Holland Robert Alan, Scott Kate A, Flörke Martina, Brown Gareth, Ewers Robert M, Farmer Elizabeth, Kapos Valerie, Muggeridge Ann, Scharlemann Jörn P W, Taylor Gail, Barrett John, Eigenbrod Felix
Centre for Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Highfield Campus, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom;
Sustainability Research Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom;
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Dec 1;112(48):E6707-16. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1507701112. Epub 2015 Nov 16.
The growing geographic disconnect between consumption of goods, the extraction and processing of resources, and the environmental impacts associated with production activities makes it crucial to factor global trade into sustainability assessments. Using an empirically validated environmentally extended global trade model, we examine the relationship between two key resources underpinning economies and human well--being-energy and freshwater. A comparison of three energy sectors (petroleum, gas, and electricity) reveals that freshwater consumption associated with gas and electricity production is largely confined within the territorial boundaries where demand originates. This finding contrasts with petroleum, which exhibits a varying ratio of territorial to international freshwater consumption, depending on the origin of demand. For example, although the United States and China have similar demand associated with the petroleum sector, international freshwater consumption is three times higher for the former than the latter. Based on mapping patterns of freshwater consumption associated with energy sectors at subnational scales, our analysis also reveals concordance between pressure on freshwater resources associated with energy production and freshwater scarcity in a number of river basins globally. These energy-driven pressures on freshwater resources in areas distant from the origin of energy demand complicate the design of policy to ensure security of fresh water and energy supply. Although much of the debate around energy is focused on greenhouse gas emissions, our findings highlight the need to consider the full range of consequences of energy production when designing policy.
商品消费、资源开采与加工以及生产活动所带来的环境影响之间在地理上的脱节日益加剧，这使得将全球贸易纳入可持续性评估变得至关重要。我们运用一个经过实证验证的环境扩展全球贸易模型，研究支撑经济和人类福祉的两种关键资源——能源和淡水之间的关系。对三个能源部门（石油、天然气和电力）的比较显示，与天然气和电力生产相关的淡水消费主要局限于需求产生的地域范围内。这一发现与石油形成对比，石油的国内与国际淡水消费比例因需求来源而异。例如，尽管美国和中国在石油部门的需求相似，但前者的国际淡水消费量是后者的三倍。基于在国家以下层面绘制与能源部门相关的淡水消费模式，我们的分析还揭示了全球一些流域中与能源生产相关的淡水资源压力和淡水稀缺之间的一致性。这些在远离能源需求源地区对淡水资源的能源驱动压力，使确保淡水和能源供应安全的政策设计变得复杂。尽管围绕能源的许多辩论都集中在温室气体排放上，但我们的研究结果凸显了在设计政策时考虑能源生产所有后果的必要性。
