A Decomposition and Comparison Analysis of International Water Footprint Time Series

Roberto Roson and Martina Sartori

Sustainability, 2015, vol. 7, issue 5, 1-17

Abstract: This paper deals with the construction, decomposition and comparison of water footprint time series in 40 countries and one aggregate macro-region, in the period 1995–2009. The analysis of the different “footpaths” allows us to investigate the possible causes behind the time evolution of water footprints in the various countries. We notice that the physical and economic impact of economic growth on water resources has been significantly lower than what it could have been, for several reasons. First, both production and consumption patterns are shifting away from water-intensive goods. Second, a large part of consumed water is actually not blue water, susceptible to alternative uses. Finally, we do not find strong evidence of gains in the economic productivity of water (dollars per water unit) in many countries, but we do find evidence of indirect efficiency gains, related to a composition of factors in the production processes.

Keywords: water; water footprint; structural decomposition; cross country comparison; world input-output database (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Related works:
Working Paper: A Decomposition and Comparison Analysis of International Water Footprint Time Series (2015)
Working Paper: A Decomposition and Comparison Analysis of International Water Footprint Time Series (2015)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:7:y:2015:i:5:p:5304-5320:d:48997

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