How can the water footprint contribute to the formulation of a national

climate change adaptation strategy?

Adaptation Workshop, 2nd Nov. 2011, Nicosia.

C. Zoumides1, A. Bruggeman2 and T. Zachariadis1

1 Cyprus University of Technology, Department of Environmental Science & Technology

2 The Cyprus Institute, Energy, Environment and Water Research Center

Water & Climate Change

According to IPCC (2008), the challenges related to freshwater are: having too much water; having too little water; and having too much pollution.

Each of these problems may be exacerbated by climate change.

Water is vital for human existence and is considered as one of the primary transmitters of climate change impacts.

Economic use of water

Agriculture is the dominant water using sector - 74%.

Industrial and domestic water use account for 18% and 8% respectively (IWMI, 2007).

In Cyprus: Agriculture 62.5% Industry: 3.0% Domestic: 34.5%

(WDD, 2010).Global (blue) water use. Source: IWMI (2007)

What is the Water Footprint? A consumption-based indicator of water

use (e.g. m3/year) introduced by Hoekstra in 2002.

What’s new compare to traditional indicators: direct and indirect use of water; in the case

of crop production, it accounts for the use of irrigation and rain.

when and where; in the case of national WF, it accounts for the use of domestic and foreign water.

Water, trade & consumption

Average crop water use in Cyprus

Average crop water use in Cyprus (1996-2005). Data Source: Bruggeman et al (2011)

Average virtual water exports

Average virtual water exports (1996-2005). Data Source: Bruggeman et al (2011)

Crop supply: Internal vs. External

Cerea

ls

Frui

ts

Veget

ables

Star

chy Roo

ts

Oilcro

ps

Pulse

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s

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r cro

ps

Stim

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Spice

s0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Imported

Origin of average crop supply in Cyprus (1996-2005). Data Source: FAOSTAT (2011)

Water footprint of food consumption

Water footprints related to food consumption (1996-2005). Data Source: Mekonnen & Hoekstra (2011)

USA Spain Israel Cyprus Greece World Germany UK India China0

500

1000

1500

2000

Green Int. Blue Int. Green Ext.

Wate

r Footp

rint

m3/y

r/ca

p

Why is our WF so high?

Diet composition Cypriots consume on average 102kg/cap/yr of

meat; W. Europe: 89kg, World Average 37kg (FAOSTAT, 2011)

Animal products require a lot of water to be produced.

Crop matrix and climatic conditions High evapotranspiration implies high crop

water requirements. Low precipitation implies high

irrigation requirements.

WF & climate change adaptation “Water footprint is highly valuable as an awareness-raising,

educational and advocacy tool that leads to better understanding of water impacts and can demonstrate the case for better water management.

As part of a framework of climate impact assessment it can help […] to assess the ability of hydrological systems to meet the demands being placed upon them.

Water footprint assessments should be recognized as the basis upon which water adaptation policies can be formulated: changing crop varieties; providing incentives for production and consumption with lower water

demands; developing robust IWRM plans that manage the competing demands on

water resources within environmental constraints. All countries should conduct sectoral water footprints studies”

GPPN (2009:11)

Conclusions / Recommendations

Agriculture in Cyprus is the largest water using sector.

On average 40% of blue crop water use is exported. Food consumption depends on external water. The existing crop matrix and climatic conditions

and the diet composition of Cypriots contribute to a high WF.

Climate change adaptation requires identifying production and consumption patterns with lower water requirements.

The WF is a powerful tool that can contribute towards this direction.

Reference

Bruggeman, A., Zoumides, C., Pashiardis S., Hadjinicolaou, P., Lange, M. A. and Zachariadis T. (2011). Effect of climate variability and climate change on crop production and water resources in Cyprus. Study for the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment, led by the Agricultural Research Institute of Cyprus, June 2011. http://eewrc.cyi.ac.cy/system/files/Bruggeman_etal_climate_and_agriculture_Cyprus_Jun2011.pdf

FAOSTAT (2011). http://faostat.fao.org/ GPPN (2009). Water and Climate Change Adaptation. Key message presented by the

Global Public Policy Network on Water Management, on the 15th Conference of Parties (COP-15) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), March 2009.

IPCC (2008). Climate Change and Water. URL: http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/technical-papers/ccw/chapter1.pdf

IWMI (2007). Water for food, water for life: A Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture. London, UK: Earthscan.

Mekonnen, M.M. and Hoekstra, A.Y. (2011) National water footprint accounts: The green, blue and grey water footprint of production and consumption. Value of Water Research Report Series No. 50, UNESCO-IHE, Delft, the Netherlands.

WDD (2010). Cost Assessment and Pricing of Water Services in Cyprus. Water Development Department. Nicosia, Cyprus.