Nightmare at Noon: Thinking of Water Footprints
Following my nightmare at noon, the first question is how do we raise awareness about this critical issue that rarely gets the attention it deserves?
One way to do this is to talk about Water Footprints…
The idea of water footprints – although fairly new – feels compelling. I first read about it in a magazine over a year ago in Mumbai in an office where I was waiting to meet someone.
A factoid that caught my eye – and which I hastily scribbled in my diary was this: “1 cup of coffee = 140 liters of water; 1 hamburger = 2400 ltrs of water“!
I was shocked to learn that if one included the amount of water needed in every part of the chain – i.e. water used to grow, pack and ship the beans – by the time it gets to our table, a cup of coffee has used up about 140 liters of water!
Image courtesy: waterfootprint.org
Since then, I have seen the term appear with increasing frequency in the media…and I believe that before long, we will be talking about our water footprint just as we talk about our carbon footprint.
Why is talking about water footprint useful?
James Owen, writing in “Will Water Footprints be the Next Energy Star?” notes that:
(Water footprint can help) Individuals…learn how much liquid it takes to fuel their daily routine…and footprinting represents the best tool for reducing water demand in already severely water-stressed countries.
and Prof Hoekstra, creator of the concept, says:
The interest in the water footprint is rooted in the recognition that human impacts on freshwater systems can ultimately be linked to human consumption, and that issues like water shortages and pollution can be better understood and addressed by considering production and supply chains as a whole
The other way to raise awareness is by sharing slideshows such as the one below. In this superb presentation titled “Thirst“, Jeff Brenman highlights some of the challenges around water, specifically freshwater. Do watch.
Also read: Why act and how?
Related Post: Nightmare at Noon* – What if I had no water to drink?
Next in the series: An unusual innovation to tackle the challenge of water accessibility. Stay tuned.
Very thought provoking. However I would like to point out that similar to the law of conservation of energy, water for the most part cannot be created nor destroyed. It is transformed. Lets take the 140L of h2o for 1 cup of coffee. How much water is fed back into the system as recyclable or usable water and how much is unusable?
Is it 80% or 90% usable? That should be answered in order for us to determine the correct footprint. will ponder on this for a while…
I would repeat the same thing the guy above me wrote.
DD, Pastorius: Very good point…I dont know the answer to that…Do share if you find something. Thanks
Related topic. what happened this day 25 years ago?
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/11/25th_anniversary_of_the_bhopal.html
Brilliant presentation, another thing we are going to run out in this Kali Yuga as predicted.
Just wish the presentation gave everyday solutions instead of just pointing out the problem. “Conserve water” is too vague especially for caffiene addicts.
DD, good point. It could be that with the increase in consumption of fresh water, the rate at which natural cycle/phenomenon replenishes it, is being affected (i.e. current rate of consumption of water is unsustainable)?
Shantanu,
On this topic, enjoy this nice talk:
Ingenuity of Water Harvesting
And some harsh reality:
North India Facing Ground Water Calamity
Shantanu,
You can actually tie 2 problems if you look closely.
One is the growing problem of lack of potable water. Second is the rising problem of the war of the babies by the Islamic fundamentalists.
What is the root cause of the water scarcity? Supply is far less than the demand. Why is the demand growing? You know the answer why…
Add 2 +2 and you have your solution.
Here’s to a new blog post
Thanks for sharing this & the new blog format is great !
Thanks Amitabh: This was partly triggered by your suggestions…so come credit goes to you too!
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