What is Wrong with Virtual Water Trading? On the Limitations of the Virtual Water Concept

Abstract In many regions of the world, water scarcity has created numerous problems for the supply of domestic water use, agricultural production, and for the human life cycle in general. Perhaps in the near future water will be synonymous with gold. Over the past two decades, the virtual water concept has become known as a mitigating water scarcity crisis solution which can balance the unequal distribution of world water resources. Virtual water is the amount of water that a product consumes in a production process from start to end. Developers of the virtual water idea believe that by exporting and importing commodities, large volumes of water can be traded which is referred to as virtual water trading. In the theory of virtual water trade, in order to reduce the pressure on water resources, it is recommended that water-scarce countries import products instead of producing them from internal water sources and allocate these water resources for other lucrative business activities. Therefore, in this chapter, the virtual water concept and its specifications and evaluations are fully explained.

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KONSEP AIR VIRTUAL (VIRTUAL WATER CONCEPT)

Jurnal Sains & Teknologi Modifikasi Cuaca ◽

10.29122/jstmc.v12i1.2187 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 25

Author(s):

Budi Harsoyo

Keyword(s):

Water Conservation ◽

Virtual Water ◽

Water Crisis ◽

Conservation Movement ◽

Water Trading ◽

The World ◽

Water Based ◽

International Water ◽

Water Surplus ◽

Definition Of

Munculnya konsep air virtual berasal dari kesadaran tentang menipisnya persediaanair dari dunia saat ini yang mengharuskan kita untuk mulai memikirkan cara-cara untukmenghemat air. Konsep yang telah mengungkapkan realitas paradoks transfer air daridaerah surplus ke daerah air krisis air secara virtual telah diterapkan oleh beberapanegara yang mulai mengalami kelangkaan air saat ini dalam kegiatan perdaganganinternasional. Makalah ini bertujuan untuk meninjau konsep air virtual, berdasarkanreview beberapa makalah dan artikel yang berhubungan dengan tema terkait. Makalahini juga menjelaskan tentang definisi air virtual, bagaimana cara menghitungnya,dan signifikansi konsep ini dalam kaitannya dengan perdagangan internasional danpergerakan air konservasi air secara global.The emergence of virtual water concept originated from the awareness about thedepletion of water supplies from the world today that require us to begin to think of waysto save the water. The concept which has revealed the reality of paradoxical transfer ofwater from water surplus areas to water crisis areas in virtual has been applied by somecountries that began experiencing water scarcity is currently in its international tradeactivities. This paper aims to review the concept of virtual water, based on a review ofseveral papers and articles dealing with related themes. This paper also explained about the definition of virtual water, how is it calculated, and the significance of this concept in relation to international water trading and water conservation movement globally.

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Estimation of virtual water consumption structure and water efficiency in cities and rural areas of Xinjiang

CHINESE JOURNAL OF ECO-AGRICULTURE ◽

10.3724/sp.j.1011.2011.00181 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. 181-186 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Rui SU ◽

Ya-Ning CHEN ◽

Yan ZHANG ◽

Wei-Hong LI ◽

Chao LENG

Keyword(s):

Water Consumption ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Virtual Water ◽

Water Efficiency ◽

Consumption Structure

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Virtual Water Flows in North America

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.1710318 ◽

2010 ◽

Author(s):

Ermanno Affuso

Keyword(s):

North America ◽

Virtual Water ◽

Water Flows

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Estimation of the virtual water trade between two Spanish regions: Castilla-la Mancha and Murcia

Water Science & Technology Water Supply ◽

10.2166/ws.2010.477 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 831-840 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ángel De Miguel ◽

Eloy García ◽

Irene De Buestamante

Keyword(s):

Water Flow ◽

Food Processing ◽

Virtual Water ◽

Water Transfer ◽

Water Efficiency ◽

International Context ◽

Water Flows ◽

Spanish Regions ◽

La Mancha ◽

Virtual Water Flow

Virtual water is defined as the water needed to produce a product. We can use virtual water flow calculations to estimate the water efficiency of a country, as well as its economic dependence on water resources. Former studies on this area have focused on quantifying the virtual water flows between countries, in an international context. In this study we reduce the action framework to regions within a country, determining the virtual water balance between two Spanish regions: Castilla-La Mancha and Murcia. In 2004, Castilla-La Mancha exported to Murcia 2,453,442 tons of commercial products, from which 1,191,628 tons were agricultural goods. In terms of virtual water, it means 1,365 hm3, including food-processing, and industrial products. It is necessary to add 350 hm3 to the result, because of the water transfer (Tajo-Segura transfer) between the rivers basins of these regions, so the final virtual water number, in 2004, was 1,715 hm3. The other way round, Murcia exported in 2004 2,069,000 tons of products, from which 490,351 tons were agricultural goods. That supposes 712 hm3 of virtual water. Virtual water flow is unbalanced and displaced towards Murcia with a difference of 1,003 hm3.

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