The average volume of annual virtual water exports from Alberta was 12.10 Gm3/year (during the period 1999-2008).
The largest importers of virtual water from Alberta were:
…and those countries accounted for 57% of the total virtual water exports from Alberta. Alberta had virtual water exports to almost all countries in the world, particularly those in East and South and Southeast Asia, Middle East and North Africa, and many countries in South America.
In contrast, the average annual virtual water imports into Alberta was only 0.73 Gm3/year (during 1999-2008), and the USA alone accounted for over 96% of the total virtual water imports into Alberta.
Virtual water losses were calculated as the difference between virtual water exported from Alberta and virtual water imported from the importing counries. Virtual water import was estimated by multiplying the import volumes by the Water Footprint of the importing commodities of the importing countries (for this estimation, it was assumed that the importing commodities were produced domestically in the importing countries). In the calculation, wheat was not planted in Indonesia. In this case, the global average water footprint of wheat was used.
For the top six virtual water importers from Alberta, virtual water losses occurred in all countries except Iran. This means that, at a global level, the trading of crops from Alberta did not help improve water use efficiency. On the contrary, the trading of crops resulted in lower water use efficiency. For example, the virtual water exports from Alberta to Japan was 2.41 Gm3/year. However, if Japan produced the traded crops, it would only need 1.06 Gm3/year. This resulted in a virtual water loss of 1.35 Gm3/year. The reason for this lower efficiency is due to the higher water productivity in importing countries than Alberta. For example, the Water Footprint of wheat in Alberta was 1,635 m3/ton, but it was only 734 m3/ton in Japan.
The general the high Water Footprint in Alberta is generally due to two reasons:
Due to low precipitation levels and the dominance of rainfed-based agriculture, the crop yield of crops was generally low and water use efficiency was low, resulting in a relatively high water footprint. Iran was the only country with virtual water gain from the trade. Iran had a generally higher Water Footprint than Alberta, or lower water use efficiency.
Read more about the Conditions and Limitations of this study.
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Ross has extensive executive experience in Operations, Governance, Information Technology and Strategy at the board and senior management level including Mancal Corporation, Mancal Energy, Highridge Exploration and Atlantis Resources. He has worked in Oil and Gas, Coal, Commercial Real Estate, Portfolio Management, Recreation, Retail and Water and Wastewater Treatment. His experience is also geographically diverse having overseen operations in Canada, the United States, United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. Additionally, he has been on the board of companies with operations in Argentina, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Kazakhstan, and Russia. He has served on numerous Public, Private and Not for Profit Boards across a number of industries.
Ross has been active on several industry Boards and committees including the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) and The Schulich School of Engineering Industry Advisory Council at the Schulich School of Engineering.
Brian is a seasoned Cleantech entrepreneur with a proven history of successfully bringing complex water technologies to the market. With over 25 years of experience, he has led various organizations to achieve significant milestones in the industry.
Having started as the founding CEO of the Pressure Pipe Inspection Company (PPIC) and later taking the helm at the Water Technology Acceleration Project (WaterTAP), Brian’s entrepreneurial spirit has been instrumental in driving innovation and growth within the sector.
He is an active investor in the cleantech sector and has served on many boards including the Ontario Clean Water Agency.
Actively engaged in industry associations like AWWA, WEF, IWA, and ASCE, Brian enjoys collaborating with fellow professionals to promote advancements in the field.
Brian holds an undergraduate degree and a PhD in Physics from Queen’s University, which has provided him with a solid technical foundation. As a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors, he brings valuable insights to corporate governance.