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Domestic water versus imported virtual blue water for agricultural production : A comparison based on energy consumption and related greenhouse gas emissions

Title data

Smolka, Georg ; Kosatica, Ervin ; Berger, Markus ; Kissinger, Meidad ; Fridman, Dor ; Koellner, Thomas:
Domestic water versus imported virtual blue water for agricultural production : A comparison based on energy consumption and related greenhouse gas emissions.
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. Vol. 27 (2023) Issue 4 . - pp. 1123-1136.
ISSN 1530-9290
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13403

Official URL: Volltext

Project information

Project financing: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung

Abstract in another language

The supply of water, food, and energy in our global economy is highly interlinked. Virtual blue water embedded into internationally traded food crops has therefore been extensively researched in recent years. This study focuses on the often neglected energy needed to supply this blue irrigation water. It provides a globally applicable and spatially explicit approach to the watershed level for water source specific quantification of energy consumption and related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of irrigation water supply. The approach is applied to Israel's total domestic and imported food crop supply of 105 crops by additionally including import-related transportation energy and emissions. Total energy use and related emissions of domestic crop production were much lower (551 GWh/422 kt CO2-equivalents [CO2e]) than those embedded into crop imports (1639 GWh/649 kt CO2e). Domestic energy and emissions were mainly attributable to the irrigation water supply with artificial water sources (treated domestic wastewater and desalinated water, 84%). Transport accounted for 79% and 66% of virtually imported energy and emissions, respectively. Despite transport, specific GHG emissions (CO2e per ton of crop) were significantly lower for several crops (e.g., olives, almonds, chickpeas) compared to domestic production. This could be attributed to the high share of energy-intensive artificial water supply in combination with higher irrigation water demands in Israel. In the course of an increasing demand for artificial water supply in arid and semi-arid regions, our findings point to the importance of including “energy for water” into comparative environmental assessment of crop supply to support decision-making related to the water–energy–food nexus.

Further data

Item Type: Article in a journal
Refereed: Yes
Keywords: agricultural water use; energy for water; industrial ecology; Israel; virtual water flows; greenhouse gas emissions
Institutions of the University: Faculties > Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Earth Sciences > Department of Earth Sciences > Professor Ecological Services > Professor Ecological Services - Univ.-Prof. Dr. Thomas Köllner
Profile Fields > Advanced Fields > Ecology and the Environmental Sciences
Research Institutions > Central research institutes > Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research- BayCEER
Faculties
Faculties > Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Earth Sciences
Faculties > Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Earth Sciences > Department of Earth Sciences
Faculties > Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Earth Sciences > Department of Earth Sciences > Professor Ecological Services
Profile Fields
Profile Fields > Advanced Fields
Research Institutions
Research Institutions > Central research institutes
Result of work at the UBT: Yes
DDC Subjects: 500 Science > 550 Earth sciences, geology
Date Deposited: 23 May 2023 06:10
Last Modified: 17 Oct 2023 06:58
URI: https://eref.uni-bayreuth.de/id/eprint/76505