{"id":22340,"date":"2024-01-02T09:00:12","date_gmt":"2024-01-02T14:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/?p=22340"},"modified":"2023-12-12T13:49:37","modified_gmt":"2023-12-12T18:49:37","slug":"water-footprints-of-vegan-pizza-vs-meat-pizza","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/2024\/01\/02\/water-footprints-of-vegan-pizza-vs-meat-pizza\/","title":{"rendered":"Water Footprints of Vegan Pizza vs. Meat Pizza"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS<\/p>\n

In a previous article<\/a>, we calculated the carbon footprints of vegan pizza vs. meat pizza. The carbon emissions associated with the meat pizza were seven times greater<\/em> than those resulting from the vegan pizza. In this post, we’ll see whether the difference between the water footprints of the same vegan and meat pizzas is as great.<\/p>\n

Agricultural water use in a climate crisis<\/strong><\/p>\n

Approximately 70%<\/a> of the world\u2019s freshwater is used for food production every year. That is a huge withdrawal of the meager 3% total freshwater on Earth compared to saltwater (97%).<\/p>\n

Compounding the problem of water availability is that only 0.5%<\/a> out of the 3% is available for human use. (The rest is tied up in melting glaciers and polar ice caps, on their way to diluting salty oceans.) What is that quantity in gallons?<\/p>\n

Based on estimations<\/a> by the United States Geological Survey, in which the volume of all the freshwater on Earth is roughly 2,551,000 mi3 <\/sup>and one cubic mile of water equals more than 1.1 trillion gallons, the 0.5% of freshwater available for human use is approximately 2,551,000 x 0.005 x 1.1 \u2245<\/strong> 12,755 x 1.1 \u2245<\/strong> 14,031 trillion gallons \u2245<\/strong> 14 quadrillion gallons.<\/p>\n

So, if agriculture uses 70% of the planet’s freshwater, that’s approximately 14,031 x 0.7 \u2245<\/strong> 9,821 trillion gallons \u2245<\/strong> 10 quadrillion gallons per year. That volume of water would fill roughly 9,821\/660,000 \u2245<\/strong> 0.015 trillion \u2245<\/strong> 15 billion Olympic-sized swimming pools (holding 660,000<\/a> gallons each).<\/p>\n

It makes sense in a climate crisis where global heating leads to extreme droughts or flooding in major agricultural regions to use that freshwater wisely. This is where foods\u2019 water footprints can guide us to prudent water consumption.<\/p>\n

What is a food’s water footprint?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The amount of freshwater (ground and surface water) needed to produce a particular food from farm to fork is called that food\u2019s blue water footprint<\/a>. In this post\u2019s calculations, based on the work by Poore & Nemecek<\/a> as interpreted by Our World in Data<\/a>, only blue<\/strong> water, referred to as freshwater withdrawal,<\/em> is counted.<\/p>\n

The data used here do not include green water (rain\/snow), or grey water defined as the freshwater needed to dilute pollutants \u2013 such as fertilizer and pesticide runoff \u2013 resulting from a food\u2019s production to levels that meet local water quality standards. Nor do the data include where or when the water is used.<\/p>\n

All types of water and where or when they are used are important in determining a food\u2019s water footprint as accurately and precisely as possible. Other researchers<\/a> consider all of these factors and more in their calculations of the water footprints of foods.<\/p>\n

Water is used at every step of the process in food production including:<\/p>\n