Why water footprints should be used with caution

It seems logical that crops and goods that need lots of water should not be produced in water-scarce countries. If consumers, companies and governments know how much water is used, they could then make the right decisions about what to make and buy. Instead of using their own limited supplies, water-scarce countries could import "virtual water". This is the water used to produce goods elsewhere.

The water footprint is a tool proposed by researchers and environmental activists to measure how much water is used to grow different crops and produce different goods. The idea is based on that of carbon footprints, which measure how much carbon dioxide, or CO2, an activity emits. As with CO2 and other greenhouse gases, the idea is that households, companies and countries should reduce their water footprints. Groups like the Water Footprint Network encourage governments and companies to adopt this approach.

The risk is that applying water footprints could leave poor people poorer and more vulnerable. This almost happened in Kenya, where environmental activists threatened a boycott of the roses that Kenya exports to Europe for Valentine's Day. They believed that flower production was using too much water from Lake Naivasha and damaging its ecosystem.

Read the full story at The Herald