Events

When the virtual water runs out: Local and global responses to addressing unsustainable groundwater consumption

09 December 2022, 15.15-16.45, IRI THESys

Given the growing importance of groundwater in irrigated crop production, policies aimed at restricting groundwater use create fears of intensified food insecurity. Yet, a comprehensive quantitative analysis is required to evaluate the impacts of groundwater sustainability restrictions on the food system. Using a multi-scale multi-system framework (SIMPLE-G Global) integrating economic and biophysical determinants of sustainability, we find that the local economic impacts of a groundwater sustainability policy on employment, production and land use are often dramatic. However, due to market-mediated responses, including surface water substitution, expansion of rainfed production, relocation of production, and virtual trade in blue water, the final impact on global food prices and production is surprisingly modest.

Authors: Iman Haqiqi, Chris Perry and Thomas Hertel

Thomas Hertel is Distinguished Professor of Agricultural Economics at Purdue University. Prof. Hertel’s research and teaching focuses on international trade, food and environmental security. He is a 2022 recipient of the Alexander von Humboldt Research Prize and is a Fellow, and a Past-President, of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA), Fellow of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and Honorary Life Member of the International Association of Agricultural Economists. He is also the founder and Executive Director of the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) which now encompasses more than 25,000 researchers in 175 countries around the world. More recently, Hertel has initiated GLASSNET, a five-year, NSF funded project aimed at building a global network of networks to address sustainability challenges confronting the world’s land and water resources. Professor Hertel has received a number of AAEA awards including, Outstanding Graduate Teacher, Publication of Enduring Quality, Distinguished Policy Contribution, Outstanding Journal Article and Quality of Communication. His research has also been recognized by the Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Association (Best Journal Article) and the Ecological Society of America (Sustainability Science Award).

Dr. Hertel is on sabbatical in Berlin in 2022, sponsored by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and hosted by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Research (PIK).