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Press release Munich, June 27th, 2011 Prof. Dr. Arjen Y. Hoekstra Water – the challenge of the 21st century

The of humanity has exceeded sustainable sourced from and on agricultural, urban and energy poli­ levels at several places and is unequally distributed among cies. The accumulation all those decisions has brought us people. Water footprint reduction and mitigation of its im­ in the position we face today: too many places that face pacts encompass a shared responsibility between consum­ severe freshwater scarcity and pollution, where rivers run ers, producers, investors and governments. Good informa­ dry, groundwater tables and lake level decline and aquatic tion about water footprints of communities and businesses life is threatened by damming of rivers and pollution. Often is required in order to understand how we can formulate this is invisible to us as consumers, because as a result of adequate response strategies pointing towards a more sus­ global trade in both agricultural and industrial goods, we tainable and equitable use of fresh water. have no longer any idea about the natural resource use and environmental impacts associated with the products we Water scarcity is often the result of inadequate attention consume. ­to freshwater when investing in agriculture or expanding cities or industries. Integration of freshwater considera­ Many of us are spatially disconnected from the processes tions is essential in nearly all decisions made in daily life. necessary to produce the products we consume. Good As consumers we make decisions on what we consume, water governance is not a simple matter of a government which indirectly affects our water footprint. As workers for managing our waters better, it’s about integrating con­ private or governmental organisations we make decisions siderations of freshwater scarcity in everyday life decisions on public and private investments, on where materials are in all sectors of society. page 2/2

Arjen Hoekstra is Professor in Water Management at the and Scientific Director of the Water Footprint Network. He specialises in integrated water re­ sources management, river basin management, policy analysis, systems analysis and the science of . Hoekstra has an MSc degree in Civil Engineering and a PhD degree in Policy Analysis, both from the Delft University ­of Technology. He has working experience in various pro­ fessional environments in different countries. Hoekstra is creator of the water footprint concept and es­ tablished the interdisciplinary research field of water foot­ print assessment, which addresses the relations between water management, consumption and trade.

His publications cover a wide range of topics related to water scarcity, flood risk management and sustainable develop­ ment and include 45 papers in peer-reviewed scientific Lecture journals. His books include Perspectives on Water (1998), July, 14th 2011 of Water (2008) and The Water Footprint Start 6.00 pm | Oskar von Miller Forum Assessment Manual (2011).

The Oskar von Miller Forum is an independent educational initiative supported by the Bayerische Bauwirtschaft (association of construction workers‘ union and of the Bavarian construction industry). The Forum – in the heart of Munich and in close proximity of the Technical University Munich – is an international guest house for students, “masters” of the construction industry and guest scientists. The Forum is dedicated to promote higher education of civil engineers and contributes to the pursuit of excellence, striving for traditional qualification open to new development.