SANAL SU TRANSFERİ VE SU AYAK İZİNİN ULUSLARARASI ÖLÇEKTE STRATEJİK ÖNEMİ

Abstract

Yerküre dörtte üç oranında su ile çevrilidir. Ancak bu yüksek orana rağmen su, yeryüzünde homojen bir dağılım göstermemektedir. Dahası hidrolojik çevrimler, yenilenebilir bir kaynak olmasına rağmen suyun bulunduğu bölgeye her zaman aynı miktarda geri dönmediğini göstermektedir. Bu durum yaşanan olumsuz iklim değişimlerinin de etkisiyle canlıların yaşam sürdüğü şehirlerin, bölgelerin, ülkelerin hatta bir bütün olarak kıtaların kuraklık riski altında olduğunu göstermektedir. Ülkelerin gelişmişlik düzeyinden bağımsız olarak gözlemlendiğinde, dünyadaki mevcut tatlı suyun %80’inden fazlasının tarımsal aktiviteler tarafından kullanıldığı görülmektedir. Bu eksende tatlı su arzı kısıtlı veya su kıtlığı riski taşıyan ve özellikle tarıma dayalı büyüme modellerine sahip ülkelerin yoğun tarımsal ürün ithalat ve ihracatına dayalı ekonomi politikalarını gözden geçirmesi gerekmektedir. Ulusal ölçekte ülkemiz ve uluslararası ölçekte dünya ülkelerinin sadece yüzey ve yeraltı suyunun doğrudan kullanım miktarına odaklı geleneksel su kullanım hesaplarından uzaklaşması gerekmektedir. Bunun yerine doğrudan ve dolaylı kullanım miktarını verebilen, daha akılcı ve bilimsel hesap metodolojisine sahip, ürünlerin üretim ve tedarik süreçlerinin tümünde gömülü olan suyun, su ayak izi (SA) ve bununla yakından ilişkili olan sanal su (gömülü su) (SS) kavramını doğru anlaması önem arz etmektedir. Su ayak izi ve sanal su metodolojinin doğru anlaşılması sayesinde suyun sadece doğrudan transferi değil, su kullanımı gerektiren ürün, üretim ve tedarik süreçleri boyunca dolaylı transferinin de gözlemlenebilmesi ve bu sayede zamansal ve mekânsal su yönetim politikalarının geliştirilebilmesi mümkün kılınacaktır. Çalışma kapsamında ulusal ve uluslararası arenada yoğun ithal ve ihraç olunan tarımsal ürünlerin sanal su muhteviyatları tablolar halinde kıyaslanmıştır. Bilimsel veriler irdelenerek suyun stratejik bir politika aracı olduğu gösterilmeye çalışılmıştır. Ayrıca çevre ve su ile ilgili gelecek durum projeksiyonları yapan bilim organizasyonlarının güncel raporları ışığında, suyun geleceği, gıda güvenliği, su kıtlığına çözüm, tarımsal sürdürülebilirlik, suyun jeopolitik stratejisi ve iklim değişimi ile ilgili parametreler mukayese edilip ulusal ve uluslararası etkileri tartışılmıştır.

Keywords

• Sanal su transferi
• Su ayak izi
• Sürdürülebilirlik
• Su stresi

THE STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF VIRTUAL WATER TRANSFER AND WATER FOOTPRINT AT THE INTERNATIONAL SCALE

Abstract

The Earth is covered by water at a ratio of approximately three-quarters. However, despite this high proportion, water is not distributed homogeneously across the globe. Furthermore, hydrological cycles demonstrate that although water is a renewable resource, it does not always return to the region where it is located in the same quantity. This situation, coupled with the adverse effects of climate change, indicates that cities, regions, countries, and even entire continents where living organisms sustain their existence are under the risk of drought. Regardless of countries' levels of development, it is observed that more than 80% of the world's available freshwater resources are consumed by agricultural activities. In this context, countries with limited freshwater supplies or facing the risk of water scarcity, particularly those whose economic growth models are heavily dependent on agriculture, need to reconsider their economic policies based on intensive imports and exports of agricultural products. At the national scale, Türkiye, and at the international scale, countries around the world, should move beyond conventional water-use calculations that focus solely on the direct use of surface and groundwater resources. Instead, it is crucial to properly understand the concepts of the water footprint (WF), which can account for both direct and indirect water consumption through a more rational and scientific calculation methodology, and virtual water (embedded water) (VW), which is closely associated with it and refers to the water embedded throughout the production and supply chains of products. A proper understanding of water footprint and virtual water methodologies will make it possible to observe not only the direct transfer of water but also its indirect transfer through products, production processes, and supply chains that require water use. Consequently, this will facilitate the development of temporal and spatial water management policies. Within the scope of the study, the virtual water contents of agricultural products that are intensively imported and exported both nationally and internationally were compared through tabular analyses. By examining scientific data, the study attempts to demonstrate that water constitutes a strategic policy instrument. Furthermore, in light of the latest reports published by scientific organizations producing future projections regarding the environment and water resources, parameters related to the future of water, food security, solutions to water scarcity, agricultural sustainability, the geopolitical strategy of water, and climate change were compared, and their national and international implications were discussed.

Keywords

• Virtual water transfer
• Water footprint
• Sustainability
• Water stress

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