The Water Footprint of Cotton Consumption

cotton consumption, identifying both the location and the character of the impacts. The study distinguishes between three types of impact: evaporation of infiltrated rainwater for cotton growth (green water use), withdrawal of ground-or surface water for irrigation or processing (blue water use) and water pollution during growth or processing. The latter impact is quantified in terms of the dilution volume necessary to assimilate the pollution. For the period 1997-2001 the study shows that the worldwide consumption of cotton products requires 256 Gm 3 of water per year, out of which about 42% is blue water, 39% green water and 19% dilution water.

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