虚拟水、虚拟水贸易理论研究综述

相对于水价和用水技术能够提高水资源在当地的配置效率,虚拟水贸易则可以提高水资源在全球范围内的配置效率。虚拟水从水资源生产率较高的国家流向水资源较低的国家意味着在全球层次上水资源的节约。因此,国家之间、洲际之间虚拟水贸易被看作提高全球水资源利用效率和缺水国家获得水安全的一个有力工具。

The Review of Virtual Water and Virtual Water Trade

While pricing and technology can be means to increase local water use efficiency,virtual water trade between nations can be a instru- ment to increase“global water use efficiency”.Virtual water trade from a nation where water productivity is relatively high to a nation where water productivity is relatively low implies that globally real water savings are made.If one country exports the water-intensive product to an- other country,it exports the water in virtual form.In this way some countries support other countries in their water needs.For water-scacre countries it could be attractive to achieve water security by importing water-intensive products instead of producing all water-demanding prod- ucts domestically.Therefore virtual water trade between nations and even continents could be used as a instrument to improve global water use efficiency and to achieve water security in water-poor regions of the world.