal products require a lot of water to be produced.
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Crop matrix and climatic conditions
 High
evapotranspiration implies high crop water
requirements.
 Low precipitation implies high
irrigation requirements.
WF & climate change adaptation
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“Water footprint is highly valuable as an awareness-raising, educational
and advocacy tool that leads to better understanding of water impacts
and can demonstrate the case for better water management.
As part of a framework of climate impact assessment it can help […] to
assess the ability of hydrological systems to meet the demands being
placed upon them.
Water footprint assessments should be recognized as the basis upon
which water adaptation policies can be formulated:
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changing crop varieties;
providing incentives for production and consumption with lower water
demands;
developing robust IWRM plans that manage the competing demands on
water resources within environmental constraints.
All countries should conduct sectoral water footprints studies”
GPPN (2009:11)
Conclusions / Recommendations
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Agriculture in Cyprus is the largest water using sector.
On average 40% of blue crop water use is exported.
Food consumption depends on external water.
The existing crop matrix and climatic conditions and
the diet composition of Cypriots contribute to a high
WF.
Climate change adaptation requires identifying
production and consumption patterns with lower water
requirements.
The WF is a powerful tool that can contribute towards
this direction.
Reference
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Bruggeman, A., Zoumides, C., Pashiardis S., Hadjinicolaou, P., Lange, M. A. and Zachariadis T. (2011). Effect of
climate variability and climate change on crop production and water resources in Cyprus. Study for the Ministry
of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment, led by the Agricultural Research Institute of Cyprus, June
2011. http://eewrc.cyi.ac.cy/system/files/Bruggeman_etal_climate_and_agriculture_Cyprus_Jun2011.pdf
FAOSTAT (2011). http://faostat.fao.org/
GPPN (2009). Water and Climate Change Adaptation. Key message presented by the Global Public Policy
Network on Water Management, on the 15th Conference of Parties (COP-15) of the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), March 2009.
IPCC (2008). Climate Change and Water. URL: http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/technical-papers/ccw/chapter1.pdf
IWMI (2007). Water for food, water for life: A Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in
Agriculture. London, UK: Earthscan.
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, Delft,
the Netherlands.
WDD (2010). Cost Assessment and Pricing of Water Services in Cyprus. Water Development Department.
Nicosia, Cyprus.