Advancing Water Footprint Assessment Research: Challenges in Monitoring Progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 6

This special issue is a collection of recent papers in the field of Water Footprint Assessment (WFA), an emerging area of research focused on the analysis of freshwater use, scarcity, and pollution in relation to consumption, production, and trade. As increasing freshwater scarcity forms a major ris...

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Main Authors: Arjen Y. Hoekstra, Ashok K. Chapagain, Pieter R. van Oel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2017-06-01
Series:Water
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/9/6/438
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spelling doaj-a3339cd45de84762a125b1f01216d4492020-11-24T23:54:02ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412017-06-019643810.3390/w9060438w9060438Advancing Water Footprint Assessment Research: Challenges in Monitoring Progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 6Arjen Y. Hoekstra0Ashok K. Chapagain1Pieter R. van Oel2Twente Water Centre, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The NetherlandsWater Footprint Network, Bezuidenhoutseweg 2, 2594 AV The Hague, The NetherlandsWater Resources Management group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The NetherlandsThis special issue is a collection of recent papers in the field of Water Footprint Assessment (WFA), an emerging area of research focused on the analysis of freshwater use, scarcity, and pollution in relation to consumption, production, and trade. As increasing freshwater scarcity forms a major risk to the global economy, sustainable management of water resources is a prerequisite to development. We introduce the papers in this special issue by relating them to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 6 of the United Nations, the goal on water. We will particularly articulate how each paper drives the understanding needed to achieve target 6.3 on water quality and pollution and target 6.4 on water-use efficiency and water scarcity. Regarding SDG 6, we conclude that it lacks any target on using green water more efficiently, and while addressing efficiency and sustainability of water use, it lacks a target on equitable sharing of water. The latter issue is receiving limited attention in research as well. By primarily focusing on water-use efficiency in farming and industries at the local level, to a lesser extent to using water sustainably at the level of total water systems (like drainage basins, aquifers), and largely ignoring issues around equitable water use, understanding of our water problems and proposed solutions will likely remain unbalanced.http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/9/6/438water footprint assessmentvirtual water tradesustainable development goalssustainabilitywater resources managementwater productivitywater scarcitywater pollutionIPAT equationconsumption
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Arjen Y. Hoekstra
Ashok K. Chapagain
Pieter R. van Oel
spellingShingle Arjen Y. Hoekstra
Ashok K. Chapagain
Pieter R. van Oel
Advancing Water Footprint Assessment Research: Challenges in Monitoring Progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 6
Water
water footprint assessment
virtual water trade
sustainable development goals
sustainability
water resources management
water productivity
water scarcity
water pollution
IPAT equation
consumption
author_facet Arjen Y. Hoekstra
Ashok K. Chapagain
Pieter R. van Oel
author_sort Arjen Y. Hoekstra
title Advancing Water Footprint Assessment Research: Challenges in Monitoring Progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 6
title_short Advancing Water Footprint Assessment Research: Challenges in Monitoring Progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 6
title_full Advancing Water Footprint Assessment Research: Challenges in Monitoring Progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 6
title_fullStr Advancing Water Footprint Assessment Research: Challenges in Monitoring Progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 6
title_full_unstemmed Advancing Water Footprint Assessment Research: Challenges in Monitoring Progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 6
title_sort advancing water footprint assessment research: challenges in monitoring progress towards sustainable development goal 6
publisher MDPI AG
series Water
issn 2073-4441
publishDate 2017-06-01
description This special issue is a collection of recent papers in the field of Water Footprint Assessment (WFA), an emerging area of research focused on the analysis of freshwater use, scarcity, and pollution in relation to consumption, production, and trade. As increasing freshwater scarcity forms a major risk to the global economy, sustainable management of water resources is a prerequisite to development. We introduce the papers in this special issue by relating them to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 6 of the United Nations, the goal on water. We will particularly articulate how each paper drives the understanding needed to achieve target 6.3 on water quality and pollution and target 6.4 on water-use efficiency and water scarcity. Regarding SDG 6, we conclude that it lacks any target on using green water more efficiently, and while addressing efficiency and sustainability of water use, it lacks a target on equitable sharing of water. The latter issue is receiving limited attention in research as well. By primarily focusing on water-use efficiency in farming and industries at the local level, to a lesser extent to using water sustainably at the level of total water systems (like drainage basins, aquifers), and largely ignoring issues around equitable water use, understanding of our water problems and proposed solutions will likely remain unbalanced.
topic water footprint assessment
virtual water trade
sustainable development goals
sustainability
water resources management
water productivity
water scarcity
water pollution
IPAT equation
consumption
url http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/9/6/438
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AT ashokkchapagain advancingwaterfootprintassessmentresearchchallengesinmonitoringprogresstowardssustainabledevelopmentgoal6
AT pieterrvanoel advancingwaterfootprintassessmentresearchchallengesinmonitoringprogresstowardssustainabledevelopmentgoal6
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