Exploring virtual water flows and water resources risk transfer in the Yellow River Basin based on local-distant perspective
Water resources are the biggest rigid constraint facing the Yellow River Basin,and the proposed virtual water concept provides an effective way to optimize the regional allocation of water resources based on value flow.To implement the major national strategy of ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin,it is important to scientifically assess the basin virtual water flow pattern and its impact.Based on the 2017 input-output table and sectoral water use data of each province in China,this study applied the environmentally extended multiregional input-output model and structural path analysis to portray the virtual water flow pattern at the regional and sectoral levels in the Yellow River Basin from a local-distant perspective,and further examined the water risk transfer due to virtual water flow in conjunction with the water risk transfer model.The results indicated that:(1)At the regional level,the risk transfer value of virtual water flows from outside the basin to inside the basin was relatively high.Therefore,the Yellow River Basin significantly reduced its own water shortage risk by net transferring virtual water from the outside.(2)At the provincial level,the proportion of local virtual water was the highest and the proportion of sub-local virtual water was the lowest in each province.Inner Mongolia and Henan were more supportive of virtual water flows within and outside the basin.The proximal virtual water flow path mitigated the risk of localized water shortage.The sub-local and sub-distant virtual water flow paths with Sichuan and Inner Mongolia as sources had high risk-transfer values.(3)At the sectoral level,the key sectors for important virtual water flow paths were agriculture and construction.Among them,agriculture usually served as the source sector of the pathway,while construction mostly served as the terminal sector of the pathway.Virtual water flows from agriculture to industry and services tended to result in higher risk-transfer values.Virtual water flow pathways with construction as the terminal sector in the watershed also had a high risk-transfer value.Therefore,effective ways to promote water conservation and reduce the risk of water shortage in the Yellow River Basin through cross-regional and cross-sectoral coordination and optimal allocation of water resources should be actively explored.
Yellow River Basinmultiregional input-output modelstructural path analysislocal and distant viewvirtual water flowsrisk transfer
万方数据
维普
