Open Access
Tracking water for human activities: from the ivory tower to the ground
(Elsevier, 2021) Martínez Aldaya, Maite; Sesma Martín, Diego; Rubio Varas, María del Mar; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
Water policy requires well established metrics for success. Precise metrics allow for quantifying progress and adjusting processes to produce the desired outcomes. We analyze the different schools of thought, nomenclatures and indicators developed for tracking water for human activities. After comparing a variety of terms related to water accounting used to serve the different purposes (environmental vs. ecological economics), we found that the different approaches to water tracking utilize identical terms to refer to distinctive concepts. The characterization of widely used terms such as 'water use' varies across different branches of literature. Different approaches to water measurement and its efficiency have an impact on water allocation. Our paper points out that the current definitions and methods for tracking water for human activities may offer contradictory advice over whether progress is being made towards desirable objectives, which may differ across stakeholders. This review aims at helping the transfer of academic results to empirical decision-making by discerning the differences among the variety of indicators available in the literature and their empirical implications. The ambiguity in the water terminology should be clarified before policy decisions can be useful in practice for guiding actions.
Open Access
At the crossroad between green and thirsty: carbon emissions and water consumption of Spanish thermoelectricity generation, 1969–2019
(Elsevier, 2022) Cano-Rodríguez, Sara; Rubio Varas, María del Mar; Sesma Martín, Diego; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE
The energy sector is the main contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and one of the thirstiest sectors worldwide. Within the energy sector, thermoelectricity directly impacts on both emissions and water. This study assesses the evolution of the direct CO2 emissions and operational water consumption of the Spanish thermoelectricity generation from 1969 to 2019. Both carbon emissions and water consumption correlate over time, led by the trends in total thermal generation, although over the past half century, water requirements swelled far more than carbon emissions. This results in a long-term trade-off between carbon emissions and consumptive water use in relative terms: while the CO2 per thermal MWh generated halved since 1969 in Spain, the operational water consumption per MWh of thermoelectricity generated more than doubled due to switching from coal burning to nuclear and combined cycle technologies. We find no real trade-off in absolute levels. Although moving towards smaller environmental impacts since the mid-2000s, thermoelectricity remains one of the largest carbon emitters while becoming one of thirstiest energy technologies in Spain.
Open Access
The environmental Kuznets curve at the thermoelectricity-water nexus: empirical evidence from Spain
(International Water Association, 2022) Sesma Martín, Diego; Puente Ajovín, Miguel; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
Energy and water are essential resources for ensuring economic growth. Both sectors are closely interrelated. Electricity generation is one of the most water-intensive activities worldwide and the cooling of thermoelectric power stations represents one of the largest uses of water within the energy sector. This study provides evidence on the existence of an Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) for water withdrawal at the thermoelectricity sector in Spain, one of the most arid countries in Europe, for the period 1970–2019, using the ARDL model. Our results show a direct rela- tionship between per capita income and water withdrawal until an estimated turning point is reached. In the Spanish case, further development has led to a reduction in water needs for the following reasons: 1) the use of less water-intensive cooling systems, 2) changes in generation technology.
Open Access
Water for whom?: unravelling the allocation of water storage capacity between irrigation and electricity uses in Spain during the 20th century
(Sociedad Española de Historia Agraria, SEHA, 2024-12-01) Bartolomé-Rodríguez, María Isabel; Rubio Varas, María del Mar; Sesma Martín, Diego; Economía; Ekonomia; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE
Esta investigación examina la complejidad de la relación entre la asignación de recursos hídricos, la generación de energía y el regadío en España. Esta tarea se acomete tras el examen de la evolución del marco regulatorio de la asignación de recursos hidráulicos e introduciendo un enfoque novedoso para cuantificar los usos del agua. Por vez primera, se descompone la categoría de usos mixtos, que corresponde a la mayoría de los embalses de propiedad pública, gracias a la información disponible sobre las entidades que disponen no de la propiedad sino de las concesiones de agua. Nuestros resultados revelan el significativo peso de las compañías eléctricas privadas en la gestión de los recursos hidráulicos, pese a la prevalencia de la propiedad pública de las infraestructuras. La hegemonía hidroeléctrica en la asignación del agua contribuye a hacer patente la complejidad de la relación entre la propiedad pública y la gestión privada de las infraestructuras por parte de las compañías eléctricas. Finalmente, la contribución a una mejor comprensión de la singularidad histórica de la gobernanza del agua en España apuntala la necesidad de consideraciones más matizadas en el terreno de políticas que conciernen las relaciones entre agricultura y energía.
Open Access
Cooling water: a source of conflict in Spain, 1970-1980
(MDPI, 2020) Sesma Martín, Diego; Ekonomia; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE; Economía; Gobierno de Navarra / Nafarroako Gobernua, 1295/2019
Water resources are limited and uneven in space and time. Competition for the use of the resource can lead to conflicts between water users. Besides its use for irrigation and agriculture, water is an essential input in the thermoelectric power generation process. Massive Spanish nuclear program projects have conditioned water management in the country, as significant freshwater volumes need to be constantly available for the proper operation of these facilities. Water for cooling has conflicted with other water-using activities, resulting in regional imbalances. The present study shows that cooling water represented a source of conflict between irrigators and electricity companies in Spain in the 1970s and 1980s. A historical analysis of documentary sources reveals that the drawing off of fresh water for cooling by the nuclear industry was one of the many causes of frequent disputes and the rise of social movements against the installation of nuclear power plants in Spain during that period.