Water footprint shows real water consumption
The water footprint indicates how much water a country, a company or a person uses directly and indirectly. Together with international experts, the Umweltbundesamt, the Environment Agency Austria, is developing indicators for a fair water footprint.
In the "Glasgow Declaration for Fair Water Footprints", almost 30 governments, companies and representatives of civil society have committed themselves to improving their water footprints and making them fairer. Austria is also among the signatories who have committed themselves to the careful use and protection of the resource water at the World Climate Conference (COP26) in Glasgow at the end of 2021. The national contact point for the implementation of the declaration is the Environment Agency Austria on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism (BMLRT).
The Austrian experts are on the advisory board that develops indicators for a fair water footprint. The foundations for this are the European Water Framework Directive and the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Water footprint shows true water consumption
The water footprint indicates how much water a country, a company or a person uses on average. It includes direct water consumption, e.g. for drinking, washing or cooking, and indirectly used water (virtual water). This refers to the amount of water used, evaporated and/or polluted for production. For comparison: Direct water consumption per capita in Austria is 130 liters per day. However, according to estimates by the BMLRT from 2021, indirect water consumption (virtual water) accounts for 4,700 liters per capita per day
Water future of Austria
The study Austria´s Water Treasure by the Environment Agency Austria, the BOKU Vienna and Ingenieurbüro DI Holler on behalf of the BMLRT shows how great the demand for water is in Austria and how the available resources will develop against the background of climate change by 2050. It provides the basis for securing the water supply for the various uses in all regions of Austria in the future.
