Socio-structural forces predicting global water footprint: socio-hydrology and ecologically unequal exchange |
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| Authors: | Md Belal Hossain Angela G Mertig |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Sociology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USAbelal.hossain@okstate.edu https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0997-9732;3. Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA |
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| Abstract: | ABSTRACTGrowth in water use and threatened shortages of water have become increasingly important in the modern world system. Natural resources are exploited extensively by capitalist interests in industrially advanced nations, while the lower strata of the world system, the underdeveloped societies, are left with limited access to natural resources for their productive processes, particularly water resources. We contribute to socio-hydrological research by examining underlying socio-structural factors that play a part in the process of deteriorating conditions of global water resources. Drawing on a world-systems perspective, this study examines how socio-structural forces – world-system position, per capita beef consumption, per capita energy consumption, and urbanization – affect per capita water footprint, which includes an accounting of “virtual water” consumption. We find that per capita beef consumption and per capita energy consumption have significant positive direct effects, and the world-system position has a significant indirect and total effect on per capita water footprint. |
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| Keywords: | world-systems perspective ecologically unequal exchange water footprint socio-hydrology path analysis global water resources virtual water trade |
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https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0997-9732;3. Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA