Integrating water footprint and sefficiency: overcoming water footprint criticisms and improving decision making

Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor(a) principal: Haie, Naim
Data de Publicação: 2018
Outros Autores: Freitas, Miguel Rodrigues, Pereira, Joana Castro
Tipo de documento: Artigo
Idioma: eng
Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
Texto Completo: https://hdl.handle.net/1822/58915
Resumo: The Water Footprint Network (WFN) methodology has emerged as a major framework of/for policy analysis as water problems increase. Being addressed by a growing body of literature, water footprint (WF) accounting has advanced substantially in recent years, whereas its sustainability assessment has lagged behind. For this and other reasons, the suitability of WF in guiding water management and planning has been criticised. Simultaneously, water efficiency has gone through much discussion and a new framework called 'sefficiency' (sustainable efficiency) has been presented. It uses a universal law (water balance) to develop systemic and comprehensive performance indicators, integrating water quantity, pollution and value to reveal their trade-offs in multi-level governance with climate descriptors and stakeholder enablers. This article revisits WF criticisms in six categories and advances the sustainability assessment phase of the WFN framework via sefficiency. Starting from, and critically reviewing, a two-country example presented by Dennis Wichelns, we illustrate, through nine (3x3) scenarios, real possibilities of integrating WF and sefficiency. The results reveal that economic and/or WF perspectives alone are insufficient to improve water decision-making processes, not necessarily guaranteeing an increase in the performance of the full system. Consequently, policy makers should be doubly careful about, for example, WF reductions, if sefficiency also decreases.
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spelling Integrating water footprint and sefficiency: overcoming water footprint criticisms and improving decision makingSefficiency (Sustainable efficiency)Virtual water tradeWater footprintWater policiesWater resources managementScience & TechnologyThe Water Footprint Network (WFN) methodology has emerged as a major framework of/for policy analysis as water problems increase. Being addressed by a growing body of literature, water footprint (WF) accounting has advanced substantially in recent years, whereas its sustainability assessment has lagged behind. For this and other reasons, the suitability of WF in guiding water management and planning has been criticised. Simultaneously, water efficiency has gone through much discussion and a new framework called 'sefficiency' (sustainable efficiency) has been presented. It uses a universal law (water balance) to develop systemic and comprehensive performance indicators, integrating water quantity, pollution and value to reveal their trade-offs in multi-level governance with climate descriptors and stakeholder enablers. This article revisits WF criticisms in six categories and advances the sustainability assessment phase of the WFN framework via sefficiency. Starting from, and critically reviewing, a two-country example presented by Dennis Wichelns, we illustrate, through nine (3x3) scenarios, real possibilities of integrating WF and sefficiency. The results reveal that economic and/or WF perspectives alone are insufficient to improve water decision-making processes, not necessarily guaranteeing an increase in the performance of the full system. Consequently, policy makers should be doubly careful about, for example, WF reductions, if sefficiency also decreases.This work was partially financed by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the contract UID/ECI/04047/2013 for the Centre of Territory, Environment and Construction (CTAC) of the University of Minho. We would like to extend our appreciation to the editors of the journal and the two anonymous reviewers.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionWater Alternatives AssociationUniversidade do MinhoHaie, NaimFreitas, Miguel RodriguesPereira, Joana Castro2018-102018-10-01T00:00:00Zinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/1822/58915engHaie N., Freitas M. R., Pereira J. C. Integrating Water Footprint and Sefficiency: Overcoming Water Footprint Criticisms and Improving Decision Making, Water Alternatives, Vol. 11, Issue 3, pp. 933-956, 1965-0175, 20181965-0175http://www.water-alternatives.org/index.php/alldoc/articles/vol11/v11issue3/471-a11-3-24/fileinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessreponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)instname:Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãoinstacron:RCAAP2023-07-21T12:12:12Zoai:repositorium.sdum.uminho.pt:1822/58915Portal AgregadorONGhttps://www.rcaap.pt/oai/openaireopendoar:71602024-03-19T19:04:06.268117Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) - Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãofalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Integrating water footprint and sefficiency: overcoming water footprint criticisms and improving decision making
title Integrating water footprint and sefficiency: overcoming water footprint criticisms and improving decision making
spellingShingle Integrating water footprint and sefficiency: overcoming water footprint criticisms and improving decision making
Haie, Naim
Sefficiency (Sustainable efficiency)
Virtual water trade
Water footprint
Water policies
Water resources management
Science & Technology
title_short Integrating water footprint and sefficiency: overcoming water footprint criticisms and improving decision making
title_full Integrating water footprint and sefficiency: overcoming water footprint criticisms and improving decision making
title_fullStr Integrating water footprint and sefficiency: overcoming water footprint criticisms and improving decision making
title_full_unstemmed Integrating water footprint and sefficiency: overcoming water footprint criticisms and improving decision making
title_sort Integrating water footprint and sefficiency: overcoming water footprint criticisms and improving decision making
author Haie, Naim
author_facet Haie, Naim
Freitas, Miguel Rodrigues
Pereira, Joana Castro
author_role author
author2 Freitas, Miguel Rodrigues
Pereira, Joana Castro
author2_role author
author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv Universidade do Minho
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv Haie, Naim
Freitas, Miguel Rodrigues
Pereira, Joana Castro
dc.subject.por.fl_str_mv Sefficiency (Sustainable efficiency)
Virtual water trade
Water footprint
Water policies
Water resources management
Science & Technology
topic Sefficiency (Sustainable efficiency)
Virtual water trade
Water footprint
Water policies
Water resources management
Science & Technology
description The Water Footprint Network (WFN) methodology has emerged as a major framework of/for policy analysis as water problems increase. Being addressed by a growing body of literature, water footprint (WF) accounting has advanced substantially in recent years, whereas its sustainability assessment has lagged behind. For this and other reasons, the suitability of WF in guiding water management and planning has been criticised. Simultaneously, water efficiency has gone through much discussion and a new framework called 'sefficiency' (sustainable efficiency) has been presented. It uses a universal law (water balance) to develop systemic and comprehensive performance indicators, integrating water quantity, pollution and value to reveal their trade-offs in multi-level governance with climate descriptors and stakeholder enablers. This article revisits WF criticisms in six categories and advances the sustainability assessment phase of the WFN framework via sefficiency. Starting from, and critically reviewing, a two-country example presented by Dennis Wichelns, we illustrate, through nine (3x3) scenarios, real possibilities of integrating WF and sefficiency. The results reveal that economic and/or WF perspectives alone are insufficient to improve water decision-making processes, not necessarily guaranteeing an increase in the performance of the full system. Consequently, policy makers should be doubly careful about, for example, WF reductions, if sefficiency also decreases.
publishDate 2018
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2018-10
2018-10-01T00:00:00Z
dc.type.status.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
dc.type.driver.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.uri.fl_str_mv https://hdl.handle.net/1822/58915
url https://hdl.handle.net/1822/58915
dc.language.iso.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv Haie N., Freitas M. R., Pereira J. C. Integrating Water Footprint and Sefficiency: Overcoming Water Footprint Criticisms and Improving Decision Making, Water Alternatives, Vol. 11, Issue 3, pp. 933-956, 1965-0175, 2018
1965-0175
http://www.water-alternatives.org/index.php/alldoc/articles/vol11/v11issue3/471-a11-3-24/file
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dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Water Alternatives Association
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Water Alternatives Association
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
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