Unpacking the urban virtual water of the Global South: Lessons from 181 cities

Hachaichi, Mohamed

doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2023.107859

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Imbalances between energy production and demand have promoted inter-regional energy trade among regions. − In large countries such as China, both primary energy and secondary energy are widely traded across regions, forming a complex trade network. − Water is consumed by energy production and then transferred virtually across the energy trade network. This large-scale virtual water transfer has already raised concerns as it results in transboundary water resource displacement and impacts regional water stress . Energy exporters indirectly export water resources, whereas energy importers save water by importing energy from outside. − In contrast to water consumption, which reflects the impacts on local water resources, virtual water contributes to an understanding of interregional water impacts via a trade network and forms a basis for interregional collaboration on water management.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This large-scale virtual water transfer has already raised concerns as it results in transboundary water resource displacement and impacts regional water stress. 39 Energy exporters indirectly export water resources, whereas energy importers save water by importing energy from outside. 40−42 In contrast to water consumption, which reflects the impacts on local water resources, virtual water contributes to an understanding of interregional water impacts via a trade network and forms a basis for interregional collaboration on water management.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Virtual Water Embodied in Interregional Energy Trade in China: A City-Level Analysis

Jin,

Feng,

Yuan

et al. 2024

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Large volumes of water are used in energy production for both primary (e.g., fuel extraction) and secondary energy (e.g., electricity). In countries such as China, with a large internal trade in fuels and long-distance transmission grids, this can result in considerable water inequalities. Previous research focused on the water impacts of energy production at the national and provincial levels, which is too coarse to identify the spatial differences and make specific case studies. Here, we take the next step toward a spatially explicit economically integrated water-use for energy assessment by combining a bottom-up assessment approach with a city-level multiregional input−output model. Specifically, we examine the water consumption of energy production in China, distinguishing between water for primary and secondary energy at the level of coal mines, oil and gas fields, and power plants for the first time. Of the total energy-related freshwater consumption of 4.9 Gm 3 in 2017, primary energy accounted for 19% (940 Mm 3 ) and secondary energy accounted for 81% (3955 Mm 3 ). Coal was the largest water consumer for both primary and secondary energy (540 and 3880 Mm 3 , respectively), with both oil (361, and 0.5 Mm 3 , respectively) and gas (7 and 69 Mm 3 , respectively) also consuming large amounts. Intercity virtual water, that is, water embodied in energy trade across cities, reached 54% (2.6 Gm 3 ) of energy-related freshwater consumption. Across China, 32% of cities see a bilateral trade in secondary-and primary-energy-related virtual water (e.g., Daqing city exports virtual water embodied in primary fuel to other cities that is then used to produce electricity in those cities, part of which is used back in Daqing via transmission). For these 32% of cities, 73% export more virtual water than import and 27% import more virtual water than export. This study reveals significant differences in city-level virtual water patterns (e.g., scale and direction) between primary and secondary energy to provide information for cities about their virtual water inflow and outflow and the potential collaboration partners for water management.

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