102
6 Benchmarking the Carbon, Water and Land Footprints …
Fig. 6.1 The environmental sustainability ratios of carbon emissions for 28 nations
results from the difference between production-based accounting and consumptionbased accounting—two competing perspectives that have been in conflict to some
extent. Moreover, the advances in carbon boundary accounting in this study offers a
way to bridge the science-policy interface, as it encompasses scientific and political
consensus on tipping points for sustainability under global climate change.
6.3.2 The Environmental Sustainability of National Water
Use
Unlike carbon emissions, we benchmark the national water footprint against the
national water availability within the political boundary, rather than comparing
national performance on a global base which is only applicable to systemic processes.
As such, the method used is specifically constructed to yield a conservative estimate
of the ESRs of some countries. Consequently, 11 countries are found to fall into
the risky intervals, with ESRs ranging from 0.57 for USA to 1.66 for Poland. We
attribute the “unsustainable” label to five nations, among which Denmark has the
highest ESR of 3.07, followed by South Africa (2.87), South Korea (2.46), Spain
(2.23), and Belgium (2.05). The water ESR is 0.48 on average in the world. Lowerthan-average ESRs are found in 11 countries, ranging from 0.04 for Norway to 0.43
for Switzerland, as shown in Fig. 6.2. They are, in fact, those having ESRs less
than the lower limit of the risky intervals as well and therefore can be classified as
sustainable nations. The remaining one which is also sustainable is The Netherlands,
whose internal water resources account for only 12% and the external account for
the remainder of 88%.
6 Benchmarking the Carbon, Water and Land Footprints …
Fig. 6.1 The environmental sustainability ratios of carbon emissions for 28 nations
results from the difference between production-based accounting and consumptionbased accounting—two competing perspectives that have been in conflict to some
extent. Moreover, the advances in carbon boundary accounting in this study offers a
way to bridge the science-policy interface, as it encompasses scientific and political
consensus on tipping points for sustainability under global climate change.
6.3.2 The Environmental Sustainability of National Water
Use
Unlike carbon emissions, we benchmark the national water footprint against the
national water availability within the political boundary, rather than comparing
national performance on a global base which is only applicable to systemic processes.
As such, the method used is specifically constructed to yield a conservative estimate
of the ESRs of some countries. Consequently, 11 countries are found to fall into
the risky intervals, with ESRs ranging from 0.57 for USA to 1.66 for Poland. We
attribute the “unsustainable” label to five nations, among which Denmark has the
highest ESR of 3.07, followed by South Africa (2.87), South Korea (2.46), Spain
(2.23), and Belgium (2.05). The water ESR is 0.48 on average in the world. Lowerthan-average ESRs are found in 11 countries, ranging from 0.04 for Norway to 0.43
for Switzerland, as shown in Fig. 6.2. They are, in fact, those having ESRs less
than the lower limit of the risky intervals as well and therefore can be classified as
sustainable nations. The remaining one which is also sustainable is The Netherlands,
whose internal water resources account for only 12% and the external account for
the remainder of 88%.