Analyses of impacts of China's international trade on its water resources and uses

Abstract

Abstract. This study provides an insight into the impact of China's international trade of goods and services on its water resources and uses. Virtual water flows associated with China's international trade are quantified in an input-output framework. The analysis is scaled down to the sectoral and provincial levels to trace the origins and destinations of virtual water flows associated with the international trade. The results show that China is a net virtual water exporter of 4.8 × 10 10 m 3 yr −1 , accounting for 2.1 % of its renewable water resources and 8.6 % of the total water use. Water scarce regions tend to have higher percentages of virtual water export relative to their water resources and water uses. In the water scarce Huang-Huai-Hai region, the net virtual water export accounts for 8.0 % of the region's water resources and 11.3 % of its water uses. For individual sectors, major net virtual water exporters are those where agriculture provides raw materials in the initial process of the production chain. The results suggest that China's economic gains from being a world "manufacture factory" have come at a high cost to its water resources.

Evaluation of crop production, trade, and consumption from the perspective of water resources: A case study of the Hetao irrigation district, China, for 1960–2010

“…From the perspective of consumption, approximately 33% of the WF in 1960 was supplied by imports from other areas through the crop trade (Fig. 6b), which can conserve water and relieve the pressure on regional water resources (Bulsink et al, 2010;Chapagain et al, 2006;Zhang et al, 2011b). The share of the WF of consumption from imports of the total volume, however, decreased significantly after 1976 to less than 50% by 2010 (Fig.…”

“…6a). A large percentage of the VWE represents water "losses" (in the sense that the water cannot be used again for other purposes in an area), thereby adding to the pressure on the local water systems (Bulsink et al, 2010;Chapagain et al, 2006;Zhang et al, 2011b). From the perspective of consumption, approximately 33% of the WF in 1960 was supplied by imports from other areas through the crop trade (Fig.…”

“…Studies on small and localized scales are more pertinent than global or national studies to specific regional problems (Zhang et al, 2011b). The aim of our study was to evaluate the WFs of crop production and crop consumption, the VWFs associated with the crop trade, and the factors influencing them in the Hetao irrigation district for 1960-2010.…”

Virtual Water Flows at the County Level in the Heihe River Basin, China

“…Virtual water import implies increased water availability and might be one way to alleviate regional water stress. In contrast, the export of virtual water indicates increased water consumption, which contributes to water stress on local water resources [20,21]. A previous study on water consumption in the Hetao irrigation district showed that the export of virtual water contributed more pressure to water scarcity than local production [22].…”

Review of hydro-economic models to address river basin management problems: structure, applications and research gaps

“…Multi-regional IOMs help to address at least the spatial limitations of these country models (Zhang et al 2011a(Zhang et al , 2011b, for example, in the UK, where multi-regional IOMs have been used to estimate water use intensities and to identify sectors with higher than average backward and forward linkages (Yu et al 2010). Multi-regional IOMs have also been applied to estimate interregional virtual water trade flows in Australia (Lenzen 2009), and to analyze water footprints in China Zhang et al 2011a).…”