State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, Jiangsu, China.
Joint International Research Laboratory of Global Change and Water Cycle, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, Jiangsu, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018 Nov 2;15(11):2445. doi: 10.3390/ijerph15112445.
Current environmental impact analyses are mainly focused on land, soil, energy, and material consumption, while studies regarding blue water consumption are scarce. Based on the water footprint concept, this study evaluates the impacts of blue water consumption on human health, ecosystem quality, and water resources in China from the production and consumption perspective, respectively. The results indicate that environmental impacts due to blue water consumption in China were 15.82 × 10⁶ DALY (disability-adjusted life years), 96.54 × 10⁸ m²∙year, and 175.20 × 10⁸ MJ, and provinces such as Xinjiang, Shandong, and Hebei could be targets for achieving smaller environmental impacts in the future. More than 80% of environmental impacts were related to the agricultural sector. In terms of agricultural production, about 70% of the environmental impacts were related to product export. Measures such as the shift of the agricultural production pattern from water-intensive crops and animal products toward less water-intensive ones, the increase of agricultural water use efficiency, and the adoption of water-saving technologies could contribute to smaller environmental impacts. In terms of agricultural consumption, more than 95% of the environmental impacts were related to agricultural products produced locally. The focus was on increasing awareness of the importance of saving water and whether products were imported from regions with relatively small environmental impacts.
当前的环境影响分析主要集中在土地、土壤、能源和物质消耗方面，而关于蓝水消耗的研究则相对较少。本研究基于水足迹概念，从生产和消费角度分别评估了中国蓝水消耗对人类健康、生态系统质量和水资源的影响。结果表明，中国蓝水消耗的环境影响为 15.82×10^6 伤残调整生命年（DALY）、96.54×10^8 m^2·年和 175.20×10^8 MJ，新疆、山东和河北等省份未来可能成为实现更小环境影响的目标。超过 80%的环境影响与农业部门有关。在农业生产方面，约 70%的环境影响与产品出口有关。采取措施将农业生产模式从耗水较多的作物和动物产品转向耗水较少的产品，提高农业用水效率，并采用节水技术，有助于减少环境影响。在农业消费方面，超过 95%的环境影响与本地生产的农产品有关。重点是提高人们节约用水的意识，以及产品是否从环境影响相对较小的地区进口。
