The "Water footprint" - warmists want to stop imports from developing countries

Soon to be banned in Europe?

The tentacles of global warming alarmism have now reached water companies:

Attention to our 'water footprint' must be given a higher profile in global climate negotiations, say speakers at a conference marking World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden, or the world will suffer.

Hannah Stoddart from the Water Climate Coalition added that "the water community and climate community speak different languages,” therefore there is a need to link policy with those working on the ground.
We look at droughts in developing countries such as the current one in East Africa and think that it has nothing to do with us. But in fact our consumption patterns have a direct effect. Behind all of our consumer goods, countless litres of freshwater have been used in agriculture, production and transportation, most of which happened in another part of the world.

Whenever we buy cut flowers from Africa, we are complicit in the diversion of water from domestic use to serve our wish for flowers. These could instead be sourced locally or satisfied by pot plants, which are far more sustainable.
Global Action Plan's CEO, Trewin Restorick, observes that: "One of the countries affected is Kenya, which contains the third largest lake in Africa, Lake Naivasha. Around this lake is a flower industry which exports 30% of its flowers to the UK and which provides 23% of Kenya’s GDP. The industry is massively water intensive. The cut flowers we are importing are using essential local water resources, draining their own natural resources for some short-term cash."
Our footprint widens in other ways. Producing one burger requires 2,400 litres of water. A pair of imported jeans will have used another 10,000 litres. Like coffee? 140 litres of water will have been used in making just one cup - in bean growing and processing

The EU climate-industrial lobby is probably already busy planning the next steps. Expect a ban on importing flowers and other high "water footprint" products from Kenya and other developing countries. 23% of the Kenyan GDP is for the alarmists only "some short term cash". Of course, the EU must make up the loss of Kenyan (and other) revenue by increasing the already huge climate change "aid". The whole idea is probably to make developing countries even more dependent on foreign "aid".

The coupling of water and climate change offers the climate-industrial lobby endless possibilities to regulate and forbid. Why, indeed, not also ban the import from developing countries of high "water footprint" coffee, tea, meat, spices, jeans, electronics ... (you name it)? Warmists will probably find a way to forbid Big Macs, too.