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Professor John Anthony Allan, We Salute You!
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by ScienceDave | March 19, 2008 at 08:50 am
2945 views | 12 Recommendations | 9 comments
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The Stockholm Water Prize, often considered the 'Nobel Prize" of the environmental sciences was awarded to Professor John Anthony Allan this year for his innovative "Virtual Water" concept. According to the Stockholm International Water Institute:
Professor Allan pioneered the development of key concepts in the understanding and communication of water issues and how they are linked to agriculture, climate change, economics and politics.
Virtual water is only unlike real water insomuch that it accounts for all the uses of water hidden from the everyday consumer. For example, a cup of coffee isn't just a cup's worth of water; instead, about 140 liters of water are required to grow, harvest, package, and ship that cup of coffee to you.
The motivation behind developing something like virtual water lies in its socioeconomic utility:
Virtual water has major impacts on global trade policy and research, especially in water-scarce regions, and has redefined discourse in water policy and management. By explaining how and why nations such as the US, Argentina and Brazil ‘export’ billions of litres of water each year, while others like Japan, Egypt and Italy ‘import’ billions, the virtual water concept has opened the door to more productive water use. National, regional and global water and food security, for example, can be enhanced when water intensive commodities are traded from places where they are economically viable to produce to places where they are not.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (9)
at 09:41 on March 19th, 2008
Virtual water - now that's a fascinating concept.
at 09:52 on March 19th, 2008
These sort of choices - which coffee (or tea, or any other product really) should I buy - based on the product's "life history" (here's a great review on the subject - link) of a given product haunt me! I just know there's information floating around out there about a particular technique used, method of transportation, etc. that would ease my conscience into, "Ok! Yes! This product is the most ethical one to buy!"
at 17:13 on March 19th, 2008
Is ethical really the best term rather than ecologically responsible?
at 18:29 on March 19th, 2008
Well, is polluting the environment (and thusly polluting your neighbour's environment) not an ethically questionable act?
at 18:32 on March 19th, 2008
It's not nice but I'm not sure if it's a thing of ethics. I see us spiraling into the nasty well of semantics. Obviously, it depends on how you define ethics.
at 18:36 on March 19th, 2008
I perceive polluting the environment as "wrong" because it is irrational to assume polluting doesn't ultimately cause suffering.
at 17:12 on March 19th, 2008
ScienceDave, fascinating stuff...but I don't understand. Is this a website or archive where you can look up certain foods and get the virtual water count? Or is just a theory?
With the Omnivore's Dilema dominating many coffee shop conversations, many people are starting to better appreciate what goes in to the food we eat.
at 18:33 on March 19th, 2008
The basic idea is, "How much water is required to make the products we use?" That said, this is fresh water I'm talking about - a resource. What virtual water has done is put a number to water usage over the life history of any given product. From the SIWI site:
at 23:36 on August 20th, 2008
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We would like to present you our new product especially adapted for the distribution of water in case of emergency.
Our kit is a complete self-contained system for supplying a refugee camp or a small village with up to 5000 persons with the daily needs for safe drinking water.
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NOTE: To be note that all equipments are actually available in stock and are ready for
immediate delivery / exportation.
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Web Site: http://www.wwt.mu
French Version:
Je me permet de vous envoyer ce courrier afin de vous présenter nos produits dont je suis convaincue beaucoup de pays en ont un grand besoin. World Water Treatment Ile Maurice Société à la fois Mauricienne et française est située à Bambous Ile Maurice, c' est l' une des rares entreprises qui privilégient les actions humanitaires dans les régions sinistrées, en proie aux catastrophes naturelles, aux guerres, aux tremblements de terre ou encore à la malnutrition et dans les camps de réfugiés. Notre entreprise est engagée dans la fabrication de matériels de pompage et de traitement des eaux saumâtres, eaux douces ou eaux de mers. Notre devise : "Une goutte d' eau pour sauver une vie" A travers cette unité de production, Maurice nous sert de tremplin pour nous rapprocher et réduire parallèlement nos coûts de transports vers les marchés d'Asie (la Chine, le Vietnam, l'Indonésie et l'Afrique. Les machines sont conçues selon les normes de l'O.M.S. (Organisation Mondiale de la Santé) régulatrice des conditions d' hygiène et de santé. Un stock de machine est déjà disponible selon votre demande peut être livrer sous 24h pour le marché local ou ailleurs. Ces stations mobiles desservent les régions rurales isolées où l' eau potable ou sanitaire fait défaut. Cette unité assure quatre opérations : pompage, purification, stockage et distribution. Ces derniers contribuent aussi à freiner la propagation d' épidémies liées à l' insalubrité de l' eau telles que le choléra et la dysenterie. Nous sommes à votre disponibilité pour travailler en partenariat avec vous et aussi si vous souhaitez nous visiter vous êtes les bienvenue ou même si vous avez des questions nous restons à votre entière disposition pour vous répondre dans les plus brefs délais.