The water footprint of the EU: quantification, sustainability and relevance

This presentation was delivered on behalf of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) at the conference Virtual Water in Agricultural Products: Quantification, Limitations and Trade Policy at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA, 14–16 September 2016, sponsored by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Co-operative Research Programme. It provides an overview of the quantification, sustainability and relevance of the water footprint (WF) concept, for the case study of the European Union (EU), with a focus on agricultural products. The WF concept provides the opportunity to link the use of water resources to the consumption of goods, thereby addressing supply chain thinking and showing options to remain within planetary boundaries from the perspective of consumers and companies. It provides a strong communication tool for policy-makers and citizens. The presentation is organized by means of the following sections: Water footprint (WF) assessment. Sustainability assessment. One indicator to be used with others. Relevant scenarios. Conclusions.

VANHAM Davy; 

2018-10-16

ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD

JRC103837

0250-8060 (online),   

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02508060.2018.1516097,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC103837,   

10.1080/02508060.2018.1516097 (online),