Blue and Green Water Footprint disparities of European households: A spatial structural decomposition analysis approach

Water is an essential resource for the development of any economy as well as for human well-being. However, recent environmental crises, such as long periods of drought, are increasingly jeopardising the availability of this resource. The water footprint is caused not only by productive activity but also by household consumption. Thus, households also have a responsibility to be aware of their consumption, as their consumption patterns will produce a certain water footprint.

It is in this context that we propose this article. Using a socially (different income groups) as well as environmentally (blue and green water footprint) extended multi-regional and multi-sectoral input-output model, we aim to analyse the per capita blue water footprint of European households for the year 2021. Not only that, but through a spatial structural decomposition analysis, we aim to investigate the disparities in the water footprint of European households, trying to find out what factors lie behind these differences. We intend to do this research not only for the total number of European households, but also for their income quintiles.

The first results show that households in the most developed European economies have the largest per capita blue water footprint. Behind this footprint is the fact that the intensity effect distances these powers from the European average. On the other hand, the consumption patterns of these economies are more water intensive than the average European region, especially in domestic terms. This would lead us to highlight the importance of developing measures to raise consumer awareness of water consumption in these countries.