Water footprint

Submitted by: Michael Lathuilliere

What is the volume of water hidden behind our day-to-day activities? The water footprint is now 12 years old and maturing into a key indicator to assess human appropriation of water. With current water resources already under stress, water footprint assessments can guide decisions by identifying key actions for sustainable water resource management. Population and consumption growth cloud the future state of global water resources. Using the water footprint, we now need to understand how our hidden water consumption impacts environmental quality and human health to reduce risk of future production and improve consumer choices.