Radar 6/6
water usage in the sector will help minimise
the risk of power stations having to reduce
production or, in extreme scenarios, shut
down altogether if water shortages mean
they cannot remain operational.
The warnings coincide with a paper by
Newcastle University, which evaluates
the demands for cooling water from the
UK electricity sector.
Meanwhile, despite the UK experiencing
the wettest winter in 250 years, researchers
have warned that Britain's food supply
is also likely to become increasingly
susceptible to global water shortages.
Researchers from the University of Bath
and University of Loughborough have
warned that many everyday commodities,
such as food and manufactured goods,
and especially those that rely on the
availability of land or water, are sensitive
to climate change on a global scale.
The University of Bath's Department of
Economics Dr Alistair Hunt said: "Our
research looked at the water used to
create 25 of Britain's most economically
significant and climate-sensitive imports,
essential items such as crops, meat, fish,
fuels, pharmaceuticals and paper.
"We found that these products
represented 30% of Britain's imports
in 2010, and required 12.8 billion cubic
metres of water. From this we were
able to compare the need for water with
models that show the changes in our
economy and those that show changes
in the availability of global resources
such as water, and determine how secure
Britain's future imports are."
The research group claims that some of
Britain's most important water-trading
partners are already water scarce and
now face increasing scarcity from climate
change.
Dr Hunt said: "Britain is susceptible
to pressures on global water resources
because the national water footprint and
water import dependency are relatively
high even before climate change and
population growth are considered".
The research group has also outlined
how countries like Britain that depend
on climate-sensitive imported resources
can reduce risk, through measures such as
investing in the development of exporting
nations, and by improving trade relations
with potential new supplying nations.
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Oh the irony: After the wettest winter on
record and nationwide flooding, the UK's
food and energy resilience is likely to be
compromised by water shortages
