Structural Influences on Water Withdrawals: An Exploratory Macro-Comparative Analysis

摘要

It has been well documented that many societies around the world are currently experiencing the consequences of water scarcity, and this scarcity is likely to be one of the major resource crises of the 21st century. While environmental sociologists and human ecologists have analyzed the social forces driving a variety of biophysical impacts, the socio-structural factors influencing water consumption have not been extensively investigated. We discuss the variety of challenges facing analyses of water consumption at the national level, particularly those stemming from data limitations and the diversity of forces, both social and biophysical, which influence water use. Recognizing the limitations of conducting cross-national research on water resources, we present our analysis as exploratory. We use a simultaneous equation model to analyze the factors influencing both water withdrawals for agricultural use and withdrawals for other uses. We find that economic development and connections to the global economy are key forces influencing water consumption, where at the national level, affluence and globalization lead to a decline in agricultural water use, but an escalation of water use in other sectors.