Virtual Water Scarcity Risk to the Global Trade System

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b04309
• Publication Date: 2017-12-12T19:51:46Z
• Authors: Shen Qu; Sai Liang; Megan Konar; Zeqi Zhu; Anthony S. F. Chiu; Xiaoping Jia; Ming Xu
• Keywords: Scarcity; Virtual water; Vulnerability

Local water scarcity risk (LWSR, meaning potential economic output losses in water-using sectors due to physical scarcity) can be transmitted downstream economies through the globalized supply chains. To understand vulnerability of global economy scarcity, we examine impacts local on trade system from 1995 2009. We observe increasingly intensified geographical separation between and production scarcity. identify top nation-sectors virtual (VWSR) exports (indicating each nation foreign nations its exports), including agriculture utilities major such as China, India, Spain, France, Turkey. These are critical resilience also imports nation's system), highlighting their distant Our findings reveal need for collaboratively manage conserve resources, lay foundation firms high VWSR-importing develop strategies mitigate risk.