Professor John Anthony Allan from King’s College London and the School of Oriental and African Studies has been named the 2008 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate.
Professor John Anthony Allan from King’s College London and the School
of Oriental and African Studies has been named the 2008 Stockholm Water
Prize Laureate.
The US$ 150,000 Stockholm Water Prize is a global award founded in
1990 and presented annually by the Stockholm Water Foundation to an
individual, organisation or institution for outstanding water-related
activities.
Professor Allan, 71, pioneered the development of key concepts in
the understanding and communication of water issues and how they are
linked to agriculture, climate change, economics and politics.
Virtual consumption
In 1993, he introduced the ‘virtual water’ concept, which measures
how water is embedded in the production and trade of food and consumer
products.
For example, a cup of coffee uses 140 litres of water used to
grow, produce, package and ship the beans. A hamburger needs an
estimated 2,400 litres of water. Per capita, Americans consume around
6,800 litres of virtual water every day - more than thrice that of a
Chinese person.
Virtual water has major impacts on global trade policy and
research, especially in water-scarce regions, and has redefined
discourse in water policy and management.
National, regional and global water and food security, for
example, can be enhanced when water-intensive commodities are traded
from places where they are economically viable to produce to places
where they are not.
While studying water scarcity in the Middle East, Professor Allan
developed the theory of using virtual water import, via food, as an
alternative water ‘source’” to reduce pressure on the scarce domestic
water resources there and in other water-scarce regions.
Professor Allan also developed the idea and terminology of
‘hydro-hegemony’ and ‘problemshed’. His work has led to a better
understanding of potential and real conflicts in trans-boundary regions
such as the Nile basin, where water resources are shared between
countries, while providing a perspective on economic and political
processes that can make food and water security possible for all
nations in such water basins.
Allen’s work has led to greater awareness among policymakers,
scientists, water professionals and the general public, about the role
of water in the production of different types of products and its
impact on global trade and economy.
Virtual water remains a central and active component of scientific
research and policy formulation, and has empowered individual consumers
to affect water management on a global scale.
Professor Allen is a leading voice for sustainable water
development and expert adviser on balancing population growth and
increasing food demand in developing countries, institutional reform,
valuing water, conflict resolution, and on the Middle East and North
Africa (MENA) region.
He also served as editor for the scientific journal Water Policy and is a consultant for numerous governments, the World Bank and the European Union.
