Virtual Water Trade

= water footprint that includes the implicit use of water outside national borders

Description

"The concept of virtual, or embedded, water was first developed as a way of understanding how water scarce countries could provide food, clothing and other water intensive goods to their inhabitants. The global trade in goods has allowed countries with limited water resources to rely on the water resources in other countries to meet the needs of their inhabitants. As food and other products are traded internationally, their water footprint follows them in the form of virtual water. This allows us to link the water footprint of production to the water footprint of consumption, wherever they occur. Virtual water flows help us see how the water resources in one country are used to support consumption in another country." (https://waterfootprint.org/en/water-footprint/national-water-footprint/virtual-water-trade/?)

More information

National water footprint accounts: the green, blue and grey water footprint of production and consumption

* Report: Value of Water Research Report, Mekonnen, M.M. and Hoekstra, A.Y. (2011). Series No.50, UNESCO-IHE, Delft, Netherlands.

URL = https://waterfootprint.org/media/downloads/Report50-NationalWaterFootprints-Vol1.pdf