Open AccessWater resources and trade: A research vision
Author(s) -
Peter Debaere,
Megan Konar
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
plos water
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2767-3219
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pwat.0000010
Subject(s) - virtual water , productivity , international trade and water , production (economics) , resource (disambiguation) , business , goods and services , water supply , water resources , natural resource economics , water scarcity , international trade , industrial organization , environmental economics , economics , trade barrier , economy , environmental science , computer science , microeconomics , economic growth , ecology , environmental engineering , computer network , international free trade agreement , biology
Water is an increasingly scarce resource in our globalized economy. At the same time, it is an essential input in the production of most goods and services enmeshed in an interconnected world economy. A rich literature has examined how water is used both directly in production and indirectly through supply chains and international trade (e.g., virtual water trade). There is now an opportunity to build on our understanding of who is using what water and where , with research that aims to understand why and how it is used. Such research should enlighten the mechanisms driving societal relations with water and inform decision-makers on how to increase water’s productivity, improve its allocation, and enable us to do more with less water. In this essay, we lay out our vision for research on the relationship between water and international trade.