Chile mulls industry's water footprint

Terra Daily via UPI: Chile's industrial advancement has been achieved at some cost to the country's freshwater resources but it's only now that awareness of the impending crisis has led to calls for action, environmentalist campaigners said. Chilean campaigners for a more intelligent and less destructive use of freshwater resources by industry are being helped by the Water Footprint Network, a non-profit organization that has headquarters at the University of Twente, Netherlands.

The Water Footprint Network has been measuring Chile's water footprint -- the quantity of freshwater used in the production of a specific product -- in about the same way that other organizations have been monitoring the carbon footprint of consumer and industrial activities. The Dutch-led international body measures the direct and indirect water use by industry in the process of producing consumer products. A national average of water use is then measured for the production of specific goods or services.

A WFN study found that producing 1 pound of beef required 1,891 gallons of water, while a glass of beer could entail supply of more than 19 gallons of water, mostly on preparing barley for the process. More than 18 gallons of water go behind a tree producing a single apple. Chilean lobbyists for more intelligent water use said that Chile would need to bring in new legislation to make sure water conservation and a more sensible use of fresh water resources was adhered to….

Torres del Paine from Lake Pehoé, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile. Shot by Miguel.v