Global impacts of energy demand on the freshwater resources of nations
Global impacts of energy demand on the freshwater resources of nations
The growing geographic disconnect between consumption of goods, the extraction and processing of resources, and the environmental impacts associated with production activities makes it crucial to factor global trade into sustainability assessments. Using an empirically validated environmentally extended global trade model, we examine the relationship between two key resources underpinning economies and human well-being—energy and freshwater. A comparison of three energy sectors (petroleum, gas, and electricity) reveals that freshwater consumption associated with gas and electricity production is largely confined within the territorial boundaries where demand originates. This finding contrasts with petroleum, which exhibits a varying ratio of territorial to international freshwater consumption, depending on the origin of demand. For example, although the United States and China have similar demand associated with the petroleum sector, international freshwater consumption is three times higher for the former than the latter. Based on mapping patterns of freshwater consumption associated with energy sectors at subnational scales, our analysis also reveals concordance between pressure on freshwater resources associated with energy production and freshwater scarcity in a number of river basins globally. These energy-driven pressures on freshwater resources in areas distant from the origin of energy demand complicate the design of policy to ensure security of fresh water and energy supply. Although much of the debate around energy is focused on greenhouse gas emissions, our findings highlight the need to consider the full range of consequences of energy production when designing policy.
energy, freshwater, nexus, MRIO, sustainability
E6707-E6716
Holland, Robert Alan
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Scott, Kate A.
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Florke, Martina
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Brown, Gareth
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Ewers, Robert M.
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Farmer, Elizabeth
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Kapos, Valerie
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Muggeridge, Ann
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Scharlemann, Jorn P.W.
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Barrett, John
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Eigenbrod, Felix
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1 December 2015
Holland, Robert Alan
9c245e65-06bb-4b0e-8214-2b00ad2a47df
Scott, Kate A.
094cf93e-54fb-40e4-b3c7-d05db11774c6
Florke, Martina
16ec3a60-5f6e-4089-b3b4-85f01ba46a3e
Brown, Gareth
756d4066-b8b1-4818-b4f8-74a361930340
Ewers, Robert M.
81c1aaed-41d7-4ab6-9271-b5a4f7311430
Farmer, Elizabeth
f89fa9ff-f3be-430b-a2fb-b8aed0cc9fe5
Kapos, Valerie
6312e710-7f42-47e5-b407-9013863d594d
Muggeridge, Ann
3cdf7c2e-84e8-4040-9331-20fbe7864846
Scharlemann, Jorn P.W.
92e30f73-0910-462a-8f0d-a56e4140d201
Barrett, John
7be4eee2-535c-4d35-abf7-b30854af98cd
Eigenbrod, Felix
43efc6ae-b129-45a2-8a34-e489b5f05827
Holland, Robert Alan, Scott, Kate A., Florke, Martina, Brown, Gareth, Ewers, Robert M., Farmer, Elizabeth, Kapos, Valerie, Muggeridge, Ann, Scharlemann, Jorn P.W., Taylor, Gail, Barrett, John and Eigenbrod, Felix
(2015)
Global impacts of energy demand on the freshwater resources of nations.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112 (48), .
(doi:10.1073/pnas.1507701112).
Abstract
The growing geographic disconnect between consumption of goods, the extraction and processing of resources, and the environmental impacts associated with production activities makes it crucial to factor global trade into sustainability assessments. Using an empirically validated environmentally extended global trade model, we examine the relationship between two key resources underpinning economies and human well-being—energy and freshwater. A comparison of three energy sectors (petroleum, gas, and electricity) reveals that freshwater consumption associated with gas and electricity production is largely confined within the territorial boundaries where demand originates. This finding contrasts with petroleum, which exhibits a varying ratio of territorial to international freshwater consumption, depending on the origin of demand. For example, although the United States and China have similar demand associated with the petroleum sector, international freshwater consumption is three times higher for the former than the latter. Based on mapping patterns of freshwater consumption associated with energy sectors at subnational scales, our analysis also reveals concordance between pressure on freshwater resources associated with energy production and freshwater scarcity in a number of river basins globally. These energy-driven pressures on freshwater resources in areas distant from the origin of energy demand complicate the design of policy to ensure security of fresh water and energy supply. Although much of the debate around energy is focused on greenhouse gas emissions, our findings highlight the need to consider the full range of consequences of energy production when designing policy.
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Accepted/In Press date: 18 September 2015
e-pub ahead of print date: 16 November 2015
Published date: 1 December 2015
Keywords:
energy, freshwater, nexus, MRIO, sustainability
Organisations:
Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 384173
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/384173
ISSN: 0027-8424
PURE UUID: 2a5acca8-f2a1-4f0e-a053-7710b27b8b5f
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Date deposited: 09 Dec 2015 14:59
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:43
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Contributors
Author:
Kate A. Scott
Author:
Martina Florke
Author:
Gareth Brown
Author:
Robert M. Ewers
Author:
Elizabeth Farmer
Author:
Valerie Kapos
Author:
Ann Muggeridge
Author:
Jorn P.W. Scharlemann
Author:
Gail Taylor
Author:
John Barrett
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