Analysis of virtual water consumption in China: using factor decomposition analysis based on a weighted average decomposition model. (21st November 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhi, Yuan; Hamilton, Paul B.; Zhi, Chongyuan
• Is Part Of: Water and environment journal. Volume 29:Number 1(2015)
• Page Start: 61
• Page End: 70
• Publication Date: 2013-11-21
• Subjects: Sewage -- Periodicals; Water-supply -- Periodicals; Environmental management -- Periodicals; Water-supply engineering -- Periodicals; Pollution -- Periodicals; 628.1
• DOI: 10.1111/wej.12069
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1747-6585

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main"> <title>Abstract</title> <p>Exploring the cause‐and‐effect relationship between economic sectors and water resources is important to China. This study implemented a factor decomposition analysis by weighted average decomposition (WAD) model on the changes of Chinese virtual water (VW) consumption between 2002 and 2007, which includes both direct water consumption (consumed to produce final products) and indirect water consumption (consumed to produce intermediate products). The change in VW consumption is decomposed into three determinant factors: technological effect, economic structural effect and the products' scale effect. The results show that the volume of VW consumption in China has decreased from 5.92 × 10¹¹ m³ in 2002 to 5.17 × 10¹¹ m³ in 2007, which is mainly because of the technological effect (−5.48 × 10¹¹ m³). The increase in net VW exports is mainly due to the economic structure effect (6.19 × 10⁹ m³) and the fast growth of exports (3.49 × 10¹⁰ m³).</p> </abstract>