Abstract
Virtual water trade refers to the implicit content of water in the production of goods and services. When trade is undertaken, there is an implicit exchange of water. In countries where water is relatively scarce, water-intensive goods are expensive to produce, so that imports normally exceed exports and the economy virtually imports water. This paper provides some estimates of virtual water trade patterns in the Mediterranean, which is an area where water is scarce, unevenly distributed, and progressively insufficient because of climate change and reduced precipitation. We analyse two cases: the current virtual water trade structure, related to trade in agricultural goods, and a future scenario, simulated by means of a computable general equilibrium model, where reduced agricultural productivity, induced by lower water availability, is taken into account.
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Notes
- 1.
See: http://www.gtap.org.
- 2.
Classes are as follows: 500–1000 Mm3, 1000–3000 Mm3, 3000–7000 Mm3, >7000 Mm3.
- 3.
Water Availability and Security in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean Region (WASSERMed) is a research project funded by the European Commission in the 7th Framework Programme (contract no. 244255). For more information, see http://www.wassermed.eu.
- 4.
We considered that changes in precipitation do not automatically translate into changes in total water availability. Details and data of the elaboration process are obtainable from the authors upon request.
- 5.
- 6.
The group includes Croatia and Turkey as accession countries.
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Acknowledgments
This study has been partly funded and realized in the context of the EU FP7 project WASSERMed (Grant Agreement Number 244255, http://www.wassermed.eu). Ana Iglesias and Sonia Quiroga helped us in several ways during the development of this work, most notably in the definition of the water availability scenario. Marta Antonelli provided essential data on non-agricultural water consumption. The usual disclaimer applies.
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Roson, R., Sartori, M. (2015). Virtual Water Trade in the Mediterranean: Today and Tomorrow. In: Antonelli, M., Greco, F. (eds) The Water We Eat. Springer Water. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16393-2_13
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